Saturday's round of the KDL saw our local teams starting to muscle into place for the second half of the season after the previous week's league-wide bye for the long weekend.

Longwood suffered a tough 39-point loss to Shepparton East, going down 14.11 (95) to 8.8 (56) in a result that leaves the Redlegs sitting sixth on the ladder.

Shepparton East started strongly, but Longwood responded well in the second quarter, taking control for a period and showing the type of football coach Scott Stefanos wants to see more consistently.

“Yes, it was a tough day, but the positives were the way we played in the second quarter when we took control, and a couple of individual performances that stood out,” Stefanos said.

Shaun Bridges was among Longwood’s best and finished with two goals, while Zac Tranter also booted two.

Mitchell Hunter and Harry Shiner were also named among the best.

Stefanos said Raafat Rachrache was well held, but the delivery inside 50 made life difficult.

“The way we delivered to him didn’t give him much chance, and then I moved him higher up the ground,” he said.

“The loss puts us sixth and not where we want to be, and that’s why the loss really hurt us, so we need to bounce back.”

Longwood will face last-placed Merrigum this week, with Stefanos saying the focus remains on banking the four points.

“We will be resting a few, including Raafat Rachrache, who has been dealing with a back injury, but we will still field a strong team,” he said.

At Avenel, Girgarre pushed the Swans all the way to half time but could not contain their hosts' 12-goal second half to go down 18.16 (124) to 13.3 (81).

Jack Myers (in his 100th game), Paul Arandt, and Nathan Woods were Avenel’s best, while Alex Crnko kicked four goals and Luke Furci added three.

Nagambie produced a dominant four-quarter performance away from home to defeat Undera 28.20 (188) to 4.5 (29).

The Lakers started fast with seven goals in the opening term and continued to build their lead throughout the match.

Tom Barnes starred up forward with five goals, while Will Dalton, Blake Fothergill, and Lucas McKinnon each kicked four in the big win.

Violet Town battled hard but was overrun by a powerful Lancaster outfit, going down 25.16 (166) to 8.4 (52).

The Towners showed fight early and continued to compete despite Lancaster’s scoreboard pressure.

Robert Wilson led the way in attack with three goals, while Ryan Jennings, Will Hayes, and Nathan Abley were named Violet Town’s best players.

In KDFL A Grade netball, Longwood faced a tough outing, going down to a dominant Shepparton East side 66-6.

Avenel produced a strong performance to defeat Girgarre 61-48 in a competitive contest, showing composure and consistency across the court.

Katie Cantwell and Tegan Clydesdale shone on court in the convincing team win, the latter with an 85 per cent conversion rate.

Nagambie was also in commanding form, recording a convincing 73-18 victory over Undera after controlling the game from the opening whistle.

Violet Town had a difficult day against Lancaster, with Lancaster proving too strong in a 54-16 result.

Next week, Nagambie hosts Murchison-Toolamba, Avenel takes on Shepparton East, Longwood travels to Merrigum, while Violet Town has the bye.