Wodonga has showcased some of its young emerging talent with two players making their A-grade Ovens and Murray netball debuts for the club on the weekend.
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At just 14-years-of-age, Lily McKimmie took to the court in goal-attack in the final quarter against Rovers, while fellow under-17s player Hannah Thornber also got her first official senior experience in wing-defence.
Thornber, who has an athletics background, has been part of the club's netball program for several seasons, while McKimmie is in her first year as a Bulldog after making the switch from the Tallangatta and District Netball Association.
A-grade coach Bianca Mann said both of the young players rose to the challenge, with McKimmie also assisting B-grade after playing in the under-17s match.
"They put in a really solid performance and coming up against A-grade players is a different experience for both of them," Mann said.
"I was really happy for them both to get that experience and there will be other opportunities for them later in the season to have another go hopefully."
Mann said the club has a keen focus on nurturing its young talent for future seasons.
"It's great to have that depth through our team," she said.
"The experience will only help them and put them in good stead for further on in their netball careers.
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"We've been fortunate in the last few years to have some really strong juniors and they're slowly now starting to move into A-grade and build that A-grade experience.
"We have some real talent there, it's just building it for the next few years."
Wodonga is still waiting for its first A-grade win this season, with the club's C-grade achieving a drought breaking victory against Rovers on the weekend.
With several new players in the senior line-up this season and Mann stepping up to take the reins, she admitted the side is still finding their feet.
"We're just working on those combinations, and some of them can take some time to work through," she said.
"We're certainly getting there and everyone's been really supportive of each other and making sure we have that positive environment where people want to be there and play together."
Wodonga's next task will be against Myrtleford this weekend, with the Saints coming off the back of a loss to Wangaratta Magpies.
Wangaratta Rovers recently celebrated its first win of the season against the Bulldogs, with strong efforts from Mikaela Trethowan, Samantha Kreltszheim and Gracie Reid.
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