Former Victorian Netball League midcourt star Jess Leader will don the red and white for Ocean Grove in round four against Barwon Heads.
Coach Mel Holmes said Leader was living and working in Melbourne, but had committed to play for the Grubbers whenever she could.
Leader will make her debut in the Battle of the Bridge against Barwon Heads this weekend.
“She’d be a six-foot centre, wing defence, goal defence so she offers depth and versatility for us,” Holmes said.
“She’s a sort of a secret weapon.”
Ocean Grove remained undefeated after three rounds with a two-goal win against Torquay on Saturday April 13 and won all five senior grades.
The Grubbers prevailed 46 to 44 with star shooter Zanna Woods returning to the side and only missing one goal all game.
It was Ocean Grove’s second two-goal win for the season.
“It was another close one,” Holmes said.
“I’m just very thankful to get the win. It was a tough battle. We had to work for it. Credit to Torquay.
“Sometimes in those situations you can sort of drop your head, but we stuck together as a group and backed our game plan. It could have easily not gone our way, so I was really proud of the girls for digging really deep and grinding it out.”
Holmes said her side was still a work in progress.
“We’ve been pretty happy with how we’ve defended this year, we’ve been pretty happy with our midfield,” she said.
“It’s probably more or less just our efficiency going forward and taking our chances.”
Holmes will reunite with her former Geelong Amateur premiership teammate Kate Schippers this week. Schippers coaches Barwon Heads and Holmes said she was looking forward to her first Battle of the Bridge.
ROUND 3
A Grade
Ocean Grove 46 def Torquay 44. Best: Ocean Grove – Courtney Leith, Georgia Ryan, Emily Moroney. Torquay: Sophie Ritchie-Crichton, Rhian Moresi, Julia Allan-Goodwin.
Newcomb 47 def Barwon Heads 46. Best: Newcomb – Brittany Collier, Jessica Duke, Sian Mortlock. Barwon Heads – Maddie Okely, Krystal Baker, Issey Armstrong.
Anglesea 66 def Drysdale 37. Best: Anglesea – Bree Caldwell, Briana Walters, Jessica Croker. Drysdale – Aleisha Walters, Ella Puttyfoot, Elise Ruggles.
Geelong Amateur 75 def Portarlington 29. Best: Geelong Amateur – Keisha Guilmartin, Kaitlyn Sheringham, Elyse Boyer. Portarlington – Mikayla Mevissen, Jamison Camilleri, Marney McRandall.
Queenscliff 58 def Modewarre 32. Best: Queenscliff – Kaitlin Gladman, Keely Kinsey, Sarah Langley. Modewarre – Keeley Cox, Kathryn Vickers, Laney Mcfadyen.
B Grade
Ocean Grove 51 def Torquay 41. Best: Ocean Grove – Charlotte Vines, Amelia Cunningham, Imogen Bennett. Torquay – Abbey O’Hanlon, Anna Carty, Louisa Harrington.
C Grade
Ocean Grove 35 def Torquay 27. Best: Ocean Grove – Sofia Dickeson, Maya Hamilton, Amelia Hallam. Torquay – Bethany Garlick, Sarah Ferguson, Jordyn Brown.
D Grade
Ocean Grove 33 def Torquay 30. Best: Ocean Grove – Tarryn Stanley, Giselle Dawson, Paula Birch. Torquay – Lauren Cameron, Adrienne Ingram, Ashlee Job.
E Grade
Ocean Grove 29 def Torquay 28. Best: Ocean Grove – Kylie Collett, Tahnee Allen, Isabella Maier. Torquay – Hailee Braybrook, Kylie Roberts, Jasmine Spedding.
19 & Under
Ocean Grove 15 def by Torquay 31. Best: Ocean Grove – Ella McGlynn, Tilly Peace-Teague, Chelsea Ferguson. Torquay – Bella O’Dwyer, Jorja Hayes, Leila Owens.
17 & Under Division 1
Ocean Grove 24 def Torquay 20. Best: Ocean Grove – Holly Britt, Maggie Drake, Ella Brown. Torquay – Phoebe Vaughan, Sian Hughes, Livi Carson.
17 & Under Division 2
Ocean Grove 20 def by Torquay 22. Best: Ocean Grove – Eve Lake, Olivia Grogan, Bella Mawson. Torquay – Cassidy Milburn, Betty Blackley, Molly Leith.
15 & Under Division 1
Ocean Grove 16 def by Torquay 25. Best: Ocean Grove – Reagan McKenzie, Charli Burke, Lucy Neaves. Torquay – luella White, Arabella Leahy, Grace Healy.
15 & Under Division 2
Ocean Grove 19 def by Torquay 24. Best: Ocean Grove – Olive Coates, Tess Wolfe, Crystal Wright. Torquay – Tara Asbell, Mahli Kimberley, Sadie Derbyshire.
13 & Under Division 1
Ocean Grove 16 def by Torquay 21. Best: Ocean Grove – Kiara Dean, Alana Farrow, Tayte McKenzie. Torquay – Wren Rahilly, Maeve Timms, Millie Binnion.
13 & Under Division 2
Ocean Grove 8 def by Torquay 24. Best: Ocean Grove – Chloe Davies, Sophia Jankowski, Evie Davis. Torquay – Isla Chivers, Xanthe Essing, Phoebe Crawford.
