North v Casterton Sandford
NORTH Gambier hosts Casterton Sandford and after a patchy outing against Millicent the Tigers will look to rebound form that disappointment with a strong, four-quarter performance.
Given the Cats have seen some significant personnel changes and still look to get access to their preferred starting seven, it makes for a tough task on the road.
Alice Saunders made her debut as a Cat at the weekend and brought consistency and reliability to the attacking wing – traits long associated with Casterton Sandford star Natalie Rhook.
Meg Fennell, another new Cat, is also starting to adapt to life on a Western Border court and her ability to keep Lisa Fyfe busy will be pivotal.
Fyfe had a quieter than usual outing at the weekend but there will still plenty of moments for the goal defender’s highlights reel and she will look to terrorise the Cats forward line-up with ability to read the play and athleticism in the aerial contests.
Maddie Whaites – Fyfe’s defensive partner in crime – managed some important touches last weekend
Her work over the shot is impressive and she will make life tough for youngster Eva Chandler, who continues to find her feet at senior level.
Hard to say who will take on the job of running with North centre Amanda O’Shaughnessy, with Gaby Tomkins under an injury cloud from Round 1 and Scarlett Jarrad going down with a serious injury at the weekend.
Madalene Cleary ran hard in what was a new role for her at the weekend but it is suspected Cats coach Tracie Layley would like to utilise her skills at one end or the other.
O’Shaughnessy is equally effective at the offensive and defensive end and both she and Kaitlin Egan will hop for easier access to the circle’s edge this weekend.
The North forward set up looked hesitant against the relentless Millicent defensive pressure, but the wrinkles will be ironed out this week at training and I think the Cats can expect a fired up Tigers outfit, looking to move the ball quickly and with precision.
Caroline Davey looms large as the focal point of the Tigers shooting circle and as tenacious as the Cats’ Abbey Shannon and Sharna Fidler are, they are two of the shorter defenders going around and they will need players up court to put pressure on the feed if they are any hope of denying Davey a mountain of possession.
North will bounce back to the winner’s list with a convincing victory as the Tigers tune up for Anzac Day action against South Gambier.
East Gambier v South Gambier
WESTERN Border netball has not been played for premiership points under lights since Good Friday eve in 2015 when East Gambier hosted West Gambier, but it returns tonight in a new initiative by the Bulldogs and South Gambier.
The reason is twofold – to showcase Western Border football and netball in a stand alone fixture and to give South an extra day to recover for next Wednesday’s Anzac Day clash.
Both sides have new faces in their line-ups and for South, they will still be missing key tall shooter Tilah Buckingham.
A cloud does still sit over East shooter Sarah Lock, who left the court with an Achilles issue after a half in Round 1 and did not play at the weekend against Casterton Sandford.
Mystery will also surround the South line-up, which has used Talyssa Watts as a mid court option and Brandi Bouchier in defence, along with Georgia Hood in the goal circle, despite originally being selected as a mid court option.
Alyssa Boylan looms as the most obvious match up for star East goaler Tenille Gray.
The two coaches going head-to-head in the mid court is also a pivotal match up.
East co-coach Tarsh McCallum’s pace, creative delivery and work rate have seen her become a regular member of the Western Border Team of the Year, while South’s Lauren Duncan is the steady head in a team filled with teenagers.
If the Gray-Boylan battle looms as a physical contest that will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the match, so will the other goal attack-goal defence match up as Imogen Walker goes head to head with East co-coach Bo Creek.
Creek is coming off arguably her best season and certainly a stellar finals series.
However, Walker thrives on a challenge and her strength on the take will be crucial, particularly in aerial contests with Creek.
Zoe Duncan was outstanding at the weekend in her return to the defensive wing but whether she remains there or returns to the defensive circle, means it is hard to gauge how influential the tenacious defender will be.
East’s Sara Smith and South’s Tori McIntyre are both in their debut seasons, while Tyne Bosko looks like she feels more comfortable in the top senior grade and her ability to create turnover ball will also play a part in the final result.
The Bulldogs should take the points, against the disrupted South line-up, but it will be a hard earned victory.
Millicent v West Gambier
WEST Gambier seems to lift when it takes on the Western Border netball reigning premiers and Millicent will be expecting a challenge in the Round 3 clash at McLaughlin Park.
The Saints were in ominous form against North Gambier at the weekend and survived a second-quarter challenge from the Tigers to then power to a convincing win.
The movement in the shooting circle from the Donna Denton-Demi Verbena combination will cause every defensive line headaches and Amy Cram and Maggie Kipping – who will head to the defensive circle in the absence of Maddy Teakle this weekend – will need to work well as a unit to shut down the star shooting duo.
Pressure over the shot and strong rebounding, given the Saints rarely miss will be key.
Slowing the Saints’ transition will come down to the in form Jess Bell, who has produced two best on court performances since crossing to Western Border this season.
West youngster Hannah Witherow will be challenged by Lisa Duldig, who was sublime in her positioning and feeding at the weekend.
Madi Turner ran the centre at the weekend and her battle with Bell will be a key.
Hannah Nitschke will have the task of keeping experienced West wing attack Carlee Davey quiet and she would be buoyed by her strong effort on Kaitlin Egan at the weekend.
Nitschke took on the experienced Tiger, who was a revelation in the new role in 2017, and worked hard to deny her easy access to the circle’s edge.
She will need to replicate that again this weekend against the dangerous Davey, who has such a good connection with Lisa McGregor.
McGregor starred in the Round 2 win over South, but she will not get things her own way with Kimmi Varcoe coming off two strong performances.
Varcoe is back hunting interceptions and her combination with Hayley Dunn in defence has made access to the circle extremely hard work for opposition teams in the opening two rounds.
Tahlia Earl returns for the Roos and her ability to keep Dunn occupied will be pivotal in West throwing down a serious challenge to the reigning champions.
Millicent start clear favourites and will win, but interest will surround the margin as other clubs try to gauge where the Roos sit in the 2018 pecking order.
