ROYAL Hawks will back up for their second Orange Toyota Cup match in three days when they take on High A on Saturday.
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The Royal Hawks played their round six deferred match against Life Studio on Thursday night, with Life Studio winning 56-35.
Injured Royal Hawks captain-coach Amanda Hurford said she wasn’t disappointed with the match.
“I don’t think the score reflects how well the girls played,” Hurford said.
“We have a few injuries, so we brought in a few girls from the squad and they stepped up.
“Our mid-court was a bit short. I was out and so was Ash Bruton.
“So we brought up Shannon Kavanagh and Ellie Madden and they stepped up and had great games.”
Hurford admitted Life Studio were able to pull away in the third quarter, but was still happy with her side’s efforts.
She was particularly pleased with the performance of the defensive players who were brought up through the squad system, after regular division one player Mel Waters was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broke ankle.
“Our defence had a great crack on Thursday night. We tried some new combinations and the girls did well,” Hurford explained.
Now her team has the tough task of taking on another top four side in High A today.
After Thursday night’s result, High A are third on the competition ladder with 14 points, one ahead of Royal Hawks (13).
Robin Hood is undefeated after six rounds on 18 points, while Life Studio are second with 16 points.
High A is on a high after enjoying a strong 58-20 win over Bathurst High in yesterday’s Astley Cup match.
Royal Hawks will still be without Hurford for today’s game, but she said the girls who lined up Thursday have earned their place in the top grade.
“Orange High are playing some good netball at the moment, so we’re going to have to be on our game,” she said.
“The younger girls proved themselves on Thursday.
“Us old girls who will come back later will have to prove ourselves at training to get back into division one.”
Royal Hawks and High A will clash at the PCYC on Saturday at 2.30pm.
In the other division one matches, Robin Hood takes on LS DVM Embroidery at 1.10pm, CYMS Gladiators go up against Hawks Ace Drilling at 2.30pm, and KWS 1sts play Life Studio at 3.50pm.