Netball Preview - Division 1 A huge clash at Olympic Oval By David Nagel The opportunity to play finals will still be alive for either Rosebud and Frankston YCW after the two teams collide in a crunch A Grade clash at Olympic Oval today. The Buds and Stonekittens sit two games behind fourthplaced Mornington, who should win against Pines to open up a three-game gap on the loser of this contest. Three games – that would appear to be too big a margin to make up. Rosebud, who were super impressive in a 65-32 win against Mt Eliza last start, always knew this patch of the season was going to be important. Games against the Redlegs, Stonekittens and Frankston - in quick succession – will dictate their whereabouts on the ladder come seasons end. Win the next two and the Buds set up an intriguing contest against Mornington in round 10. The Buds are finally heading back to full strength, with Millie McDermott and Lauren Robinson leading a dominant performance against the Redlegs, who have conceded the most goals in the competition this year. The Stonekittens are frugal in comparison, with Lyshae Barry and Stephanie Boulton leading a very dour defence. It sets up a fascinating contest – a contest the Stonekittens will win by two goals in a classic. Mornington has only lost to Edi-Asp and Sorrento this year and will look to keep that impressive record in tact when it travels to Pines to take on the Pythons. Mornington is an interesting team to observe, with terrific wins over YCW and Bonbeach following on from a great game against Sorrento, going down 38-42. Are they really that close to the mark? We’ll find out more next week against Seaford, but for now players like Candace Page, Katey Rudolph, Alex Newton and Sarah Nash will need to be focussed to bring the four points back to Mornington. Brierley Chase, Tia Weston and Ash Boyle will give their all for the home team, but Mornington will be too good. Sorrento will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hits the road to take on Frankston. A first taste of defeat won’t hurt the Sorras, who still have a lot more credits in the bank than debits. If that last game showed anything it is that the Sharks are right in contention this year, pushing a very powerful Seaford team to the limit. Briana O’Hehir and Dominique Taylor provide some real power at either end of the court while Shelley O’Donnell, Hannah Mundy and Ashlea Gladman have been fantastic contributors through the midcourt. Frankston is coming off its best two weeks for the season, claiming its first victory against Bonbeach before going ok against Edi-Asp before the interleague break.
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Players like Sarah Muston and Blair Anderson will be competitive, but the Sorras should have too many tricks up their sleeve. Edithvale-Aspendale will look to fine tune its game ahead of next week’s huge trip to Sorrento when it rolls out the red carpet for Mt Eliza. The Eagles aren’t as free scoring as Seaford or Sorrento, but have a miserly team defence that just refuses to buckle. They’ve conceded 25 goals less than the next best defensive unit in the competition – so if defence wins premierships look out for the Eagles later this year. Defenders like Anne Leeds and Nicole Taylor have really stood up at times, making full use of some great defensive pressure through the midcourt. Mt Eliza was disappointing against Rosebud in round seven and Carly and Ellie Russo, with the help of Pippa Hanson and co, will be keen to turn their fortunes around. But the Eagles will prevail and take a 7-1 record into next week’s game against Sorrento. And Seaford will continue its unbeaten start to the season when it travels to Cannes Avenue to take on Bonbeach. The Tigers are a free-flowing unit at the moment, scoring more goals than any other team in the competition. And that attacking flair is complemented by a very strong defence with Tracey Dell and Kara Hargrave having a massive influence since making the switch from SEFNL powerhouse Narre Warren. Bonbeach do defend ok, conceding less goals than any of the bottom-five teams in the competition. Theresa Blaauw and Stephanie Coy have been magnificent defenders all year – but this is their biggest challenge to date. Seaford will make it eight-from-eight with a substantialsized victory.
Mt Eliza will look to bounce back hard against Edi-Asp.
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