Netball
15 May, 2024
Burras to host Thunder in netball match of the round
Minyip Murtoa will host the Southern Mallee Thunder in the netball game of the round at Minyip Recreation Reserve when round five of the Wimmera Football Netball League gets underway on Saturday.
The Burras secured their first win of 2024 last week against the Eagles in wet conditions and with their tails now up, face a tough Thunder team that is looking to bounce back following a loss to the Horsham Saints last week.
Burras coach Kirby Knight said they have taken a lot of confidence from the match.
"The Thunder is in a similar situation to us as they have some stalwarts and new players in amongst their ranks," Knight said.
"They have a team full of handy players and we know they will be competitive. They are an unknown because they have many combinations they can throw at us and it's a good test to see where we are at.
"The girl's confidence is high after having a win and fighting out a tough game on the weekend, so we just need to move forward from that and play like we did and it will put us in good stead."
Thunder coach Steph Thomson knows it will be a tough match and will be looking to fix a few things that didn't work on the weekend.
"We are keen to come out and get a win on the board after a big loss last week and play a much more controlled game," Thompson said.
"We are feeling positive and happy with how we went last week and we just need to get our systems going this week and converting our intercepts into goals.
"We also need to control the ball better. We got the ball and couldn't maintain it down the court and made silly areas and didn't place it in the right positions, so that is just some of the things we have worked on this week."
The Eagles travel to Dimboola Recreation Reserve and look forward to a test against one of the better teams in the competition.
Eagles coach Leiah McKenzie said they need to go back to basics and do what they did when they defeated Ararat two weeks ago.
"Last week against Minyip Murtoa we got a bit rattled with the conditions and didn't play the game we wanted to play," McKenzie said.
"We struggled with adjusting to conditions of the game and transition from attack to defence and just need to be better adjusting.
"The good thing is we are injury free and this time of the year we usually have a few injuries, so everyone is feeling well and we are looking forward to this week."
Horsham Saints face a young Ararat team and will look to maintain their winning run at Coughlin Park whilst Nhill hosts the Horsham Demons at Davis Park in what is set to be an exciting match.