Woorinen v Kerang
A CONFIDENT Woorinen side will be keen to keep their winning streak alive when they take on Kerang at their home court.
The Tigers have seemingly peaked at just the right time, serving Lake Boga their only loss of the season last round and proving they are grand final contenders.
On the other hand, after fluctuating in and out of the top five through the season, a loss to Balranald last week means the Blues are all but ruled out of finals contention now, win or lose.
A lot of the pressure will fall on the Blues defenders in coach Chloe Adams and Katelyn Wright as they try to slow the attacking pressure of Tigers coach Tayla Bennett and Emily Siely in the goal circle.
With the Tigers able to turn ball over and capitalise very quickly, as demonstrated in their 96-goal win against Koondrook-Barham in round 16, the Blues will want to ensure they are making the most of every possession they can get their hands on.
Mallee Eagles v Cohuna
BALANCING on the edge of the top five, the Mallee Eagles will be looking to beat Cohuna in order to firmly cement their finals position.
While theoretically a loss to the Kangas shouldn’t change their ladder position at this point, the Eagles will want to eliminate that risk altogether by getting a win.
The Kangas, who will not make finals, have battled their way through the 2023 season, with a number of injuries causing them to have an inconsistent line-up and struggling to put points of the board week in, week out.
But under the leadership of coach Meg Dye, the Kangas have instead been focusing on little wins across the court, and building on personal goals.
The last time the two sides met, the Kangas suffered a 36-goal defeat. If they can reduce that number this time, that should be considered a positive.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang v Tyntynder
TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang and Tyntynder will finish off their seasons playing against each other, with both out of finals contention.
With nothing left to lose, both will go into the game wanting to leave everything on the court and try and finish their season on a high with a win.
The last time they met in round 7, the Bulldogs took advantage of a depleted Saints sides to win by 21 goals.
It could be a similar story this time, with the Saints still struggling with injuries woes, while the Dogs’ form has only been getting better each round.
The Bulldogs will be without midcourter Monica Ellis, so will likely be looking to Elvie Kelly-Britten or Issy Corrie to fill her role in the midcourt.
Spectators will be keen to see the head-to-head in the centre between Saint Jayda Plant and Bulldog Toni Rivett, both of whom are quick and agile up and down the court.
Lake Boga v Koondrook-Barham
THE top and bottom of the ladder are set to collide when Lake Boga take on Koondrook-Barham in round 18.
This is the River Raiders’ last chance to get a win on the board for 2023, but it will likely be near impossible against the class and talent of the Magpies side.
Despite suffering their first loss of the season last week to Woorinen, that should have no impact on the Magpies’ performance against the Raiders and if anything, might make them work even harder on the court.
Raiders shooting duo Emily Fasham and Tatum Boyd will need to remain composed against immense pressure from Magpies defenders Jemma Meehan and Sophie Peacock.
While it won’t be the greatest test for the minor premiers heading into the finals, they will still want to put out a stellar performance in order to keep their energy high and their foot on the pedal.
