Grubbers on top of ladder
OCEAN Grove is delivering on its pre-season promise of being a premiership contender, sitting on top of the ladder a third of the way through the season.
“With the competition this close, this year you have to be so conscious of not only winning games but boosting your percentage,” Grubbers coach Elyse Howard said.
“Having the double chance is at the forefront of my mind, so we have the best possible chance to play finals.”
The Grubbers were too strong for Anglesea on Saturday, comfortably winning 56-38.
“Our strength this season has been our strong starts but we started really slow ... however it was good to see we didn’t need a strong start to come away with a win in the end and I’m really proud to see how the girls responded after quarter-time,” Howard said.
Abbey Middleton (34 goals) and Rebecca Scott (22) again proved to be a formidable duo in the ring, creating ample opportunities for teammates to feed the ball into the goal circle.
Kelsey Ollis showed consistency and leadership throughout the midcourt, which helped steady the Grubbers. Anglesea coach Rhonda Gugger has been impressed with her team’s ability to bond well on court, despite little experience as a playing group.
“We have a lot of new players who are quite young, and new to the club and the area in general,” Gugger said.
“We had a really strong first half and fought it out well towards the end. We could have lost by more but we finished quite strong … For now it’s about a focus on maintaining possession, court play and getting the combinations right,” she said.
Roos defenders Tess Rice and Anna Von Moger held their own in the wake of a strong Ocean Grove offensive.
The Grubbers’ defence also had its work cut out for it in regards to star shooter Justine Weichert, who shot 31 of the Roos’ 38 goals.
“She’s a strong player and uses her height well. We knew we’d have to shut her down because she’s a player that definitely creates scoreboard pressure,” Howard said.
The Grubbers are off to a flying start, but Howard says they won’t get ahead of themselves. “We still have to play Modda, which will be a test. The girls are excited,” Howard said.