Plenty of motivation as Derwent sets sights on rival
A blockbuster Saturday night of men’s Premier League contests will be kickstarted with a grand final rematch between Derwent and OHA from 3pm.
The Strikers sit two games clear of the Ships, who find themselves a game adrift of the top four at the season’s halfway point.
Derwent coach Nick Tremayne liked what he saw in a 3-1 defeat of Canterbury in the State Club Cup last weekend and says the squad had an internal review.
“The general feeling was that we were happy with the first half of the season, but there is plenty of work to do and areas we can get better,” Tremayne said.
“We have identified three key areas that we will keep private for now, but you can sense a real feeling of motivation within the group.
“OHA are always a big threat, and they have strong players who we need to ensure don’t have things on their own terms.”
Second-placed Canterbury next meet third-placed North-West Graduates from 4:30pm with Jamie Hullick returning for the Lions.
“The squad have used the break to freshen up, with several members choosing to sit out of the Cup semi-final in order to recover for the regular season game,” Lions backup keeper Lachlan Oakford said.
“A big player to watch this round is Brad Kitto. He missed the first round but he’s hitting his stride now and as a former South Australian Hotshot player, he’s got a lot of experience to bring to the role.”
Graduates fell to DiamondBacks in their Cup semi-final and will hope to put in an improved showing with James Bourke, Oliver Stebbings and Harry van der Woude returning.
“We are sitting where we were aiming at pre-season and Sam Meikle has been really impressive lately,” Graduates coach Alistair White said.
“Our basics are one of the keys for us. When we struggle in games it’s usually due to sloppy turnovers out of the back half.”
DiamondBacks will hope to end their Premier League hoodoo with an upset victory against University from 6pm.
On the flip side, the Students can find themselves sitting third if results go their way and will be bolstered with the return of James Dick and Keenan Johnson.