AFTER suffering a nine-goal loss to the Balranald in round 4, Tyntynder will need to turn the tables to keep their finals hopes alive when the two clubs clash at Alan Garden Reserve tomorrow.
With the Bulldogs one and a half wins behind the fifth-placed Kangas, Tyntynder have little room for error, with anything less than a win at home likely to bring their campaign to an end.
It has been a season of inconsistency for the Bulldogs, who may come to rue several missed opportunities after strong performances against some of the league’s top teams, mixed in with some average efforts against opponents they would be expected to beat.
In round 4, Tyntynder jumped out of the blocks to hold a three-goal lead at quarter-time, before allowing Balranald to score 26 goals to 13 over the next two quarters to blow the game wide open.
Tyntynder coach Kelsey Rowe held hopes her team had learnt from that game.
“I felt like we had good control of that game for a couple of quarters, but then we had a bit of a lull, and they got on top of us and we just couldn’t claw it back,” Rowe said.
“I don’t think we can rely too much on what we did last time, a lot’s changed for them, and a lot’s changed for us since that day.
“It will be a tough game regardless on Saturday, but we just need to play our kind of netball and not look too far ahead.
“From here on, we need to be at our best each week and hope we come away with the win.
“We need everything to go our way to get across the finish line, but we remain hopeful.”
Balranald will this time be missing injured stars Jess Parry and Brie Galvin with knee injuries.
While the loss of Parry has hurt the Roos, it has also provided opportunities for the likes of young gun Macy Lloyd, who impressed Balranald co-coach Elli-Jane Pollard with her performance against Koondrook-Barham last Saturday.
“Macy Lloyd and Ella (Mirtschin) will continue as our shooting combination, they played a fast-paced style that worked really well for us last week and we’ve decided to try that again,” Pollard said.
“(Lloyd) is a talented young player who played really well last week and deserves to keep her spot.
“It will be a tough game, it always is for us against Tyntynder. They have some very strong players in their team, but hopefully we can gel together and replicate the way we played last week.
“They play a fast-paced game but we enjoy playing a fast paced game ourselves. In fact, that’s when we tend to play our best netball I feel.
“Elvie (Kelly-Britten) in the centre will be a key player for them, so we’ll be relying on Bonnie (Jolliffe) having a big game and limiting Elvie’s influence.
“Hopefully we can stop (Kelly-Britten) from controlling the ball through the midcourt, because she’s pretty smart with her ball use.”
The Roos will also need to pay close attention to Rowe, who has once again dominated in goal attack this season.
One thing is for certain, with a both teams preferring to transition the ball with speed through the midcourt, a fast-paced game can be expected.
“We need to move the ball a bit quicker, we’re a pretty small side and I think that’s something we can exploit,” Rowe said.
“Sometimes when we come up against the bigger sides with their pressure, we can sometimes struggle to do that, but we’ll be trying to move the ball quick and stick to what we know works.
“For us, Ella (Mirtschin) will be one to watch, she’s a dangerous goalie and is very accurate.
“She moves really well at goal shooter and we’ll be making sure we do everything we can out in front so we can slow that ball getting in to her.”
Although Tyntynder are sure to come out hard with their season on the line, recent form suggests Balranald deserve to be favourites.
Tip – Balranald to win by five goals.
