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Hamilton ready for battle

HAMILTON Kangaroos will face a huge challenge today when they take on South Warrnambool at Friendly Societies Park in Hampden Football Netball League round 12 action today.

The Roosters are the undisputed best team in the competition and have dropped just one game up until this point to cement their position as premiership favourites in 2024.

While the Kangaroos have battled hard, they are towards the other end of the table sitting on two wins and will have a big mountain to climb this afternoon.

The Kangaroos need to bring some elite pressure and sustain it, as midfielders like Jack English and Ethan Knight need to be first to get their hands on the ball.

Jake Donehue was impressive in the ruck last game and will be hoping to give the Roos first use again today.

Senior coach, Brad Thomas said his troops were refreshed and excited for the test against a quality opposition.

“It’s always good playing against these types of teams, we want to keep getting the process better and keep driving towards it,” he said.

“I felt like Camperdown wasn’t as good an outcome performance wise, but we were pretty happy against Cobden the week before, we felt we played pretty well.”

When the sides met back in round three, it was a 10-goal win to South Warrnambool, and they will be eyeing off an improved performance.

However, there were plenty of positive signs for the Kangaroos as they started the game well to hold a one-point lead at quarter time and match the Roosters around the contest for the entire game (trailing clearances 47-51).

Their good start included great efficiency going inside 50, as they scored on 83 percent of forward entries with four majors, which was something Thomas said would be important again today.

“Our clearances and ground ball has been pretty good, but they’re very good on the outside … it’s important to put on some scoreboard pressure,” he said.

“But we really want to get the outside game going, we are trying to break a little harder from stoppages.

“It’s just about working on the process and game style; we’ve probably got a few different players this time around.”

The Kangaroos will need to capitalise and make amends of their forward entries if they are to be a chance to cause an upset.

Netball

HAMILTON Kangaroos will travel to Friendlies Society Park in Warrnambool today with the hope of causing one of the biggest upsets in the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) open netball competition against a formidable and top-placed South Warrnambool side.

The round 12 challenge against the Roosters is as tough as it gets for the youthful Kangaroos team who lack experience against a mature and experienced side like South Warrnambool.

The Roosters sit on top of the ladder with an 11-1 record and are the favourite to win the HFNL premiership in 2024, while the blue and white are 0-11 with their young stars still developing as players.

When the sides met back in round three, it was all South Warrnambool as the Roosters started with a 16-6 first quarter to set up a percentage-boosting 49-goal victory.

Hamilton needs to find another gear and bring a level of pressure and intensity that South Warrnambool aren’t prepared for or expecting.

If it bleeds, you can kill it and the Roosters can be beaten as mid-placed Camperdown showed in an upset victory back in round seven.

 Kangaroos coach, Emma Sommerville, will be asking her team to dig deep, work hard, protect the ball and try to minimise scoreboard damage.

The likes of Grace Cleaver and Ella Sevior will have a tough ask in defence against the dominant scoring trio of Hollie Phillips (276 goals), Emma Buwalda (235 goals) and Meg Carlin (217 goals).

But for the blue and white, Maddox Ryan has been crucial for the side has turned herself into one of the most consistent players on the court this season, she will hope to bring her best again.

It will also be vital that Saskia Gould shoots accurately and capitalises on any good looks that she gets, while Clare Crawford will need to contribute well as the leader in the goal ring.

The Kangaroos have scored more than 40 goals in two of their last three games and will be planning on emulating that sort of shooting today.

However, if they continue to concede scores of 74 (vs Warrnambool) in round nine and 80 (vs Cobden) in round 10, it will be incredibly tough to salvage a respectable margin.

While the young girls will continue to take strides in their development today, South Warrnambool should overpower them on the way to a comfortable victory.

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