The 14th round of the 2021 Bendigo Bank Western Border Netball Association season comes alive when the reigning premiers host North Gambier at McLaughlin Park.
Millicent won the first encounter in 2021 by two at the death knock and had the match under control before a last quarter onslaught from the Tigers, who again fell just short.
Millicent certainly looked to have sorted that fade out at the weekend when a fast start was converted into a 17 goal win over West, despite the Roos staying with the titleholders in two of the four quarters.
North defender Noni McConnell is coming off a strong performance at the weekend and she will need to bring that and more this weekend with Demi Verbena putting on a clinic at the weekend, back to her best, using her speed, timing and, most importantly, her long range accuracy, to ensure Millicent got the better of West.
Maddie Whaites, who also had a particularly impressive second half at the weekend, again has to take on a tall shooter and Tabatha Sanderson has also been in good form and would be feeling even less pressure given the output from Verbena.
At the other end, the battles are also critical. Young defender Portia McRae is having her third crack and denying star Tigers hooter Caroline Davey easy ball and her elevation to A Grade ranks has been as impressive as any debut season in a season where East’s Amryn Bosko; West’s Sarah Ritter and South’s Lara Munro also impressing.
Her combination with Hannah Nitschke is starting to really fine some mojo and with Lucy Denton and Lisa Duldig out front pressuring the ball coming in, the Tigers will need to be careful with ball in hand.
Mel Renko, Teneille Barry, Brianna Walters and Ellen Brown are charged with the responsibility of delivering the ball into Davey, while Brown should also be looking to implement her long range accuracy on the shot more often, taking a leaf out of Verbena’s book, to make the Tigers hooting circle even more potent.
It will be the mid court battles, though, that decide the contest as once the ball is in the hands of the shooters there will be little the defenders can do.
Millicent to make it three from three in another tight battle.
EAST GAMBIER V SOUTH GAMBIER
They played only two weeks ago and it is hard to see what South Gambier could probably do in such a short space of time to deny East another win but for much of the contest against North Gambier at the weekend the Demons were competitive and only the final quarter saw the scoreline blow out to 22.
On the flip side, East, having missed another outing at the weekend, will be desperate to continue fine-tuning ahead of finals and while they have not been in trouble in any of the handful of matches over the past couple of months but there have been rusty patches with ball in hand.
Tarsh McCallum will be itching to get on court after a long layoff with injury and East will be looking to lock in some great chemistry in the attacking end of the court with their preferred starting line-up back on court.
Lara Munro had a tough physical battle with Noni McConnell at the weekend and she will again know she is in a contest with star defender Lisa Fyfe and that will be one of the great battles to watch.
South need to be careful with ball in hand and work hard to find a way through the unrelenting East defence where Bo Creek dominates the air, Fyfe is everywhere, Tyne Bosko is as tight checking and athletic as they come and Emily Hunter is a centre who is almost more damaging at the defensive end than in attack.
Renee Pluckhahn and Alyssa Duncan will need to work together to find good position on the circle’s edge to ensure Grace Edwards and Munro are able to receive ball in good shooting position.
Last weekend Brandi Bouchier and Ellie Bouchier battled against a heavy weight of supply and they will have a tough outing again with Tenille Gray and Amryn Bosko the most damaging shooting combination in the competition, sharing the shooting duties and both having the ability to play on the hold or with some slick, well timed moves.
WEST GAMBIER V CASTERTON SANDFORD
The Cats will have everything crossed they can hit the court this weekend and West will certainly also looking for a hit out to iron out the wrinkles from their clash with Millicent where the Roos went goal for goal for two quarters but had two quarters where the Saints were able to take scoreboard control.
The development of the young Cats under the most difficult of circumstances with matches unable to be played due to government regulation on both sides of the border has meant match practice has been at a premium but the tenacity and willingness to contest of the defensive trio of Caeleigh Humphries, Claire Foster and Ebany Jarrad has been outstanding and points to a bright future for the Cats.
Credit must go to not just coach Tori Broomby and skipper Scarlett Jarrad but other senior players at the club that continually provide encouragement and advice to ensure the girls are more competitive each time they step onto the court.
The likes of Makayla Hutchins and Zhane Crawford have also made an impact while Broomby, Scarlett Jarrad and Paige Murrell have been strong leaders on court and the Cats will be looking to limit the scoreboard damage with a strong four quarter performance.
On the other hand, West also needs a consistent four quarter performance and will be looking to ensure their offensive work is safe and precise, with an unrelenting commitment to defence when they do not have possession.
Sarah Ritter and Lisa McGregor will be looking to sure up their connection with Carlee Ransom, while the battle between Scarlett Jarrad and Tara Bryant will be one of the best of the round. Both run hard all day and both are key link players with their strong drives and pace onto the circle.
Jade Ritter and Amy Cram will also be looking to work in conjunction with Bryant and Nikeisha Facey to ensure every ball the Cats take is under pressure and maintaining that intensity for four quarters.
The Roos will take the points but they will most certainly earn them.
