The Mininera and District Netball Association (MDNA) enters the first bye weekend of the season today and Glenthompson-Dunkeld is on track to claim a top five finish if it can maintain its current form.
With nine games remaining in the season, the Rams lie fifth on the ladder with a four-point gap over Penshurst in sixth spot and with these two teams meeting next Saturday the outcome of that game is crucial to both teams.
A victory for Glenthompson-Dunkeld will open an eight-point lead over the Bombers, but should Penshurst be triumphant then it will create a struggle between the two for the remainder of the season for a top five berth.
Added to the pressure that comes with these derby games is that seventh placed Lismore-Derrinallum is playing Tatyoon on the same day and the Hawks are long odds-on favourites to maintain their undefeated season, which will knock the Demons out of the race.
Having only lost to Ararat Eagles and Woorndoo-Mortlake, the Rams have built their game style nicely to the point where they are one of the teams to beat within the competition.
The Rams are equal on points with both Hawkesdale-Macarthur and Woorndoo-Mortlake with five wins and only six percentage points divides these three teams which makes every game these teams play doubly vital.
A grade coach, Laura Matthews said it would’ve been nice to be a couple spots higher, however felt the team’s season goal was right in the frame.
“We would’ve liked to have been sitting either third or fourth ideally, our goal is to make finals and I think we are still in a good position to do so,” she said.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve had players unavailable due to injuries or being away … but I am happy with our results so far.”
Matthews said the side had to shuffle things around at the attacking end of the court a few weeks ago in the absence of a star goal shooter.
The introduction of the new rolling substitute has also given the side a chance to keep the players on the court nice and fresh throughout matches.
“Eve Duckmanton excitedly is having another baby, so we’ve had to make changes to accommodate for that,” she said.
“So far we haven’t used them a great deal, mostly to keep our midcourt rotations happening.”
Jane Robertson and Elise Bibby have been combining well in Duckmanton’s absence with Robertson’s 211 goals placing her second in the league for scoreboard impact.
The Rams coach also emphasised the importance of the clash against Penshurst saying it would “take the pressure off slightly”.
However, she said there was definitely still areas that the side needed to work on, and they hoped to fine tune those as the season progressed towards finals time.
“A win would be great (against Penshurst) … we need to continue setting goals for ourselves to be as competitive as we can come finals time if we’re able to be out there,” Matthews said.
“I sound like a broken record but our consistency in delivering strong defensive netball and flow in our attacking plays (needs to keep improving).
Matthews said the message to her side for the second part of the season would be to trust their instincts and continue to do the basics well.
As noted above, Penshurst awaits next Saturday but this game is followed by games against Tatyoon and Hawkesdale-Macarthur to hand the Rams their toughest grouping of games for the season.
Given that Tatyoon appears to have the measure of all others except maybe Ararat Eagles, Glenthompson-Dunkeld must win the other two games which will ensure their place in the finals.
