THIS weekend’s Orange Netball Association double header is crucial for all eight Toyota Cup outfits chasing their finals dream, but none more so than CYMS Gladiators.
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Of the chasing outfits headed into rounds eight and nine on Saturday and Sunday, it is Gladiators (13 points) who are the best placed out of themselves, KWS 1sts (11), Life Studio DVM Embroidery (nine) and Hawks Ace Drilling (seven) to make a finals charge, and green and golds coach Kylie Jordan knows it.
Looking to leap-frog High A (16) for fourth place on this year’s ladder, Jordan believes the Gladiators’ girls have a good shot at completing that task against Life Studio DVM Embroidery on Saturday.
“We’re obviously eyeing off the Saturday game as one that’s important for us. We think we’ll be really competitive in that game,” Jordan said, with Sunday’s fixture against the second-placed Life Studio a much tougher proposition for points.
“It’s a pretty crucial game for us if we’re any chance of making the finals this year.”
Jordan said with CYMS still likely to be without Brigette Jasprizza for Saturday's’s clash, the green and golds would turn to the likes of Katie Matthews and on-song shooters Berth Curtin and Tara Nagle to lead the charge.
In all, Jordan said she simply wanted to see a more consistent CYMS team than the one that had won three games and lost four so far this ONA campaign.
“If we’re going to make the step up and play finals we have to start putting together some consistent 60-minute performances,” she said, adding the second game against a dominant Life Studio would serve as a good test for her girls.
“We’ll try and use the system a bit and give a few of the girls in our division two side a run.
“It’ll be good experience for them, and obviously we’ll still be trying to be very competitive and complete the goals we set out to achieve as a team.”
In other games on Saturday, High A tackles KWS 1sts, Life Studio faces Hawks Ace Drilling and Robin Hood Orange Glass looks set to be tested by Royal Hawks.
Then backing up on Sunday, Royal Hawks play Life Studio DVM Embroidery, Robin Hood Orange Glass takes on KWS 1sts and Hawks Ace Drilling face a tough test against the highflying High A girls.