Mental battle victory already

RUN machine Georgia Redmayne’s last-start heroics have delivered a psychological edge to the Dolphins ahead of tomorrow’s Katherine Raymont Shield grand final rematch.

With first drop Redmayne (116 not out) steering her side to 5-253 in the 46th over, the Dolphins were in control of last Sunday’s decider with Wests at Allan Border Field.

Yet strong rain eventually forced the abandonment of play, leaving the sides to do it all over again at the Bulldogs’ Graceville home (10am start).

“It’s a good psychological victory for us because I thought they (Wests) bowled and fielded quite well and we were still able to overcome that and post what would’ve been a really good, competitive total,” Redmayne said of their effort against the minor premiers.

“I think knowing that we got all those runs will definitely be on their minds when they go out to bat or bowl again. They’ll have to do things differently so I think it’s definitely a confidence boost going into this weekend.

“Even though (last week) doesn’t count for anything it probably does put a bit of pressure on them knowing we’ve got a history of putting a good score on the board. I think the important thing in a 50-over game is just building those partnerships and I thought even though we lost a few early wickets, we were able to build those partnerships.

“We were really able to accelerate at the end and finish off the innings. So the game plan is just to make sure we build those partnerships and set up a good platform.”

Redmayne’s breakthrough Dolphins ton took her season tally to 624 runs at an astonishing average of 124.80, with the 25-year-old posting 66 or more in six of her 10 innings.

Having made the move to the Gold Coast last year for work, her remarkable run of form for the Dolphins has followed a WNCL campaign in which she plundered 275 runs at 45.83 for Tasmania and won the Player of the Year prize.

In between, she also helped the Dolphins to a maiden Twenty20 title.

“When I first moved up I wasn’t really sure what to expect but it’s a really great club to be a part of and the girls and the whole club have been really welcoming of me. Garry (Lovett), who obviously coaches the team and runs a lot of the administration, has been really helpful.

The Dolphins will be without star all-rounder Delissa Kimmince, who has succumed to an ongoing knee injury, with Caitlin Woods coming in.