WOORINEN will attempt to put a Tiger among the pigeons when they face off against Lake Boga and headline round 15 in the Central Murray A Grade netball competition this weekend.
The Tigers (seventh) find themselves a game outside the top five with four rounds to play. But with winnable games against Tyntynder, Cohuna and NNW United to come, they are a very realistic chance of playing in yet another finals series.
A win against the fourth-placed Lake Boga would frank their form and give them a massive advantage over NNW United (fifth) and Tooleybuc-Manangatang (sixth), who both have byes on Saturday and face a much more difficult run home with games against Balranald and Swan Hill in round 17 respectively.
Woorinen were gallant in defeat against the ladder-leading Mallee Eagles last Saturday and if not for a slow start – they were outscored 16-11 in the first term – may well have secured the upset win they need to make a late push into the top five.
While the result may not have gone the Tigers’ way last weekend, that’s not to say it won’t on Saturday when matched against the Magpies, with Lake Boga coach Anna Archie very weary of the reigning premiers.
“Each week is different, but if you look at their (Woorinen) results from last week against the Mallee Eagles then clearly they are a team in form at the moment,” Archie told The Guardian.
“The Eagles have put up some pretty big scores on quite a few teams this season and nine goals in an hour game of A Grade netball is nothing – obviously (Woorinen) put a lot of work in since we last played them.”
That game was in round 5, with Lake Boga getting the points 40-25. In a tough and hard-fought game, the Magpies eventually outlasted the Tigers, outscoring them with 11 goals to five in the final quarter.
With that game fresh in the mind, Archie and her team can expect much of the same from a desperate Woorinen outfit that will be determined to win the four points.
“We’re expecting quite a physical and demanding game from Woorinen – you just never know what they’ll bring to the table each time you play them,” Archie said.
“We have to go in and be prepared for anything tomorrow – it’s exciting netball to be playing these last few weeks, it’s a challenge for us ahead of the finals and we just have to stay on our toes and be prepared for anything.
“While we wouldn’t want to lose, it won’t change anything for us in terms of the ladder if we do.
“At the end of the day, finals netball is a completely different game and while there’s only four points separating the top four currently, it really could be anyone’s game on any given day.
“We’re up there and we’ve given ourselves a chance, we’re staying up there and were not going anywhere and we’ll worry about that next stage when round 18’s finished.”
Woorinen’s midcourt combination of Jamiee Beasy, Olivia Jones and young gun Ava Crow have been a constant source a improvement as the season has progressed for the Tigers – but it’s their defensive end, led by Tessa Demaria and goal keeper Emily Free that will take much of Lake Boga’s focus on Saturday.
“I’m expecting and wanting a big game from our attacking end – Woorinen has the experience of Tessa (Demaria) in there and she can be a game changer on her own realistically,” Archie said.
“That’s not taking anything away from the rest of their girls, but Tessa’s a great leader, a great player and a really good director of their team.
“Most of our attacking end is around 21 to 22 age range and probably don’t yet have game maturity on their side, so they will need to step up tomorrow and I know they will step up.
“I’m expecting a big game from the two Hepburn girls (Sarah and Katie), as well as Lily Brennan and potentially Taigan (O’Shannassy) as well – if the Hepburn girls step up that would be fantastic and I’m sure they will, they’ve really developed well this season and are building a nice combination down there.
“If our defensive end are able to keep ticking over and keep working together that would be good, but we’re going to use these last few weeks to just trial a few more combinations that we haven’t throughout the season as well, so there might be a few combination changes within a game just to prepare for the what-ifs that may happen after round 18.
“But as I said, we’re locked in, we’re happy and this is the opportunity for us to trial a few things.”
Swan Hill will travel to Cohuna to take on the Kangas, with the home side also desperate to upset their more highly fancied rivals with an upset victory to keep their finals dream alive.
The Kangas have struck form at the right end of the season with back-to-back wins over Tooleybuc-Manangatang (17 goals) and Koondrook-Barham (27 goals) over the past fortnight and now find themselves outside the top five on percentage alone.
While their recent form may be sound, they will still need to go up a gear if they are challenge the second-placed Swan Hill, with the Swans returning to the winners’ list with a 17-goal triumph over arch-rivals Tyntynder last Saturday. The challenge for the Kangas will be to get past defenders Madeleine Nalder and Mollie Quin – and put a competitive score on the board to keep pace with the high-scoring Swans.
The other game of significant interest will be at Kerang, with the Mallee Eagles scheduled to play Kerang – with the Blues stepping up from the A Reserve competition into A Grade for the first time this season.
The challenge for the Blues couldn’t be bigger first up, as they will be made to take on the ladder leaders on their own court for their first game in the top flight. The one saving grace for the visitors will be the fact the Eagles could well be without a number of key players for the encounter.
The final game of round 15 will be up at Greenham Park, where Balranald will be looking for a percentage boosting win when they host the winless Koondrook-Barham. With Balranald sitting below Swan Hill on percentage only, a 50 goal plus win could well see the Roos leapfrog the Swans into second place ahead of their highly anticipated match with the Swans the following weekend.
