Flames on quest to fire up season

KARANA Flames will be keen to return to the winner’s circle when they take on OHA tonight at Hobart Netball and Sports Centre.

The Flames won their first game against Cripps Waratah in Round 1 but have lost their past two matches, against Northern Hawks and AYCFriends Arrows.

The young side will be looking for consistency for four quarters. The defensive intensity they’ve shown in the past few weeks has been impressive and if they are able to remain patient in attack to capitalise on their efforts, OHA will have a hard time matching them.

Newcomers Lilli Hyatt, Caela Walsh and Emily Hniat have all shown they are extremely capable at this level and the more court time the team has together the better the connections will become.

Karana coach Alicia Sargent has just returned from the Nationals with the under-17 Tasmanian team, where she was awarded her Elite coaching accreditation and is looking forward to the match.

“We’re confident but we know we can’t take anything for granted and we always talk about that regardless of who we play,” she said. “We have to work really hard and stay focused. We can’t go in thinking it’s just going to happen so we’re prepared for that.”

OHA is coming off the back of two big losses against Cavaliers and Northern Hawks, but with only two returning players and a new coach this year the team will take a little while to settle.

The return of captain Katie Stanford last week provided them with some more stability through the centre court and they will be looking to her leadership tonight to help them improve. Speaking last week about the season, Stanford was positive about the team’s goals and focus and the plan to improve every week.

Arrows and Cavaliers travel to St Helens to showcase State League netball on the East Coast. The St Helens Netball Association has hosted State League games in the past two years, as it works to improve the presence and participation of the sport.