Testing weekend on road for Blues

KINGSTON Blues have the unenviable task of heading north to take on Cavaliers and Northern Hawks in this weekend’s State League netball action.

Northern Hawks are on top of the ladder and remain the only undefeated team this year. Cavaliers sit third with five wins and three losses.

Kingston is sixth but has played only six games, and so this weekend’s matches are crucial to its finals tilt.

Earlier in the season Kingston had a hard-fought 46-41 win over Cavaliers, but was defeated convincingly by the Hawks, 73-55.

To make life even harder for Kingston, Shelby Miller and Dannielle Pickett will return to Cavaliers and Hawks respectively from Tasmanian Magpies duties.

Kingston has shown great depth this year, with four solid goalies, three key defenders and a hard working centre court. With last year’s under-19 players Mackenzie Adams, Gemma Polley and Sarah Scott really taking up the challenge of Opens netball head on, the team is only going to improve.

Kingston coach Erin Baker said playing two top three sides over the weekend would be a great test.

“It does give us a really good indication of where our train- ing intensity and our level of skill is with the competition,” she said. “Both sides have had really strong starts to the season. We really need to make sure that our intensity and our skill level is commensurate with theirs.”

In other matches, OHA will take on AYC-Friends Arrows tonight at Hobart Netball and Sports Centre and, with the return of Adrianna Gough and Hayley Sansom, Arrows will be looking to revisit their top form. Cripps Waratah will head to the North-West to face Burnie Tigers and Devon, and two wins would give its finals aspirations a big boost.