After 18 months on the sidelines, it was a baptism by fire for Sebastopol on netball's return.
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The Burra opened the season with a loss to last season's grand finalists East Point, ticked off a bye, then rebounded against early frontrunner Melton at the weekend.
Life doesn't get any easier either, with games against reigning premiers North Ballarat and perennial power Lake Wendouree on the horizon.
"We're playing three, if not four, of the best four teams in the league in the opening rounds and that's great for us," Burra co-coach Georgia Cann said.
"We've always enjoyed that challenge because it gives us an insight into where we're at.
"It helps us establish what we need to do to in order to be up in that mix with those teams."
Sebastopol missed finals in 2019 - the first time in three seasons - and fell to ninth with a 3-13 record.
Led by new combinations and an injection of youth, Cann was confident her side could match it with the league's traditional forces.
"We really approach games, like the one this weekend against North Ballarat, with a mindset of 'we're in it and we know we are'," she said.
"We can really contest against teams like North Ballarat, East Point and Lakers. It's just a matter of can we do it for four quarters.
"We've shown in previous years we can do it. It's just a matter of bringing confidence to the day and also that composure when teams such as those have a great spread of talent across the court."
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