Netball Round 2 Preview
After a dominant win from our Ruby girls in Round 1 last weekend, our Sapphire team is ready to match the energy.
Both grades will match up against the Titan’s in a mega battle of the Coast.
Sapphire
Last time they met:
We played the Gold Coast Titans twice last season and lost both times. Though the losses were both only by a small margin, we’re ready and determined to get a win under our belt to start the season.
On reflection:
Since the last time we played them, we have gained more experience and depth. Our team works much better at controlling the uncontrollable than ever before. Going into this game we need to work on having better vision, control and decision making. These are essentials for effective attacking skills on court.
What’s changed:
We have a different line up this year. We have recruited new girls for our mid court positions and are excited to see what they bring to the team in our first game of the season.
We have girls that have the great skill of being adaptable, they are able to work into many different positions when necessary. Our preseason was excellent and long and we have had some great practice games leading into this round. We also had a hit out against our men’s team last weekend.
Look out for:
I am looking forward to seeing how all our new connections come together. So I would say to look out for our newbies on court and the way they connect with our long-standing Bull Sharks. Tuesday night was our first and only session with the full team, but under the leadership of Hannah Le Sage and Ella Spencer we think the teams’ communication will thrive on court. The girls are returning to Bond’s Sapphire team after a real season of growth, both as athletes and as people. They’re great leaders who are really helping directing the other girls’ attention.
Welcome back:
We’re welcoming back the entire team. Our Sapphires are ready and rearing for the season to start. While I have had a few intense months working with the QLD U19 team, and Gavin Clarke also stepped away from Bond to focus on the QLD Suns nationals campaign, I’d say the girls are the ones welcoming us back into the fold. We’ve had time to decompress and set our sights back on the Bond girls as our main focus.
The opposition:
The Titans play hard and fast. A well-oiled machine, with versatility and depth in their playing roster which makes them a hard opponent for our first game. But we have done our homework, and hopefully have put together a game plan that will allow us to exploit their weaknesses and disrupt their strengths.
It will be a tough game on their home turf with their home crowd supporters. They have been able to dip their toes in the water, playing the Wildcats last weekend, whereas we had a bye. We have to go into this very prepared and warmed up ready to face off from the first second after the whistle blows.
With Rebecca Stowers
Ruby
Last time they met:
Last season we faced off against the Titans twice and won a game each.
On reflection:
Since we last played the Titans we have gained more depth and experience in our team. We will be focusing on ensuring we stick to our game plan. The Titans have a very different style of play to our girls, and sometimes this can dictate the game. If we stay true to ourselves and our game plan, hopefully we will be able to steer the terms of play.
What’s changed:
Having such talented girls means we often lose them to national or regional representative commitments. This week we have lost Josie and Jorgia Gisinger to the Tongan U21 National Team camp. Abi Houston is out with ana ankle injury from last week’s game. We have elevated our training partners Evie Stower and Eunice Kidmas to cover our Tongan girls and Tehya Hysset will be returning to our defence end from an injury.
Look out for:
Ocean Karekare and Harriet Nicholson had epic games last week and we are really looking forward to seeing how they build on their performances for this game. Keep an eye on our leadership team, Ocean, Harriet and Abby Boland who return to the court after a debut season for the Bull Sharks last year. The trio bring something different to our team, having gained respect from their entire playing group.
Welcome back:
Tehya will be returning to our starting lines after a preseason ankle injury. Were excited to have her back in our defence line up, she’s a great player and brings so much to the team dynamic.
The opposition:
The Titans are an extremely physical team. It will be a tough round playing in front of their very vocal home crowd. Both Our Ruby girls and the Titans’ Ruby team are coming off big first round wins. It will be a great match up of skills, a very fast and challenging match lies ahead of us.
With Kim Boland