KERANG v SWAN HILL
KERANG will once again be put to the test when they host Central Murray powerhouse Swan Hill on Saturday afternoon.
After announcing themselves as one of the teams to beat at the start of the season, the Blues have been found wanting in their past four matches.
Their only recent victory came against lowly Koondrook-Barham in round 8.
In that time, they lost to Balranald, Woorinen and Lake Boga – all teams expected to feature in the finals – along with Saturday’s opponent.
But while Kerang would be disappointed to have let their blistering start go to waste, Saturday is as an opportunity to get their campaign back on track with a big scalp, according to coach Chloe Adams.
“Even though they aren’t on top, I feel like Swan Hill are the benchmark team and have been for the last decade and playing them is a challenge we’re all really looking forward to,” Adams said.
“We’re aiming to play finals and even though our last month has been average, we’re also not shying away from the fact we haven’t yet found our best combination yet.
“We’ve been trying a lot of new combinations with such a new team, especially with us also being a very versatile side.
“We’re still working through which combinations work best for us, so that hopefully come finals, we can make the moves that we need to make and we’re also confident in the seven we put out there at the start.”
While the Swans may well be one of the benchmark sides, they too are coming off a loss, having succumbed to Lake Boga by three goals before the bye.
With so much at stake for both sides, Swan Hill joint coach Madeleine Nalder expected nothing less than another tough match against a side whose best netball is as good as anyone’s.
“(The competition are) all in the same position,” Nalder said.
“With the exception of Lake Boga, it’ll only take a loss here or there to have a really big effect on our finals position, or even if we make it.
“Saturday is a really big game for both sides in that context, so we’ll have to make sure we come out firing and do what we need to and play consistently over four quarters.
“It will be no easy feat to get over Kerang, they’ve had some really great wins this year – but at the same time, these are the games you look forward to because they’re a good test of exactly where you’re at.”
Adams will be a certain starter for Kerang after suffering a minor calf strain three weeks ago.
Swan Hill will be without star attacker Casey Frame (knee) but joint coach Mollie Quin was set to return.
Nalder was hopeful of building some consistency in the defensive half of the court.
“Mollie (Quin) is huge for our structure, she’s a real workhorse and brings a lot defensively through her work rate, but also with her transitioning the ball back the other way,” Nalder said.
“We rely on her and ‘Karls’ (Karli McIntyre) in that respect.
“We’re looking forward to getting a bit of stability back defensively this week, as it will be the first time this season that (McIntyre, Quin) and I have played together all year.”
Swan Hill’s No.1 defensive combination being back on court poses a significant challenge to the Blues’ attacking third of Courtney Robertson, Olivia Jones, Tahni Clark and Keiarah Brooks.
That task is likely to be made even harder with Kerang still fine-tuning their forward combinations, with Adams describing that end of the court as a “work in progress.”
“We’re finding that we can win a lot of ball defensively, but where we’re falling down is our ability to convert on those turnovers, as well as our own centre passes,” Adams said.
“Our execution in our attacking end is something that we’re working on and our combinations are a huge part of that.
“We’re definitely focusing on that area of our game and we know that if we want to be winning games and playing finals, we really need to be executing better in our attacking end.”
With the wet conditions expected to throw yet another challenge at both sides, the Swans’ experience should give them a slight advantage in what should be an otherwise close match.
Tip – Swan Hill to win by four goals.
WOORINEN v NNW UNITED
WOORINEN will be aiming for their fifth-straight win when they host Nyah-Nyah West United.
One of the Central Murray’s big improvers this year, the Tigers have gone from scraping into finals last season to sitting second on the ladder with an 8-1 record.
It’s been an entirely different story for the Demons, who last year lost to the Tigers in a do-or-die final round game to miss out on the top five.
Their form has fallen away since, following injuries and departures to key players.
Steph Henson and Bridie Curran continue to develop as a combination in goals in the absence of Denise Snyder, while the return of coach Laura Anderson to the midcourt has also given a sharp rise in competitiveness.
While the Demons have certainly improved in recent weeks, the Tigers look to be a challenge too great – especially with Tessa Demaria, Carlee Hazlett and Tayla Bennett all in good form.
Tip – Woorinen to win by 15 goals.
BALRANALD v COHUNA KANGAS
PENDING other results, reigning premiers Balranald may have an opportunity to break into the top four against Cohuna.
The Roos find themselves in the top five at present, but they do have a tough run home with games against Lake Boga, Woorinen, Kerang and Swan Hill to come, making the game against Cohuna an effective must-win.
Balranald go in red-hot favourites, but the Kangas will be no pushover, having showed significant signs of improvement in their past couple of matches.
Breanna Wilson will need to be at her absolute best opposed to Jess Parry, while the Kangas will also need to find a way to deal with the rebound and offensive run of Hannah Morton, Bree Hodgson and Bonnie Jolliffe through the midcourt.
Do that, and there may be a chance – although logic would say the Roos should be winning, especially on their home court.
Tip – Balranald to win by 12 goals.
LAKE BOGA v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
IT will be Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s turn to try and topple the ladder leaders when they travel to Lake Boga.
While the expected wet conditions will likely slow down the Magpies’ fast ball movement, it shouldn’t affect the result, with the home side to go in unbackable favourites to record their 10th win of the season.
The Magpies have assembled one of the strongest all-court teams in the competition, with no weak links in the chain, from the Hepburn sisters in goals, all the way through to Jemma Meehan and the Peacock sisters in defence.
Throw in Holly Hogan, Lily Brennan and Taigan O’Shannassy and Lake Boga have a side that is the envy of most.
The Saints, on the other hand, are in the midst of a rebuild – and while their investment in youth is starting to show signs of paying off, it won’t pay off with a win against the Magpies.
Tip – Lake Boga to win by 24 goals.
KOONDROOK-BARHAM v MALLEE EAGLES
WITH three tough games to follow, Saturday shapes as a percentage boosting opportunity for the Mallee Eagles.
Outside the top five on percentage alone, the Eagles face a Raiders team that, while improving, are still a long way behind the competition’s better sides.
The Eagles are certainly one of those, with Kellie Walker and Megan Thorneycroft becoming a more dominant pairing with every match, and a competitive midcourt in Sonya Lorenzoni, Elly Bookham and Meg Allen, which is the equal of any in the league.
Like the Magpies, the Eagles should win and win big, while the challenge for the Raiders simply has to be to stay in the game for as long as they can, and continue to take the steps forward that they have in recent weeks.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 21 goals.
