BOTH the Mallee Eagles and Tyntynder’s finals hopes will be tested when they clash at Lalbert on Saturday afternoon.
Just two points separate the fifth-placed Bulldogs and sixth-placed Eagles at the halfway point of the season, and both clubs appear evenly matched.
The one difference between the two teams appears to lie with their most recent form, with the Eagles having followed up their heartbreaking six-goal loss to Lake Boga with a five-goal win over a dangerous Balranald outfit before last week’s bye.
The Bulldogs will still be licking their wounds after being on the receiving end of a 21-goal loss to reigning premiers Swan Hill last Saturday.
Tyntynder coach Kelsey Rowe and her teammates were looking to atone for that poor performance.
“After last week we’re very keen and eager to get out there and play the netball we know we can,” Rowe said.
“I feel like I say this every week, but Saturday’s game holds a lot of importance for us and our season and it genuinely is a must-win game.
“Apart from the top two teams at the moment, every position on the ladder is very open, when you see some of the results each week, most games are pretty tight regardless of whether teams are at the top or the bottom of the ladder.
“In terms of last week, our ball movement through the middle of the court is what needs to improve the most.
“When we had it down our attacking end, our shooting was fine and we had a high shooting percentage, but it was just moving the ball through the midcourt and getting it down there.
“We struggled in that area, which could possibly be put down to Swan Hill’s pressure and a lack of energy on our part, but we’ve been working on moving the ball a bit quicker through the middle at training this week.”
The Mallee Eagles should have an unchanged line-up, while Izzy Corrie is set to be the only omission for the Bulldogs.
Speed through the midcourt is the main weapon for both the Eagles and Tyntynder, while neither side possess great height at either end of the court, which is likely to ensure a fast-paced game, according to Mallee Eagles co-coach Alicia Harvey.
“We feel that Tyntynder and us have a lot of the same key attributes,” Harvey said.
“They don’t have a lot of height which is the same as us, but while they aren’t very tall they have plenty of speed and agility, and I think that’s what our big strength is as well.
“I think it will be a terrific match-up across the court in that regard, but we’ll just need to play to our strengths as best we can.
“Our midcourt and our pressure in both defence and attack is where I think we can win the game, that’s where we will have to create turnovers and then make the most of our opportunities.
“Shutting down their midcourt will be our main priority, Demi Wall, Elvie Kelly-Britten, Monica Ellis and Jackie Rivett are all key players, especially Jackie.
“(Rivett) directs flow up and down the court really well and she’s probably one of the taller centre players in the league, and the taller girls are always a little bit difficult to play on.”
The Eagles midcourt can be equally damaging, with co-coaches Harvey and Jess Jobling combined with Leah McKenzie also considered one of the Central Murray’s most attacking midcourt combinations.
While very little separates the two teams on paper, recent form and home-court advantage is favouring the Eagles, who deserve to go into the game as slight favourites.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by three goals.
