Colac gets taste of pressure

COLAC enters its clash with Leopold this Saturday knowing a win could set its season up and dramatically its increase its chances of playing finals.

The Tigers face a series of big games in the coming weeks, with Bell Park, Newtown, St Joseph’s and St Albans all to come after this round, but coach Sara Hay said she would have a fair idea of where her team ranked after playing the Lions.

“It’s a big game for us,” Hay said.

“They’re obviously a tough team to come up against and the last few years they’ve been very, very strong, and it’s a very physical contest.

“It’s a really good one to have early in the year to set the benchmark to see where you’re at. We’ve always matched up very well against Leopold so it will be great to see how our fitness comes through and get our setups on court and making sure they’re actually coming together.

“By round 4 you’re hoping to see a bit of clarity out there on the court. It is obviously one that Leopold will want to win, but if we get over the line we’ll be in a really good spot for this time of the season.”

Last week Colac easily accounted for North Shore, which looks like it is battling out of its division after not even a month of netball.

But Hay said she was proud of the Tigers for not relenting in the 109-10 win.

“It was nice not to have the pressure and for me on the bench to have that high level of stress you have most weeks,” she said. “But North Shore wasn’t too bad and the score doesn’t indicate the netball that was played.”

Colac hosts Leopold at Central Reserve, with the match starting at 1.35pm.