Despite “points of improvement” standing out for Cross, the 57-45 scoreline was a welcome one, especially for the four Newcastle women selected in the 2018 squad, with Natarlia Bridges and Sophie Buckley both making their full top grade debut.

Tarsha Hawley also played her first opens match, after moving up from the under 20s, while last year’s joint player of the season Maddie Taylor rounded out the Hunter cohort.

“We’ve never actually beat Sparks in a competition round before so this is the first time we’ve got on top of them, so we were very happy with the win,” Cross said. “That being said, it was a fairly inconsistent game from us. There’s definitely still heaps we can work on.”

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“We got out early and then we weren’t able to push further ahead. We saw some glimmers of some really slick attack that we know we’re capable of, and our defence was really outstanding as well, but I know we can find a higher level of consistency going forward.”

Cross also revealed she was happy all ten players in the team could get court-time in the win, even just to brush away some of the “early season nerves” that often occur.

Despite both playing their first games in the competition Bridges and Buckley both put in strong performances in their positions, according to Cross, and the club coach 

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Buckley “was very strong in the mid-court” and brought a strong link-up play with key shooter Taylor, while Cross singled out Bridges’ “offense-focused defence” as a key to their fast attacks from deep in their own half of the court.

“All of them [the Hunter debutantes] had moments of playing really good netball,” Cross said. “Tarsha [Hawley] only had a brief debut at the end of the fourth quarter but she slotted some good goals and I wanted her to get out and start to build some confidence.”

Hawley played just over ten minutes, replacing Taylor in the shooter position, and rounded out all ten players getting time on court.

Cross also pointed out Kristen Kessler and Lauren Moore – both of whom come from the Wyong Netball Association –  as key impact players in the win, with Kessler’s contribution from wing attack a “vital part of the scoreline”.

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Moore’s full match, starting in keeper before being switched into goal defence, also marked her return to the court after a lengthy injury, with Cross stating it was “very exciting” she played until the full-time whistle.

Central Coast also scored a major win in the under 20s competition earlier in the evening, with their junior squad claiming a 57-37 win against their Sparks equivalent.

Lauded as the standout side of the opening round by Premier League officials after the dominant 20-goal victory, the Heart under 20s squad now sit atop the ladder one round in, and will look to consolidate their position against Sutherland’s junior squad next week.

Central Coast face off against Sutherland Stingrays, and a squad brimming with national talent and players used by the Giants and Swifts as training partners.

The under 20s begins at 8.40pm, while the opens match begins at 7pm.