The Rats led narrowly at quarter time before the Warriors took a two goal advantage into the main break. The visitors extended that buffer by a further two during the third term, while the final quarter saw Stawell break away to win 47 to 37.

Ararat joint-coach Rebecca Skrabl said her team went into the clash on the back foot without captain Kate Bligh, while injury also struck her off-sider Olivia West during the opening term.

"When Westy came off with a calf injury in the first quarter that resulted in Danielle Borrelli going into the centre, which is a very new position for her," she said.

"I think the girls all did really well under the circumstances to be honest. I know we went down by 10, but I wasn't actually that displeased with the way everything worked out.

"Seeing our juniors stepping up like Danielle and Lauri (Williamson), who started out in wing attack and had a boomer of a game there, and Jacqui Scott had her first full A grade game they were all very strong in meeting the ball and really stood tall."

Williamson was named the Rats' best performer alongside Skrabl.

The match also saw Lee-Anne Moana make her debut for the Rats and Skrabl said the strong and agile player will be an assest for Ararat in weeks to come.

"With Megan (Shea) out and we are also short Tahnee (Walker) at the moment, we are looking for some height at our attack end to give our shooters some confidence and someone who can back them up," she said.

"Jakki (Gibson) and Lauri play a very similar game in that they are both like your feeding goalies, so Lee-Anne will help to mix things up by playing more of a holding goalie role."

The B grade match between Ararat and Stawell started out goal-for-goal, with the Rats producing some consistent netball during the first quarter.

The home side trailed by three goals at the first break and fell further behind as the match progressed.

Lucy Mills tried hard all day against Stawell's accurate shooters, while Terri-Anne Lewis moved the ball through the midcourt strongly to feed the goalies constantly. Her verbal support throughout the clash was also a standout.

Stawell eventually took winning honours, 56 to 30.

Ararat came up against a strong Stawell C grade team, which led at every break to claim a 44 to 13 goal victory.

The Rats struggled to get on the board in the first term, however began to work their way into the contest during the second quarter.

After halftime Lisa Antonio swung from goals to defence and provided some quick intercepts and plenty of direction for the Rats, which slowed Stawell's scoring.

Claire Harricks was awarded best on court for her accurate shooting, while Jess Leach also played a solid game at wing attack.

Wet conditions evened things up in the 17 and under clash, with the ball movement of both sides slowed down as a result.

The Rats adjusted to the weather quicker to open up an eight goal quarter time lead.

With Allison Lewis presenting well in the midcourt to feed the goalies well and Angie Stoneman and Emily May forming a strong combination in defence, Ararat was able to push the buffer out to 18 by halftime.

The game became physical during the second half, which took the Rats a while to settle, but once they did the home team was able to maintain a gap on the scoreboard to win by 17 goals 37 to 20.

Ararat's 15 and under A team scored a big win over Stawell on Saturday, to see the Rats maintain top spot on the ladder ahead of a big match tomorrow against the third placed Horsham Saints.

The Warriors' outfit were tall, but the Rats outplayed them for the majority of the game in the trying conditions.

Joint-coach Megan Shea said it was a comprehensive performance from her side, with Ararat building a lead during each quarter.

"The girls have been working together as a team and reading off each other beautifully," she said.

"It is evident that these girls have played together in the past years and this is what the junior coaches have been hoping would prevail."

Abbey Moar was the Rats' workhorse and made herself available for every pass down the court. She also gave confidence to her goalies by positioning herself behind them on the circle and was judged Ararat's best player in the 41 to 12 victory.

Nothing separated the 15 and under B sides at halftime, with the Rats and Warriors locked on 10 goals apiece.

Stawell opened up a four goal gap during the third term and extended that to five by the final whistle, 23 to 18.

Ararat's best players were Danielle Spalding and Sam Briggs.

Ararat 13 and under coach Kate Bligh said after winning the season opener the previous week, her team went into the big clash against Stawell with some nerves, however once the Rats settled they managed to hold a narrow lead at quarter and halftime.

The Rats then found their groove in the second half and slowly drew away from the Warriors to finish with a 38 to 24 victory.

Delaney McLoughlin and Racquel Scott made themselves available in goals on countless occasions and shot accurately, while Taryn Wilde and Olivia Carr worked tirelessly in defence and frustrated their opponents causing many mistakes.

Ebony Segedinski and Romy Antonio shared the wing defence position and both did it justice by stopping Stawell's attacking drive, with Danielle Segedinski and Jesse Bligh working the ball beautifully around the circle and feeding the goalies with precision.

Wilde, Scott and Bligh were awarded best player honours for a very consistent four quarter effort.