Trailing 34-30 with the siren inching closer, the Roos wrestled back momentum with patient play and chipped away at the deficit.

Down three first-string goalies, it fell to Jordyn McCarthy, fresh off playing a B-Grade game, to draw the hosts level.

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The late goal gifted the Roos the chance to take the lead with possession at the centre pass.

An experienced East Point mid-court managed the dying minutes to perfection, finding their shooters in space before dropping back to perform on the defensive end and muscle the hosts home.

Coach Matthew Blomeley said the tense win set his group up nicely for the season.

"What it does is it shows the players know how to win. Hopefully, that puts us in good stead against other top opposition," he said.

"No one dropped their heads even if mistakes were made while we were still down. It really showed a lot.

"The fact that we were able to keep going and not to try and force balls or go away from what we had planned to do was really pleasing."

East Point is expected to welcome back star recruit Lavinia Fox, Lauren Jew and Milly Sharp for next weekend's clash against Lake Wendouree.

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Elsewhere, normal service resumed for North Ballarat, who marched to a 53-36 win against Redan.

The reigning premiers charged out of the blocks, led by sharpshooter Madison Selmon.

The 2019 McLean medallist nabbed 14 of her 36 goals in a rampant first quarter, sending her side into the huddle with a 10-goal lead.

Redan, playing under coach Karinna Knowles for the first time, fought its way back into the contest but struggled to contain the competition's benchmark side.

The Roosters weren't allowed to settle, holding an eight-goal lead heading into the final term, though eventually powered away, much to the delight of coach Annie McCartin.

"For the first match out, I thought the girls did a great job," McCartin said.

"They always get out there, and the support and the encouragement is all starting to work together.

"I said to the girls to settle in for the first quarter, work out their opposition players and then introduce some of the things we had been working on.

"We were fortunate to have a good start and quietly build on that and just have a nice win."

At Darley Park, supporters were treated to a sharp turn of the tables as last season's wooden spooners triumphed over the minor premiers.

Darley - who only managed one win in 2019 - ran riot over a new-look Sunbury outfit to notch a 61-43 win, kicking its season off in style.

In the round's other games, Ballarat was too good for Bacchus Marsh, 47-28, and Melton South had a seven-goal win over fierce rivals Melton, 43-36.

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