West Gambier v East Gambier
THE match of the Western Border netball round will take place at Malseed Park when West Gambier hosts East Gambier.
Both sides will be eager to stamp their authority on the finals race.
The scoreline was deceptive at the weekend for the Roos, who did show some seriously good form against Millicent, while East was never in danger against the Demons.
It will be all about which team can look after the ball in this contest.
The battle in the centre between Tarsh McCallum and Jess Bell will be pivotal with both girls having pace to burn and a good defensive mindset.
The Bo Creek-Lisa McGregor duel also looms as decisive with McGregor the key in offence for West, while Creek has really stepped up in the goal defence role and created plenty of turnover ball for her team mates.
Morgan Amy started in a blaze of glory on Friday night and if she brings that form to the table again and continues it for the whole game, then her battle with Tahlia Earl will be another match up to watch.
Amy Cram has a huge job as she looks to limit the impact of the in form Tenille Gray, while Maddy Teakle will need to blanket Sarah Lock, who returned to the court on Friday night and was at her creative and accurate best.
It will be the tightest match of the round and the final result could go either way.
Millicent v Casterton Sandford
CASTERTON Sandford has a tough outing scheduled for this weekend when it comes up against the Western Border netball reigning premiers Millicent.
The Cats had a difficult game against North Gambier last round and will hope to start better than they did against the Tigers.
Millicent has been impressive in the opening three rounds despite having some significant personnel changes.
New coach Demi Verbena has been sublime, Donna Denton is at her accurate best, Lisa Duldig has starred in all three outings and Madi Turner’s pace is causing issues for opposition teams.
At the other end of the court, Hayley Dunn and Kimmi Varcoe have been relentless with their defensive pressure and Hannah Nitschke has grown every week with her ability to shut down an opponent.
Paige Nitschke and Madi Haggett have also made the most of their time on court, with Paige Nitschke looking really comfortable last weekend when taking on the shooting role in the second half.
Abbey Shannon has been the shining light for the Cats, while new recruit Alice Alexander has brought some genuine class to the mid court.
Eva Chandler will continue to improve as she plays more senior netball, although taking on Dunn will test the teenager and Madalene Cleary showed good form in her return to the defensive circle after a few years in goals.
It will be about damage control for the Cats and there are goals they can set themselves with victory not really an option.
Even though the Saints are still experimenting to some extent, they still look polished and no other side, at this early stage, looks set to be able to match them.
