THERE are a lot of players who dream about scoring a match-winning goal in their debut season, but when Chloe Adams did it for the Bathurst Giants in Saturday's AFL Central West women's match against Dubbo it was a little different.
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Her goal was the only goal of the match at South Dubbo Oval - the Giants won 1-1-7 to 0-4-4 - and it came early in the opening term.
It was the lowest winning score in the history of the Giants women and also the sixth time they'd held a side scoreless - they've also done it twice to the Orange Tigers and three times to Parkes.
But that was more to do with the conditions than reflecting the effort of the combatants as it bucketed rain in Dubbo.
"You know how people say the score doesn't reflect how the game was? Well the score did reflect how the game was, it was just a hard slog and the girls gritted it out," Giants coach Liz Kennedy said.
"They couldn't mark it, it would just slip straight through hands, and the ball was so heavy.
"It [the goal] came in the first quarter, I think in the first five minutes and that was it. Chloe Adams, who has never played before either, she's become our little goal-sneak. She was just in the right place at the right time and she booted it."
Adams' goal was the only score of the opening term and one of just two scoring shots - the other being a behind - for the Giants.
All the Demons were able to manage was four minor scores, but the tackling pressure from both sides was intense throughout.
Former Orange Tiger Seaanna Lindsay was good in the ruck for the Giants and Mariah Gilchrist impressed too, but new recruit Aimee Schmidt was the standout for the visitors.
"She just killed it, she just ran everywhere, she was playing in the front, playing in the backs. She was definitely a wet-weather person," Kennedy said.
"She played State League basketball in Temora and she was friends with Laycee [Covington-Gorst], who also played State League. She's never played the game before, but she's just got that competitive spirit and wants to learn, she's like a sponge.
"When they've played that high level sport and they come over here, they like it because it's physical, you can get in there and tackle."
