MYRTLEFORD succumbed to an 18-goal loss at the hands of a defensively-charged Corowa Rutherglen outfit on Saturday at McNamara Reserve.

Despite some brilliant play at both ends of the court, an injury to midcourter Evie Hughes threw the Saints off their game, eventually falling 33-51.

The match was evenly poised early, with scores deadlocked after the first quarter 12-12, but when Hughes sustained a severe ankle injury, Corowa began to lift to take an eight-point lead by half-time.

A flat Saints squad tried to penetrate the Roos’ iron-clad defensive structure with limited success and felt the pain on the scoreboard when the ball went down the other end.

Down by nine goals heading into the final 15 minutes, the Saints managed just six goals, with Corowa Rutherglen well and truly making the most of their momentum.

Myrtleford coach Olivia La Spina said while they played well in patches, the injury to Hughes had an impact.

“We had a great first half of netball,” she said.

“I felt our defence was really strong and created many opportunities for us.

“Corowa’s defence is certainly their strength and I felt that we held our nerve for the first half, but when Evie went down with a really serious ankle injury it probably took the spark out of the game.

“In the second half we lost some drive and confidence in the attack end, and the team as a whole felt quite flat with losing Evie.

“We were lucky enough to debut Lily Boyer who’s only 15 - she played a cracking game and gave us something different in defence.

“Jorja Reidy played her best game of the year and was unstoppable in wing defence.”

The Saints have the opportunity to bounce back this weekend with another home game, this time hosting an Albury Tigers outfit similarly eager for success.

The Tigers have lost the last four in a row and are yet to taste outright victory in 2025, while Myrtleford will be searching for their second triumph.

In other matches from the weekend, the B grade side fell 26-56, C grade won 51-29, the under 17s got up 43-33, and the under 15s came away with a convincing win 61-26.