Mentor faces Giant hurdle
Big ask for Lightning skipper in grand final
NETBALL: Sunshine Coast captain and goal keeper Geva Mentor is steeled for a likely clash with powerhouse Giants goal shooter Kristina Brice in tonight’s Super Netball grand final showdown in Brisbane.
The 32-year-old could face multiple threats from the Sydney-based side, which has a variety of attacking options.
But at some stage, she’s expecting to be confronted by the in-form Brice, who snatched a match-winning goal against Melbourne in the preliminary final last weekend.
“Kristina, I think they’ve labelled the game-changer,” Mentor said.
“She’s definitely had some some fantastic performances. She’s a tough opponent to come up against, not just because of her height (196cm).
“She’s also good and strong under the posts and their attack certainly feeds her well (with passes into the circle).
“So I think it’s going to need a full-court performance in terms of defence for us ... hopefully my girls don’t leave it to just me at the back there.”
Mentor could also collide with goal attack and Giants captain Jo Harten, her teammate on the international stage.
“Jo and I know each other very well from our England days and I love having her in my English side,” Mentor said.
“To come up against her, I know how tricky she is in that circle.” Mentor’s side was installed a slight favourite
for the clash but she expects a close contest, particularly after their previous clashes this campaign.
They shared honours in one-goal thrillers.
“The performances they (the Giants) have put on the court (during the finals) have been stellar so I expect it to be a tough encounter,” she said.
“I hope we’re able to put
on a brilliant performance.”
Harten also believes the decider will be a thriller.
“It’s going to be intense ... it’s going to go down to the wire,” she said.
“We’ve played some really good netball (throughout the finals) but we’ve also been patchy in some of those games ... so we’re not going to rest on our laurels.”