Ararat, coming off another big A grade loss the previous match, faced a tough ask in the form of reigning premiers the Demons in slippery conditions at Alexandra Oval.

West said there were some pleasing aspects to take away from the 58 to 18 defeat.

"People were more positive going into the game," she said.

"We worked at training on coming forward to the ball more and everyone being an option on the court.

"We set some goals for ourselves for that game, I obviously wasn't there the week before, but Skrabs was happy there was an improvement on the Dimboola game.

"We just have to work on taking advantage of our scoring opportunities.

"It seems to be going down there enough, it just doesn't seem to be falling as good as what it is for other teams at the moment."

With captain Kate Bligh still sidelined with injury, Ararat's prayers for some much needed boost in experience were answered with the return of five time Heather Hatcher Medal winner Megan Shea.

West said having Shea back on the court was a nice feeling and helped the Rats' structure.

"She decided that she felt good enough to have just a quarter, so she came on in the last," West said.

"She went into goals with Jakki (Gibson) and they just picked up where they left off they combined really well.

"It will be good to see Megan play more than a quarter eventually, but she'll have to take it carefully coming back from her hip injury."

Harmony Newman was named Ararat's best player for her role in defence against a tough opponent.

"Their goalie combo is one of the strongest in the competition," West said.

"Harmony just goes and goes, she never drops her head or gives up. She did pretty well on Steph Thomson in goal shooter, kept her fairly quiet and put a lot of pressure on her.

"Then in the last quarter we moved her out to wing attack. That's a totally new position for Harmony, but she took it in her stride and just went for it."

The B grade game started off with a blast as both sides played a hard and fast style.

Horsham had the edge in the first half to lead by one goal at quarter time and eight by halftime.

Rats' defender Justine May once again was given the task of dealing with a big height difference, but she read the play well which earned her the best player award for the day.

Brooke Williamson presented all day and directed play creatively which saw her also receive an award.

Ararat managed to reduce the deficit in the second half of the match, and was able to close the gap to just one during the final term, however the Demons steadied and broke away once more to eventually take honours by five goals.

"Over all I thought the girls played an awesome hard courageous game, but fell short in the end," coach Petrina Williamson said.

In tough wet conditions, Ararat was able to keep up with the second placed Demons throughout the C grade contest.

Breeanne Fratin worked over time at centre for four quarters, while Claire Harricks shot well and provided drive in the midcourt.

Horsham led by four after the first quarter, while the two teams went goal-for-goal in the second and third terms.

Despite the Rats' best efforts they were unable to close the gap in the final quarter, with the Demons winning 40 to 32.

The young 17 and under Rats came out firing and full of confidence against Horsham following a close win over the tough Dimboola in the previous match.

A great first half saw Ararat trail by just two goals heading into the halftime break.

Alex Antonio and Angie Stoneman rebounded and defended well in the back half of the court, setting up many scoring opportunities for the Rats' goalies.

Chelsea Wilson drove hard in the attacking end, always providing an option and feeding well to the goalies.

Unfortunately, Horsham were too strong in the end, winning by 18 goals.

Best players for the day were Stoneman, Wilson and Maddi Batchelor.

Ararat was playing for an opportunity at top spot on the 15 and under A ladder, but it was a slow start that cost the young Rats the game.

Horsham caught the Rats by surprise with its physical play and work away from the ball.

The Demons also made it very hard for Ararat to get the ball into its attack and as a result, the home side found themselves five goals down at the first break.

To the Rats' credit, that margin stayed the same for the rest of the game. A few positional changes where made hoping that it may change the game, but also gave the coaches a better idea of how to play this strong outfit when they meet next time.

Abbey Moar worked hard in the centre all game. Due to the Demons' defensive pressure, the Rats had trouble getting free, but Moar did a lot of preliminary work to free herself.

Tayla Borrelli also played a calm game and didn't allow the physicality in the goal circle to rattle her and converted when she had the opportunity.

The 15 and under B Rats went down to Horsham by 31 goals.

Ararat struggled to convert its opportunities, which saw the Demons push ahead at every quarter.

The home side was best served by Danielle Spalding in defence and Megan Hammerstein through the midcourt.

Ararat's 13 and under team took almost the entire first quarter to find their feet, but once they did there was no stopping them.

The Rats had Horsham under a lot of pressure across the court not only did the defenders deny their opponents scoring opportunities, but they were willing to make second efforts and assist in bringing the ball into attack.

Ararat's attackers left their opponents flat footed, with their quick and accurate passing a highlight.

Racquel Scott's toughness and ability to come out with the ball when you least expected it and Jesse Bligh's drive through the midcourt and accurate passing into the goalies, saw the duo awarded best on court honours.

The Rats prevailed by 33 goals.