After eight rounds, Bright’s A grade side had only registered one win, albeit with a tough fixture and a squad that was starting to gel, which was evident in their very narrow loss to reigning champions Bonnie Doon back in May.

Since round 10, they have won their last three matches and the club’s premier netball team is well and truly on the rise after a fantastic 20-goal away win to an improved Benalla All Blacks on Saturday.

Enjoying the return of some key players on their home court, Benalla took a one-goal lead to the first break in what was expected to be a close contest in difficult conditions.

Led by defensive duo Tash Healy and Molly Whitty, Bright worked their way back to the lead after being dominant in general play and on the scoreboard, and never looked back from the second quarter onwards.

A 24-17 half-time advantage blew out further in the second half, as Bright controlled the tempo and ended the match with a comfortable 51-31 win.

Healy, Whitty and Georgie Matters were the visitors’ best players, Jess Carnes (33 goals) led all scorers with accuracy of more than 82 per cent, while Luca McIntosh (18) played her role in the attacking third.

The Mountain Men were just as successful on the adjacent oval with a win to the tune of 131 points – 25.22 (172) to 6.5 (41).

The All Blacks, who have decimated by injuries this season, couldn’t keep up with the 2025 premiers.

Mid-season recruit Jack Larkin made an immediate impact on club debut, earning best on ground honours, while Levi Young, Jack Banks, Sam Dalbosco and Reuben Jamieson were named amongst Bright’s best.

Riley Bacon (five goals) takes his goal tally to 14 from only five games, as talls Luke Quirk and Bernie Ruaro didn’t miss out by kicking four goals each.

Both senior sides will face a much tougher assignment against Greta, with both Blues’ outfits currently sitting inside their division’s top five.

Last time they met, Greta’s netball depth was tested but prevailed in their 48-39 away win over Bright, while the Mountain Men got the chocolates in the round seven grand final rematch by 27 points in what was a high-scoring match.