Kate Withers
A clutch three-goal win over defending premiers Traralgon has helped Moe earn the mantle as one of the front runners in the Gippsland league’s A grade netball competition.
But with just two weeks to go in the season proper, this weekend’s away clash with last-placed Wonthaggi is still a must-win for the Lions.
Moe sit in third spot on the ladder, a game clear of 2017 grand finalist Drouin, and need to secure wins in the final two rounds to shore-up a double chance come finals.
Coach Peter Moody said the weekend’s win over Traralgon was a “fantastic” one.
“It was just a great game of regional netball. There were fantastic match-ups across the court and the two best shooters in the league were up against the two best defenders in my opinion,” Moody said.
“At the start of the game they were marginally on top but as the game wore on we just started to get the edge.
“It was a win full of real merit. It was a feather in the girls’ cap.”
Moody said the win was critical for the young Lions in terms of boosting their belief and hoped it would “show them that we can go all the way”.
“But the win against Traralgon means very little if we can’t consolidate it against Wonthaggi this weekend,” he said.
“Each game at this level is a danger game; so we just have to turn up and play with the same brand that we have against Traralgon.”
Bairnsdale v Leongatha
Leongatha will travel to Bairnsdale this weekend in search of their fifth win for the season on Saturday.
The Parrots and Redlegs are out of the finals race but can restore some confidence with a win this weekend.
The Redlegs notched a two-goal win over Sale in the first half of the split round 16 while Leongatha were outplayed by Drouin and went down by 10 goals.
Sale v Warragul
Warragul bolstered their finals’ chances with a win over Maffra in a tussle for fifth spot at the weekend and can go one step further towards cementing it with a win over Sale this weekend.
The Gulls were six-goal winners on Saturday and will look to back it up against Sale on the road this weekend.
Finals aren’t in the equation for the Magpies – who sit in ninth spot with three wins for the season – but their display against Bairnsdale at the weekend showed they still have fight.
They went down by two goals on Saturday but were outdone by 17 goals by Warragul when the sides last met in round eight.
Morwell v Drouin
This weekend’s match-up between ladder leaders Morwell and 2017 grand finalists Drouin is shaping as a big one in terms of the make-up of the finals.
The Tigers are already assured of the minor premiership and sit four games clear atop the ladder, but Drouin are in fourth – just a game off the pace of Traralgon and Moe – and need to win to stay in the running for a top-three finish and double chance.
The Hawks won the earlier round eight encounter by 12 goals and became the first and only side to hand Morwell defeat this season.
Maffra v Traralgon
Defending premiers Traralgon will look to bounce back from defeat this weekend when they travel to take on Maffra.
Traralgon held on to second spot on the A grade ladder despite the loss to Moe but need to bounce back to hang on to their place in the top three.
The Maroons have already secured a finals berth but what remains unknown is where they will finish.
