So it’s no surprise the third-year coach is enforcing a similar philosophy at Nirranda.

Nirranda’s faultless start to the season claimed another victim on Sunday, with the Blues notching a 48-goal triumph over a young Merrivale outfit.

“I think it’s so important for us to be able to keep the same girls that we’ve had since I started coaching,” Townsend said after the triumph.

“Getting Jo (Couch) back is a huge in for us. She was just so dominant for us. You can see that last year, we missed her.

“We’ve also had Lisa Anders back from a baby, and she moved well and was a massive in for us. 

“I think everyone has picked up and having everyone playing well around each other is great. If someone is having an off day, nobody goes on about it, we just lift.”

Townsend said transitional play was a key focus for the Blues leading into a round four bye.

“We want to work on our transition – just the way we go about moving the ball from defence to attack,” she said.

“We’re trying to eliminate cross-court plays. We’re trying to stick to either the middle or the outside corridor of the court.

“We also want our patience and our ball use to be up there and strong. In round one, we had a good win and then last week against Dennington pushed us. We’re getting there.”