Footballers, netballers in action with pre-season tune-ups

NINE Ballarat Football Netball League clubs will be in action this weekend as pre-season practice matches get into full swing.

They will be playing sides from leagues from Melbourne to the Wimmera, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, and as far north as Yarrawonga.

Most also have matches scheduled for 22 and 29 March before the season proper starts on 5 April.

Ballarat takes its seniors, reserves and under-18.5 sides, as well as its netballers, to face Wimmera Football League club Ararat at its Alexandra Oval headquarters tomorrow. The action will start at about 11am.

North Ballarat hosts Geelong Football Netball League club Bell Park at Mars Stadium for matches in eight netball grades and reserves (11am) and senior (1pm) football.

Darley will be at home at Darley Park for its matches against Geelong Football Netball League club South Barwon, with under-18.5, reserves and senior football clashes scheduled, along with six grades of netball matches.

The day of competition will be followed by an official season launch event from 7pm at the Courthouse Hotel.

Sebastopol faces off against Bellarine Football League club Torquay at Marty Busch Reserve, with football matches in all three levels. The under-18.5 game will be against Skipton, which plays in the Central Highlands Football Netball League.

Reigning premier Melton will take its entire senior list, along with reserves and under-18.5 players, to Ovens and Murray league club Yarrawonga’s home base to take part in the Gather Round on the Murray competition.

It will compete against clubs from Shepparton, Balwyn, Benalla, Mulwala, Wodonga and more at the invitation event, which will be played in a round-robin format of matches of two 30-minute halves.

The ultimate winners will be determined in early-evening play-offs.

Melton South travels to the Dunnstown Recreation Reserve to take on Central Highlands league club Dunnstown.

The under-18.5s will precede the reserves game at noon and the seniors will take the field at 2pm.

Lake Wendouree is ready for its practice match against Pascoe Vale in Derrinallum, but with a forecast temperature of 38 degrees organisers have cancelled under-18.5s and reserves games.

The club will instead send out its senior squad for four 25-minute quarters starting at 9am.

Lake Wendouree netballers will also make the trip and will play two morning games, with all competition expected to be wrapped up by 11.30am.

Apart from previous match simulations with Waubra and Learmonth, this will be the club’s only official hit-out before the season.

Bacchus Marsh faces off on Sunday against Western Football Netball League club Newport, with under-18.5, reserves and seniors in action at Darley Park.

The following weekend, the Cobras will take on Williamstown CYMS at the Darley Hub ground, and on 29 March will clash with Portarlington at the same venue.

Sunbury has scheduled its practice matches against Essendon District league club Pascoe Vale at the suburban Overnewton Oval.

All three levels of football will be in action. The Lions’ final pre-season clash will be against Gisborne at home on 29 March, when netballers will join in the action.

Redan gets its pre-season schedule under way on 22 March with senior football and netball games against Drysdale. The club’s second and final tune-up football and netball games will be against Eaglehawk on 29 March.

Both those fixtures will be at City Oval.

East Point’s pre-season starts with a match against Strathfieldsaye away on 22 March.