Tigers to turn up the heat on Burns
REIGNING GDFL netball premier Thomson will pay extra attention to interleague star Bridgette Burns when it attempts to keep its unbeaten record intact against Corio today.
The Tigers have won seven straight this season after winning five of their last six in 2017 to claim the GDFL premiership from third spot.
But with Corio (5-2) hot on their tail in third place, Tigers playing-coach Shannyn Leach is cautious about what the Devils can produce.
“We know they have had a few losses in recent weeks and whether that has been through injury we’re not quite sure,” Leach said.
“Playing with Bridgette Burns in the interleague, she was just unbelievable, so, given how well she controls the play, she’s someone we’ll need to try to shut down.
“We worked on a different game plan coming into the finals last year and our girls really executed it well against Corio and Werribee.”
Corio defeated Thomson, 72-59 in Round 15 last year before the Tigers had the last laugh with a seven-goal preliminary final victory en route to the flag.
It is looming as a defining fortnight for Thomson. Next week, the Tigers face secondplaced Werribee Centrals.
“Werribee will be a big game and then we have West, who had a good win over the weekend against tough competition,” Leach said.
“It’s not just three teams any more, we’ve seen Inverleigh hold off Corio in recent weeks as well, so we have a very competitive top five at the moment.”