CASTERTON Sandford will look for its first win of the 2019 Western Border netball season tomorrow against a tough North Gambier side at Vansittart Park.
While the Cats have registered one draw, they are the only team not to post a victory at this early stage of the year.
The Cats will face a Tigers line-up still finding its way, having already used at least a dozen players as it looks to find the combination that works best.
Casterton Sandford would be disappointed with the size of its loss to East Gambier last weekend and will look to minimise the errors and be more consistent in defence.
The Cats have also tinkered with their line-up, thanks to some player unavailability and they will hope to use their best seven netballers to try and test the Tigers.
Maddie Whaites has been a standout for North, anchoring the defensive end as she looks to develop a good partnership with coach Noni McConnell in the defensive circle.
Mel Renko is the other Tiger getting the job done every week, whether on the defensive wing or in centre, while Alisha Bryan has recovered from a shaky start to be a real threat in the shooting circle with her strong positioning and accurate finishing.
Amanda O’Shaughnessy has been sadly missed in the mid-court and the Tigers will hope she is back sooner rather than later.
Ash Kalantarian has had to fill a number of roles and the club’s strong list of promising juniors have all had their chance to impress.
The Cats have been best served by Madalene Cleary, wherever on court she has had to fill a role.
Sharna Fidler and Marlee Gartlan have started to find some chemistry as a defensive duo, while Christine Harris and Tori Perry have developed nicely as a shooting combination.
The hard running of Gaby Tomkins can never be questioned, while Scarlett Jarrad has been the pick of the Cats in the opening four rounds, alongside Cleary, with her tight checking role at wing defence.
So often a high scoring side, North has struggled to hit the scoreboard as often and if the Cats can ensure their possessions count, they will be well in the hunt.
However, North should win a close one.
