Sunlit smiles at No. 1: Poochettes train chugs on against fierce Swans

The Gunnedah Poochettes coach oversaw a 10-9-69 to 2.1.13 victory in round one against the same opposition.

But that was in wet weather, where luck favoured the Gunnedah women. In dry, sunny conditions over the weekend, against a Swans outfit which was fresh off a huge win over the Kangaroos, he knew it would be a different story.

"They stuck it to us," Woolaston said.

"We had a wet game against them in round one, and a lot of the slippery ball went our way. That gave us a lot of advantage in the first round, but this game being a dry weather game, I knew they were going to stick it to us."

The reigning premiers scraped through Saturday's encounter with a 3.4.22 to 1.1.7 win.

Given how close the margin remained throughout the entire game, Woolaston didn't feel assured of victory until the final siren sounded.

"They had rebound off their halfback line, making our girls be penalised for little mistakes or a wayward kick," he said.

"With the to-and-fro, and the pressure, we got a little bit lost with our game plan. Credit to our back line who worked doubly as hard to keep giving us the rebound opportunity."

In such a close game, leaders and experienced heads are needed to stand up for their side.

They did so for Gunnedah, as Woolaston singled out Laura Ewington, Annie Elphick, Zoe Palmer, and captain Katrina Rekunow for their contributions.

The victory extends yet another unbeaten start to the season for the Poochettes, who remain at the top of the ladder with six wins and no losses.

And while their success has been pleasing for Woolaston to see, his focus is on ensuring they continue to improve.

"I didn't really count on winning every game like we've done so far," he said.

"I just wanted to make sure we were doing our team structure, working with each other and moving the ball the way we wanted. The results have just followed."