WAGGA Netball minor premiers Uranquinty will meet defending champions, New Kids Aces, in Saturday’s A Grade major semi-final.
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These two teams have demonstrated that they were the two best teams in the competition rounds and will hope to continue with that form in the finals series.
The two sides have met on three occasions this season with Uranquinty winning two of them.
In round five, Uranquinty were a two-goal winner; in round 10, Aces turned the tables, coming up with a 57-46 victory and in last week’s final round, Uranquinty were again trumps, winning this time by just three goals.
Finals is where the Aces, due to their experience, may have an edge on their younger, less experienced opponents.
The seasoned players of the Aces team, such as Lisa Reynoldson and Tracey Schulz-Cole in defence, Rachael Addison in the centre court and Lisa Frow in the shooting circle, have ‘been there and done that’ so often, that it’s ‘almost routine’ that they have finals success.
Along with those four, second-year recruits, Marie Campbell and Paige Guthrie, take all in their stride and ‘next generation’ Aces, youngsters, Abbey Fellows, Abbey Corbett, Rhiannon Podmore and Mikaela Cole are all playing with super confidence.
Certainly, Uranquinty has been the best performed team so far this year and testament of that has been their minor premiership win and the lowering of their colours only once in 11 matches.
However, can the much younger team continue their good form against a hardened, proud Aces team, which will be hell-bent on being first team into the 2016 grand final!?
Can Lana Duffy continue to convert up forward as well as she has done to date, with the extra pressure she’s sure to receive from any or all of Reynoldson, Schulz-Cole, Podmore or Campbell.
Can the in form Uranquinty defenders, Bree Wood, Brooke Tilyard and if need be, Ella Finemore contain the freely scoring Guthrie and Frow. Will goalers, Hannah Finemore, Paige Colenso and perhaps, even Ella Finemore, continue to support Duffy as well in the circle with the fore-mentioned Aces foursome in defence.
Addison, Corbett and Fellows work hard in the centre court for the Aces; will they hold sway over the Greens’ Olivia Tilyard, Meg Reinhold and Tameka Scott?
In the minor semi-final, Turvey Park will attempt to beat Shooting Stars for the first time this season.
The Stars have won all three games with scorelines of 36-15, 37-26 and 39-29.
In all three games, Turvey have been within winning range at half-time, only to be outclassed on each occasion in the second half, particularly in the third quarter. Turvey must improve in this area.
With four excellent players to comeback to the Stars’ line-up, they are in the box seat for a preliminary final berth.
Reliable defender, Ruby Gooden should return from three weeks out with injury; the age-less Michelle Forrell should have recovered from illness and shooters Olivia Lang and Flynn Hogg are both expected back.