Whately insists on finishing missions
Sharapova’s happy to put in hard yards
MARLIN Coast coach Winnie Whately says the Marlins must learn to play four quarters if they are going to make the top two of the Queensland State Netball League’s country division.
The Marlins split their games in Mackay over the weekend, beaten by the Capricorn Claws on Saturday before bouncing back and defeating the Whitsunday Sharks yesterday morning.
The Far North club find themselves 4-4 with four games to go in the regular season with the top two from the division advancing into the finals.
“If we can maintain our focus and get a couple more wins, we are still in contention,” Whately said.
“The competition is so even. We need to get our four quarter efforts going.”
The Marlins overcame the loss of captain Jacqueline Dupuy, who left the court with a sore hip after a fall in the second term yesterday and did not return.
“In our first game, we matched Claws the whole way through but our third quarter let us down,” Whately said.
“We fought back in the final term. It was a dream quarter for us, but we just fell short.
“It was a really intense and hard game against the Sharks on Sunday.
“We will go back to the drawing board, work on a few things and make sure we get consistent efforts for four quarters in our next game.”
The Marlins play the Claws twice in their final four games with both crucial to the finals make-up.
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MARIA Sharapova said more tough matches were her priority after losing in the semifinals in Stuttgart on her controversial comeback from a 15-month doping ban.
Sharapova, who is a fivetime grand slam winner and former world No.1, lost 3-6 7-5 6-4 at the hands of Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic. “I’m not angry,” Sharapova said. “I’d have loved to have used the opportunity when I was ahead in the second set, so I had a bit of a let-down which allowed her to get back in the match, gain confidence and play well.”
It was her first tournament after testing positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.
“I didn’t keep putting that pressure on her and if you allow that to happen to a player like her, it becomes dangerous,” she said.
Sharapova has wildcards for the Madrid and Rome tournaments and leaves Stuttgart with a world ranking of 260 having arrived on zero after her ban.
The former topliner will learn on May 16 whether she will be given a wildcard for the main draw at the French Open where she has twice been champion.