AN undefeated and seemingly unbreakable Wentworth outfit travel to Robinvale this Saturday to meet an inspired Mildura team, with both sides looking to lodge their place in this year’s SFNL netball Grand Final.
The Demons secured their double chance semi-final spot last weekend after closing out the Eagles in a clinical 60-53 victory.
For the Roos, their upcoming fixture serves as an opportunity to secure a fourth consecutive visit to the competition’s premiership deciding game.
With the scars of last year’s Grand Final loss to Ouyen still lingering after also finishing that 2024 campaign undefeated, Wentworth are more than ready to right the wrong that prevented them from claiming three titles on the bounce.
Winning all 16 of their regular season match-ups and finishing first earned the Roos a well-deserved break, while the Demons had no such treat after they came second on the ladder, trailing their upcoming opposition by 18 points.
“We’re really looking forward to hitting the court this weekend,” said Wentworth coach Amanda Edwards.
“Obviously we had the weekend off, so sitting back and watching was really good, but really eager to hit the court this weekend.”
In the Demons’ seven point triumph against Robinvale, the versatile Ava Zadow shot 36 goals while teammate Ashleigh Morello sunk 24 herself.
“They’re strong all over the court and I think this year they’ve really shown their versatility a lot with being able to utilise all of their players both ends,” said Edwards.
“So, I think that’s definitely one of their strengths, but for us it’s just sticking to our game plan, our structures and doing what we do best.
“Every week it’s a full seven effort with our defensive pressure all over the court, so it’s not just going to be one person trying to shut down Ava.
“I think as a whole, we’ll be just looking at our defensive pressure all over the court and seeing what we can pull up early.”
Wentworth’s high quality exists across the court as defensive duo Natalie Vercher and Courtney Wakefield have been a rock solid pairing key to the Roos vast success so far, while Edwards herself in attack has scored an incomprehensible 669 goals, at least 136 more than any other player in the competition.
“The girls and I had a chat after the season, we sat down, and we reflected about the 16 games,” said Edwards.
“We’re really proud and pleased with our efforts but we all know finals is a different ball game, so that’s out the window now, we’re zero and zero according to us.
“So, we’re just looking at it one week at a time and not thinking about the past now, finals is definitely on our mind.”
The last time both teams met was just three weeks ago as the Demons remained competitive but still conceded the result to the Roos who walked away 53-44 victors.
This Saturday’s clash is set for a 12pm tip-off at John James Oval, Court 1.
