North Gambier v Millicent
THE top-of-the-table clash between Millicent and North Gambier headlines Round 12 of Western Border netball at Vansittart Park tomorrow.
No side has genuinely challenged the reigning premiers this season, but the Tigers will have their claws out on Saturday in a game most will be watching.
Both sides have attack lines that are working like clockwork and scoring prolifically, so it will come down to which team’s defensive effort is best.
You suspect Madi Turner will be given the job of shutting down Kaitlin Egan – who is coming off an outstanding month – and is the key feeder for the Tigers.
Egan must be denied easy access to the circle’s edge and no one drives harder or takes the ball stronger than the former circle defender.
Turner is perfect for the job.
She has pace to burn, is a smart player and is happy to sacrifice her own game to play a shut down role.
The other key match up at that end of the court is Lisa Duldig’s and Amanda O’Shaughnessy.
Both players are consistent and work equally hard at both ends of the court.
Whoever gets on top in that battle will go a long way to deciding the result.
The bottom line is, the Saints will need to be relentless in their defensive effort through the mid court and across the transverse line as Hayley Dunn, as good as she is, cannot be expected to deny Caroline Davey possession.
And to win, Millicent must deny Davey easy possession.
She is accurate and is scoring well over 50 goals a game, so the Saints will need to put pressure on the passes heading into the star shooter.
This is where Kimmi Varcoe also becomes an X-factor.
The Millicent goal defender has the perfect blend of one-on-one defence and hunting the interception.
She will also be aware that Ellie Gould is confident in her approach to the post and she will create space for Davey with her strong front cuts and she cannot be ignored as a factor in the contest.
At the other end of the court, the big job lies with Jordyn Adams.
The teenage defender has to deny Demi Verbena time and space and needs to be disciplined in her work over the shot.
Verbena is quick, with and without the ball, and she is accurate from long range.
Her connection, not only with Donna Denton, but also Duldig and Paige Nitschke, is seamless, and of course, Denton is just as damaging as she has always been, which only adds to the headaches
for Adams and her defensive partner Maddie Whaites.
Whaites is a good match for Denton with her ability to work hard one-on-one and she is as strong on the ground as she is in the air.
How much ball Adams and Whaites can win will depend on Ash Kalantarian’s ability to get her hands over the ball and pressure the delivery into Denton and Verbena.
Both teams have young talent on the bench – the Saints with Hannah Nitschke who is as hard a worker as any player on court, while the Tigers can inject the pace and creativity of Emily Close if required.
The Saints will remain undefeated unless Davey nets more than 60 goals.
South Gambier v West Gambier
BOTH South Gambier and West Gambier will hope to string four quarters of solid netball together when they battle at Blue Lake Sports Park tomorrow.
The Demons are yet to play a full game of solid netball, while the Roos are coming off a fright against Casterton Sandford and both will hope to pick up the intensity tomorrow.
West will look to bounce back strong and start to build some momentum ahead of the 2018 finals series.
Lisa McGregor and Jess Bell have starred for the Roos all season and they are the two players South will need to shut down.
That means Alyssa Boylan will have to continue to build on the form she has shown in the past month and deny McGregor easy possession.
McGregor is the main outlet player for the Roos and often plays high up the court, which will put the pressure on Boylan.
Boylan’s partner in crime, Zoe Duncan, has also been in good form in recent weeks and she will not leave Tahlia Earl’s side, in what will be one of the pivotal clashes in the match.
Tori McIntyre also has a key role on the defensive wing as she looks to deny Carlee Davey, who is a key feeder, too much ball on the circle’s edge.
McIntyre’s advantage will be her reach over the pass.
It is crucial she applies hand-pressure and steps up her defensive intensity to stop Davey from hitting the circle.
Coach Lauren Duncan arguably has the biggest job on the court as she looks to quell the influence of Bell.
Duncan also has the pressure of being a leader, particularly at the offensive end where South will need to be patient with ball to work their way through the defensive pressure of Maddy Teakle and Amy Cram.
Georgia Hood will need to be at her best and combine with Tilah Buckingham as she has in recent weeks.
Hood was outstanding against the Saints last round and her long-range accuracy will keep Cram honest.
Much will also depend on the battle between Maggie Kipping and Imogen Walker.
Kipping will be back to her best after being overseas for a few weeks, while Walker has the ability to significantly influence a game and would be looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristic quiet game against the Saints.
However, with finals approaching, West will leave everything out on court to ensure it not only wins, but wins well tomorrow.
Casterton Sandford v East Gambier
CASTERTON Sandford will put it all on the line when it hosts East Gambier in Round 12 of Western Border netball tomorrow.
The Cats will hope to claim an upset victory to celebrate star defender Abbey Shannon’s final game of 2018.
Shannon is making the move to Western Australia for work and as a result will not see the season out.
While the premiership points it the ultimate goal, a victory over the Bulldogs is easier said than done.
Casterton Sandford is coming off two solid games of netball and should not be taken lightly, but East is also in stellar form this season.
Shannon will be keen to go out with a bang and while she has been playing goal keeper, her final game could see her take on Tenille Gray.
Shannon made the transition to senior netball with ease and her ability to read the play is impressive.
Finishing with an upset win is probably too much to expect, but Shannon is a competitor and she will push herself to the limit in attempt to go out on a high.
Much will depend on the ability of her team mates to look after the ball.
Even the Cats would admit it is often their own errors that cost them.
Tori Perry will need to be at her accurate best, Madalene Cleary will be pivotal whether she heads into the mid court or the shooting circle, while Gaby Tomkins has been outstanding since returning from injury and her run in the mid court, where she will no doubt take on the class of Tarsh McCallum, will be critical.
McCallum is the glue that holds the Bulldogs together as a had working defensive centre before becoming a hard running attacking centre who rarely makes a mistake with ball in hand.
She is starting to build a good relationship with attacking wing Sara Smith and both feeders are creative in their delivery to Gray and Sarah Lock.
Gray looms as a huge issue for the Cats, with her work rate up the court and her ability to find good shooting position and finish accurately two key factors to her game.
Add to that the ability of Lock to score from long range and Casterton Sandford will need to step up its mid court defence to deny the Bulldogs shooters easy ball.
East will welcome Morgan Amy back to the defensive circle and her combination with Bo Creek will ensure the Cats shooters earn every possession.
The Bulldogs will win but expect the Cats to be in the hunt for much of the game.
