It was the first meeting of the season for two sides who last faced-off in the 2018 Prelimenary final. Springbank emerged victroious in that game, but it was Hepburn that took the spoils yesterday with a convincing 17-goal win in Springbank.

Hepburn coach Gary Cooke heaped praise on his team following the match, lauding what was a complete "team effort."

"I don't know who the umpires will give those votes to," he said.

"Everybody had one quarter where they did something incredible."

Cold and slippery conditions made for a tight contest early with neither team willing to give an inch. With the scores tied at the end of the first quarter, Hepburn began to take control in the second before blowing the game open after half-time.

Cooke said defensive pressure and fast ball movement from both teams made for a good quality game of netball.

"A team like Springbank, you can't take your foot off the peddle because they are a team full of talent," he said.

"Every opportunity to come back at us they tried, and we really had to power on for the whole four quarters."

Although reluctant to single anyone out, Cooke made special mention of Madeline Carter who was sensational through the mid-court, as well as 17-year-old Kira Howard who continued to impressed in her first year of A-grade.

The win takes Hepburn to a perfect six wins from six games on the season, placing them second on the ladder behind Learmonth on percentage. They won't get a chance to play the table leaders until round 17.

After bowing out in the preliminary final last year, Cooke is confident they have the game style to see them go one better.

"We set ourselves a few goals, and making a grand final is at the top of our list," he said.

"We've got tough games coming up but we know we've got the line-up to do it, and players on the bench to fill gaps."

Elsewhere Rokewood have defeated Bungaree by nine goals. Buninyoung enjoyed a comfortable win over Dunnstown. Newlyn won a nail-biter over Beaufort, Carnham beat Clunes and Learmonth, Skipton and Ballan all enjoyed wins.

DETAILS

RESULTS:

Rokewood-Corindhap 51 d Bungaree 42

Buninyong 54 d Dunnstown 28

Carngham-Linton 29 d Clunes 19

Learmonth 120 d Daylesford 10

Newlyn 35 d Beaufort 32

Skipton 38 d Creswick 31

Hepburn 51 d Springbank 34

Ballan 39 d Waubra 34

LADDER:

LADDER: LEARMONTH 24, 304.76; HEPBURN 24, 310.95; BUNINYONG 20, 191.76; BALLAN 20, 154.78; ROKEWOOD-CORDINGHAP 20, 150.87; SPRINGBANK 20, 131.40; GORDON 16, 79.35; DUNNSTOWN 12, 105.45; Carngham-Linton 12, 83.81; Clunes 12, 82.35; Waubra 8, 137.50; Bungaree 8, 77.88, Skipton 8, 66.01; Newlyn 8, 58.78; Creswick 4, 44.51; Beaufort 0, 51.77; Daylesford 0, 21.86

A shorthanded Sunbury has emerged victorious in a top-of-the-table clash against reigning premier North Ballarat City in Ballarat Football Netball League A grade netball.

The win surprised Sunbury coach Adam Boldiston, whose side overcame the absence of starters Tarryn Munro and Ruth Smith to take the match 54-45 at Clarke Oval on Saturday.

Heading into the contest, Boldiston admitted he had no idea how his team would go.

"We weren't expecting to win with the couple of outs we had," he said.

"I knew we'd be challenging them, but the first half took me by surprise."

Defensive pressure and crisp ball movement set the tone for the Lions early in the contest.

After taking an 11-goal lead into half-time, the undermanned squad fended off an aggressive fight back from City which earned the praise of Boldiston after the match.

"We kept our composure and pulled the lead back out to nine, so it was very pleasing signs from the team."

Veteran Lion Lauren Gilchrist proved a standout after slotting in at centre to control the middle of the court. Seventeen-year-old Shelby Holter was superb at goal attack in what was only her fourth start in A grade.

The win cements Sunbury at the top of the ladder alongside East Point with an unblemished four wins from four matches. Boldiston said early signs are positive for the team.

Elsewhere Melton has defeated Darley by 11 goals to win its second in a row after winning its first game since 2017 last week. Bacchus Marsh narrowly defeated Ballarat at Maddingley Park. East Point was an easy winner over Sebastopol, while Lake Wendouree thumped Redan.

DETAILS

RESULTS:

Bacchus Marsh 59 d Ballarat 53

East Point 46 d Sebastopol 25

Melton 45 d Darley 34

Lake Wendouree 62 d Redan 26

Sunbury 54 d North Ballarat City 45

LADDER:

LADDER: SUNBURY 16, 157.79; EAST POINT 16, 147.92; NORTH BALLARAT CITY 12, 113.97; LAKE WENDOUREE 8, 136.36; BALLARAT 8, 104.76; BACCHUS MARSH 8, 95.63; Melton 8, 86.29; Melton South 8, 81.69; Darley 4, 80.69; Sebastopol 4, 64.74; Redan 4, 51.52