Those were just three words to describe Leitchville-Gunbower’s 31-30 loss to Mount Pleasant in the opening round.
Across the court there were positive signs for the Bombers as they took a step in the right direction.
‘‘I’ve been excited about our defence since we began training,’’ coach Sam Drover said.
‘‘They have continued to impress and the girls backed up my excitement.
‘‘Our attacking line is starting to come along nicely.
‘‘It’s going to be exciting to see how far they’ve developed at the end of the season.’’
On an afternoon where consistency across the court kept the team in the game, wing defence Macey Brereton shone.
Her defensive awareness and tactical understanding was a pleasure to watch.
‘‘Macey has adapted really well to her new position,’’ Drover explained.
‘‘In the past, she’s been used as a goal defender and keeper, so it is quite a big change.
‘‘You would think she is a veteran in that position.’’
The summer months can be a grind as teams undergo tactical shifts, but when they pay off it is off pleasing for coaches, even if not everything does come off.
‘‘I did have a moment at the end where I was frustrated but that’s all it was,’’ she said.
‘‘You could see everything we’ve been working on was in place.
‘‘It’s just unfortunate that some of our combinations didn’t come off at vital times.’’
The Bombers will now look to bounce back quickly when they host North Bendigo on Saturday, a team they defeated twice last season.
But in 2019, a much different challenge awaits with several new faces taking to the court for the Bulldogs.
‘‘It’s almost a bit of an unknown situation,’’ Drover said.
‘‘They’ve always given us a tough test and we shouldn’t be expecting any different.
‘‘We know our girls will be ready and hopefully we can come away with the four points.’’