In a tough contest dominated by defence, our Venom Big V women were pipped by second-placed Sunbury, losing 42-50 a close battle. Despite the loss, coach Justin Nelson remained upbeat and highlighted a number of good performances.

"We just weren't strong enough in offence against a much bigger team," said Nelson, adding, "I think we are a very respected team in this competition, our defence is oustanding, but we need to improve at the offensive end."

Down by seven points at quarter time, the Venom rallied in the second period and brought the crowd to life with a number of steals and quick transition, often leaving the visiting Jets struggling to keep up.

"I'm really happy with the improvement of the team overall, they are stepping up and matching it with some very good teams in a tough competition.

"Our aim is to make finals this season and with that comes big challenges. While it's good to match it with the bigger and stronger teams, our goal is to beat them and that's the big challenge ahead of this young group," added Nelson.

Highlighting some individual performances, Nelson was quick to talk about the performance of young centre Ashlee Brobbel.

"Sharlene Dalsanto and Janelle Lucas were again fantastic for us, but I was really happy with Ash Brobbel (pictured) and the big steps she showed today. Ash is a bit of an enigma, so it was just a huge plus to see her take opportunities today and assert herself on the game."

The Venom hit the road next week for a trip to Werribee to play the ladder-leading Devils.