Bears have nothing to lose
The question all year has been which Seymour line up will front up on a Saturday.
With elite netball players competing at high levels across the state and beyond, the Lions have had to succumb to the fixturing of the Victorian Netball League.
Just last week, two weeks before the Goulburn Valley Netball League finals, coach Ash Chapman and superstar Casey Adamson were missing as the Lions fell over the line against the Shepparton Swans.
But they will be hard pressed to get the four points against Shepparton tomorrow with coach Tracey Brereton not fazed by who turns up.
‘‘Instead of going ‘oh yes that player’s not in’, you’d rather face them at full strength. It’s better for us as a team, for us individually and for units,’’ Brereton said.
‘‘I think it’s great leading into finals playing someone that’s tipped to win it, so that will be a good hit-out.
‘‘At the end of the day we’ve got nothing to lose, they beat us by 15 last time, so we go in with nothing to lose and we’ve got some personal team goals we’re working on, so it’s another chance to look at them.’’
While a 15-goal margin looks big on paper, the Bears were in the mix in round seven.
With a run on in the final quarter the Lions grew the margin, but Shepparton otherwise was well matched against last year’s premiers.
Consistency has been difficult to find for the Bears this season and any lapse of concentration will be punished by Seymour.
The faintest chance of securing third spot relies on a win for the Bears, with Euroa required to lose. And it just might happen. The Magpies take on a spirited Benalla outfit with even more reason to be pumping this week.
Kellie Keen plays her 400th A-grade game for the club, starting in 1998 in the GVNL having previously competed for the Benalla Demons in the Ovens and Murray league.
A win in Keen’s milestone match could boost the Saints to fifth while the Magpies will not drop out of the four with a loss.
Given how poorly Kyabram performed last week, the Bombers will bounce back and be an almost impossible team for Echuca to get near.
Mooroopna should finish its season on a high with a win over Mansfield, while Rochester’s third win in row will come against Tatura.