Seagulls coach Renae Taylor said unavailability, through COVID-19 isolation protocols or other illness, had made it difficult to produce a settled open grade netball team each week.

The side, which is winless after five rounds, expects players to miss through illness again when it hosts Portland (2-3) at Gardens Oval on Saturday.

"This week would've been our first week with a full squad and we've been hit with the flu pretty badly," Taylor said.

"It's disappointing but we knew we were going to have people in and out for the first four-to-five weeks and we were looking forward to this week and being able to settle the side a little bit but it looks like we'll have to wait another week or two.

"It's been a disappointing start to the season due to availability because I feel we could've have had one to two possible wins but that's how it is."

Taylor said it was a case of "chipping away" and putting up a fight.

"Our major thing for the year is to compete and push sides and I feel like the times we have had more ins than outs, we have been competitive," she said.

"But it's the times we've had outs. Against Terang we had 10 out of 18 girls unavailable and we had to utilise girls out of div two.

"That was a really rough week and I wouldn't wish that upon anyone."

Taylor said young trio Maddie Green, Tessa Allen and Tara Elliott had put in promising performances.

"Tara is improving each week that she plays with Emily (Forrest)," she said.

"Just having that senior player with her, guiding her a little bit on the court has been great and I have seen her shooting percentages increase a lot and her movement is getting better."

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