It’s a top four throwdown in the AWFA division two women’s competition this weekend, as the top of the table Lady Devils welcome Wodonga Diamonds to South Wangaratta this Sunday.

The local reserve women’s team is yet to be defeated in season 2026, having only conceded two goals in their three winning performances to start the year.

Coach Kristy Mellor said she was happy with how the opening month of the season has played out, but there was plenty to work on if the Lady Devils wanted to be considered prime candidates for some silverware come finals.

“It’s been interesting, they’ve been tough games, they haven’t been against easy oppositions,” she said.

“We haven’t scored in the first half in the last two games, it’s quite tough out there, but I think probably where the difference is we’re probably a bit fitter.

“They’re good tough games, which is actually great for the girls’ development – the last two teams have been good quality, so it’s actually been really nice to grind out the win in a way.

“We’ve got better triangles, better supporting play, so it means we’re not running as much, and we can be more clever with how we pass the ball around.

“The second half is where our strength lies at the minute – we had to come from behind against Boomers, we hadn’t scored yet against Melrose by half-time even though we’d had quite a lot of shots on goal, so it felt like we were coming from behind but within 10 minutes we had scored.

“I really think we’re holding our position really well in the second half, whereas other teams are getting tired, that’s probably where we’re pulling ahead.”

A combination of junior players graduating to the top level and some handy recruits have coalesced into a formidable force.

There’s also been an injection of some players completely new to the sport, which Mellor said presented challenges, but had worked so far.

“We’ve got five new players either brand new to the sport or brand new to the area,” she said.

“It’s quite different, it is different – it’s a little bit challenging for coaching purposes, because you’ve got brand-new players who you have to teach the game to and you’ve got experienced players who want something else from training.

“Kat Carmody is my co-coach, she’s moved up from Melbourne, she’s an experienced player as well as coach which is fantastic, it’s great to have her.

“She’s a midfield player so she calms people down by her positioning, she’s always supportive which is really positive.

“Joh McLaughlin’s been wonderful, she’s an under 16 top age girl who’s stepped up into div two.

“She’s been magic up front, she’s small but can get around people really easily – I refer to her as my blonde Sam Kerr because she can literally pounce on the ball from anywhere and because her skills are so good, she just puts it in the bottom corner, she’s been really good, a bit of a game changer with her up front.”

The Lady Devils take on fourth-placed Wodonga Diamonds in what should be an absolute cracker of a match.

While Diamonds only have the one loss, their defence can be leaky, having conceded the second most goals out of any team in the top eight, but it will no doubt be a struggle for Wangaratta.

“I think Diamonds and Hotspurs are probably going to be our main competition, but it’s hard to see how the season’s going to play out because I think all of the teams are very similar,” Mellor said.

“So far, I think we’re showing all the good qualities, being able to be at least top four towards the end of the season which is what we’re aiming for.

“We’re really enjoying the tough games, it’s really nice to see the girls out there fighting for the win.”

The reserve Lady Devils take on Wodonga Diamonds at South Wangaratta from 9.30am on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the division one men will be looking for their first win of the season when they take on bottom-of-the-table Diamonds from 3pm.