Down by six goals at one point in the match, Jaime Barr's side led by a single shot at the last break before powering away to a 42-32 win over the Bloods.

Eagles coach Jaime Barr said she was rapt her side could grind out a 10-goal win and heaped praise on her on-court lieutenant Jordyn Billings.

Barr said the playing-assistant coach was a powerhouse in defence, working a string of turnovers and denying the Bloods chances to rebound, with strong support from Grace Butters.

"Jordyn's ability to read the play and get to where the ball lands is incredible," she said.

"Our defence got us over the line in the end."

Barr said Kate O'Meara provided strong leadership for the Eagles, but was also impressed by the underdone Bloods outfit, singling out the efforts of Faye Clarke.

"They're a really good young side, very physical and skillful," she said.

"I'm interested to see how they go for the rest of the year.

Bloods coach Lisa Arundell said while the fade-out loss, which left Terang Mortlake just outside the top five with a 1-2 record, was disappointing, she was proud of the fact her side could go toe-to-toe with the Eagles for the majority of the game.

She said there were promising signs from the contest, but that it was clear the Bloods needed to improve match fitness.

"It was a really good game to be honest," Arundell said.

"But we just ran out of legs and didn't have the depth we needed on the bench.

"We were limited in our ability to make changes and it felt like they really kicked it up a notch at the end."

Arundell said she was rapt with Clark, who played her first full-length open netball game since August 2017.

"Faye was fantastic in the centre," the Bloods mentor said.

"She has that beautiful, old-style of possession netball - controlling the ball, rather than rushing and throwing it away."

She said Libby Moloney, who played her first game for the season at wing-defence and then goalkeeper, made an immediate impact.

"It was great to know I could put her in with Brooke (Hoare)," Arundell said. "They just picked up from where they left off."

Arundell said Terang Mortlake would benefit from the return of Aimee Moloney next week.

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.