OUYEN United are happy to play the role of underdog in Saturday’s red-hot SFNL A Grade netball clash with ladder leaders Wentworth.
There has only been one combined loss from 17 matches between the two sides in 2021, with the Kangas only blemish being a three-goal defeat to the Roos in early May.
Some experimentation with their line-up since has left Ouyen United confident they have the versatility to combat their 2019 grand final adversaries.
Kangas co-coach Kyra Nathan admitted Wentworth were the benchmark of the competition and they will rely on some different combinations when searching for victory.
“One thing we’re really happy with is our depth and having different contributors across the board,” she said.
“We’ve been able to experiment with different combinations in different positions to see what kind of impact we can have, and we’ll probably continue with that against Wentworth to try and combat their speed.
“We had Cat Brown out last time against them, which we lost by three, but in the last quarter we were down by eight at one stage and were able to get level with them so we know we can come back.”
Nathan, the 2019 Jackie Horkings Medal winner, is out with a calf injury, but she said it had allowed other players to get exposure in pressure situations.
“It’s given a few others a chance to put their hand up and I don’t think I’ve been missed all that much.” she said.
“As a coach I’ve actually enjoyed watching from the sidelines as it gives me a good chance to have have a look at what is going on across the court. Sometimes it’s hard to do that while you’re playing, so you get a different perspective.
“We’ve got massive versatility in our squad, although we are looking to settle a bit more into positions as finals get closer.”
Nathan knows how important Wentworth coach Amanda Edwards is to her side, but she is confident in her team’s defensive depth.
“Cat and Tsharni Burns are two of the better defenders in the competition, and we’ve got 2019 B Grade best and fairest Esther Manley who has been pushing for a spot as well,” she said.
“That means we have one our best defenders in Casey Crothers playing at goal shooter. If we have to push Casey back to get the right height match up for Amanda Edwards we know we can do that. Amanda is a great shooter and controls a lot of their game so to have another option is good for me as a coach.
“Casey shoots at about 90 per cent and her height puts her in prime position for rebounds. That also gives confidence to Tayla Willsmore at GA, who has had a great season, to be able to shoot because she knows Casey will be there.”
Following Wentworth’s victory over Mildura last week, Edwards said her side was prepared to take on Ouyen United.
“We wanted to come out (Saturday) and put some plans in place for next week so it’s definitely a big game and Ouyen United are next on our chase,” she said last weekend.
“We’ll stick to our structure and game plan of what we’ve been doing and see where we go.
“We thrive on our defence and defensive pressure all over the court and if we play our game, hopefully we should win.”
In other SFNL A Grade games, South Mildura clash with Mildura, Imperials are at home to Robinvale Euston and Irymple collide with Red Cliffs.
