DESPITE going up against undefeated ladder leaders Wentworth this Saturday, Irymple’s A Grade squad are feeling calm and collected.
With their finals spot secure, Swallows coach Sherrie Geister said the match against the Roos, while important, will not be season-defining.
“It’s just another game,” she said.
“We’ve got nothing to lose, and I don’t think it really changes the outcome of any ladder or anything like that, so we’re pretty relaxed to be totally honest.”
While Wentworth will return to the court off a bye, the Swallows are coming off the back of a narrow loss to Mildura in round 16.
But Geister said the loss “works in our favour”, giving her team a chance to reassess at a crucial point in the season.
“We realised what we have got to work on, and the girls know that they didn’t play their absolute best, they got a little bit flustered during the game,” she said.
“I think it was only the first quarter that they rattled us and then we kept it even after that, so it is not a major thing in our eyes.
“(Today) we will just keep our heads up and go into the game with some confidence, not being beaten before the first whistle is blown.”
With finals just two games away, Geister said she is proud of her team’s work throughout the season to get to this point.
“We have worked hard on different things all season, and I think it’s a testament to them that it is finally starting to come together,” she said.
“Finals are a new ball game, that has been proven over the years, so we will just see what happens and try to stick to our game and give it a red hot crack.”
In other games, Imperials will take on Ouyen United at Brian Weightman Oval, Mildura will travel to John James Oval to play Robinvale Euston, and Red Cliffs will host South Mildura at Quandong Park.
