OUYEN United expects to be back in full form for this weekend’s game against Merbein, after losing two key players due to COVID-19 last week.
Returning this week to play Merbein after a loss at Blackburn Park against Wentworth last week (31-46), Ouyen hope to once again have a familiar combination on court.
Co-coach Kyra Nathan said the team were down two key players in Ellen Morrish and Bree Barker last week, because both were isolating due to COVID.
Nathan said she was confident the team would be back running at full strength this weekend with the return of the pair.
“(Ellen Morrish and Bree Barker) will be back this week, which just brings familiarity back to the team and the systems we use,” she said.
Nathan said the team had still performed well in last weekend’s match despite the loss, with some of the replacement girls playing their first A-grade game.
“We were actually quite surprised we were only four down at half time,” she said.
“To be competitive against Wentworth was fantastic considering we had never played with the combinations that we had played with on Saturday.
“One of the things that we took away last week was that we just need to play our own game, we have been working a lot this week of timing and sticking to our own systems and just making sure we get the basics right.”
Nathan said five of the team’s top seven had caught COVID and she was hoping the remaining two did not catch it at the same time.
“I’m sure all teams are going to be affected at some point – it’s just inevitable,” she said.
Coach Breigh Hammet said Merbein was hoping to follow the same strategy, also learning how to play their own game, while building confidence in their ability to learn and progress from each round.
“Last week’s performance was the perfect example, when we got up in the frantic pace Mildura created we lost our way,” she said.
“When we refocused and played our game, we won the quarter.”
Hammet said the narrow loss against Mildura (38-42) highlighted the team’s need to focus on their own game plans and structures and “not get caught up in our oppositions”.
“All players are fighting for the win this week and will be taking ownership of their role on court,” she said.
Following the game on Saturday, netballers from the Red Cliffs Football Netball Club have organised a Ladies Day event.
The event will raise funds for Sunraysia Cancer Resources, which helps locals diagnosed with cancer.
Organiser Hannah Bounias said the club was hoping to raise as much money and awareness for SCR as possible.
“We think it’s super important to give back,” she said. “They’re doing a such incredible work.”
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THE Sunraysia junior netball teams are in full swing for the representative season.
The teams travelled to Bendigo last week for their first tournament, with the Under-13 team making the semi-finals and losing to the team that took out the tournament.
The Under-15s and 17s also only lost one game for the whole day, but missed finals on percentage.
The teams will travel to Echuca on May 22 and will conclude with the Netball Victoria Zone Championships in Bendigo on June 5.
The tournament is an opportunity for the players to be talent identified for the Victorian Zone Academies which feed into the State Netball Teams.
