Clearly the match of the 11th Western Border netball round takes place at McDonald Park as the reigning premiers East Gambier host North Gambier.
Both have struggled to find momentum in 2022 with injury and player unavailability but the clock is ticking and they are in a three-way fight with South Gambier for the final two places in the top four.
North shooter Caroline Wakefield is in career best form so East will be all too aware they have to limit how often she gets the ball in hand.
Bo Creek and Morgan Amy are strong in the air and will be looking to disrupt those aerial feeds, and the pressure from Tyne Bosko, Emily Hunter and Tarsh McCallum (pictured below) out front will be pivotal in denying Wakefield easy ball.
At the other end, Mel Renko and Zahra Crough are building as a defensive combination, having played limited time together and they will be looking to shut down the space for Sarah Lock and Amryn Bosko.
This match looms as a tight defensive struggle with both teams knowing they need to stop the ball and while it will be a tight affair, Wakefield’s form definitely tips the scales in the Tigers’ favour.
South Gambier certainly showed improvement at the weekend when it took on West Gambier for this second time this year and now the Demons face another challenge when they head to McLaughlin Park to take on the Saints.
South hopes Ellie Bouchier is recovered to take her place at the defensive end, but they could still be looking to cover the loss of Ruby Richter to an ankle injury.
The Saints, on the other hand, are a settled line-up, boasting plenty of depth and they will be looking to continue to finetune every aspect of their game as the final round of matches kicks off.
Millicent’s attack line is all class, boasting the speed and smarts of Demi Verbena and Paige Nitschke, the hard running and work rate of Lisa Duldig and the strength under the post of Tabatha Sanderson.
The Hannah Nitschke and Portia McRae battle with Alyssa Duncan and Lara Munro will be an intriguing one and South’s mid court of Megan Reid and Tully McShane will need to be patient with ball in hand to find a way through Millicent’s tight defence.
It is hard to mount a case for a South victory but they will be looking to vastly improve the score line.
West Gambier made light work of South Gambier at the weekend and they will be looking to again secure a comprehensive victory when they host Casterton Sandford.
The Cats are coming off a tough outing where they tried to curb the scoring of North’s Caroline Wakefield and things do not get any easier this weekend with Sarah Ritter, back from injury and showing great form.
And when she has the likes of Lisa McGregor, Mikaela Horrigan and Tara Bryant feeding her the ball, much will rely on the pressure on the outside of the circle as much as it will the tenacity of Cats defenders Ebany Jarrad and Caeleigh Humphries.
At the other end, Amy Cram and Jade Ritter continue to be a tough defensive duo to score against and Madalene Cleary, Charlotte Rice and Ivy Lane will need to be strong with their moves.
The Roo’s, along with Millicent, are the most settled line-up in the competition, and their on-court chemistry will challenge the Cats.
