Sharks must stay mentally sharp
AN OVERWHELMING desire to win back-to-back Cairns Netball titles could lead to Sharks’ downfall in Wednesday night’s preliminary final.
That’s the fear of coach Richandra Kassman, who watched her side lose the mental battle during last week’s qualifying final loss to Phoenix Force.
They face Leprechauns in the preliminary final tonight, and Kassman said that while her side could more than match their opponents physically, they had to stay in the game mentally to succeed and earn a place in the October 28 grand final.
“We moved away from the game plan last week, we got a bit carried away in the moment, and Phoenix got away from us,” Kassman said.
Sharks have had the edge over their preliminary final opponents for the past year.
They beat Leprechauns by a solitary goal to win the 2019 Cairns Netball grand final, then earned two wins in rounds 2 and 7 this year.
Leprechauns are the clear underdogs, having not registered a win against either top two side, though coach Kym McPhee-Smith isn’t too concerned by that record. She’s more interested in how her team handles the outstanding midcourt duo of Amanda Barton and Michael Kadlecek, and finding a way past key defender Esther Ratalala.
“Sharks are a quality outfit, they have been the benchmark this year,” she said.
“We’ve had to modify some our game plans to combat their strong midcourt combination. The girls know it will need a big four-quarter performance to get it done.
“We’ve got a lot of youth and it’s exciting to be able to coach them. They’ve shown some good cohesion and maturity and on their day, they can beat anyone.”
Kassman said her side would be confident but remain wary of an unpredictable Leprechauns outfit.
“They are going to bring it,” she said. “They’re tough and very unpredictable.
“They’re hard to when they get going.” stop