Hamilton Kangaroos' Hayley Sherlock celebrates game 250, Koroit's Chloe Gleeson debuts

Hamilton Kangaroos goaler Hayley Sherlock reached a significant milestone as her side accounted for Portland 57-32 while Koroit blooded 13-year-old Chloe Gleeson in its 49-22 win over Port Fairy.

Roos co-coach Emma Sommerville said Sherlock was a special player who started in Hamilton Magpies' junior ranks and also spent time away at Mininera and District league club Penshurst.

"She's a beautiful goaler and a great player to have around and a really good club person as well," she said.

"250 games for her was a great accolade. She's definitely someone who didn't want to cause any fuss or have any celebrations but we're really happy to have her in the side.

"Her accuracy is beautiful, she can shoot those long-range shots and she's got great speed and reads the play quite well. She's also quite good at directing the goal ring if she sees an issue."

Sommerville was thrilled with her players' ability to master the tricky weather conditions.

"The girls played really well and came out really hard at the start which is what I've been asking of them for quite some time," she said.

Teenage duo Madsie Phillips and Ella Sevior played beyond their years in defence while Clare Crawford moved from centre to her preferred position in goal attack.

"They got the second half in the ring together and I put myself out in wing defence," Sommerville said "It was good to watch them in there."

Koroit, meanwhile, mustered a team together to play Port Fairy as injury and unavailability hit with Kasey Owen, Molly McKinnon, Molly McLaren and Shelby O'Sullivan all sidelined.

It meant Gleeson debuted, spending a quarter at wing attack, while fellow teen Sienna Batt stepped into goals and drained 27.

Saints co-coach Kerri Jennings said veterans Jacqui Bowman, Jess O'Connor, Sally O'Keefe and Emily Batt all played open against the Seagulls while regular goal shooter Nell Mitchell was limited to a half after battling COVID-19 in the lead-up.

"Chloe did really well. She was obviously very nervous but she's been training with div one and open now for a while so it was really nice to give her (court time) and it boosted her confidence as well," she said.

"Sienna did really well at goal attack. I think she shot 27 goals so that was a big step up for her and she was in our best as well."

Jennings is rapt with Koroit's efforts this season. It sits third on the ladder with nine wins and three losses.

"It is super exciting. I think lots of people thought 'Koroit aren't going to do too well this season, they've lost a lot of players, they have a lot of young ones stepping up'," she said. "But full credit to those kids and the (players) we've retained, they've really gelled.

"Layla (Monk) is still really young but she's stepped up to another level and is really owning that goal keeper position."

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