MNL

Tigers in a battle for fifth

Cobram’s A-grade netballers have continued their run towards finals with a seven-goal win over Tungamah, 52-45.

The Tigers now find themselves locked in a battle with Echuca United for fifth spot and should have some tough competition in this week’s game against Moama.

Coach Jacquie Ryan said while last weekend’s tussle with Tungamah was a good win, the Tigers let their performance slip in the second quarter.

‘‘It was an exciting competition. Tungamah has some really handy netballers,’’ Ryan said.

‘‘In recent games we’ve had some good second-half performances. And this was a good game with some high-quality netball.’’

Tessa Bruni, Kate Bird and Meg Denson got the coach’s nod for some impressive performances on court. Bruni put in a stellar effort in centre, providing some quality links through the midcourt for the attacking end.

‘‘She’s quite athletic. She was just everywhere and got a great number of intercepts. Her experience and athleticism on court is astounding,’’ Ryan said.

Bird got a special mention for ball skills Ryan described as incredible and Denson once again proved her consistency on the court.

Looking to this weekend, the Tigers know they’ve got a task ahead of them as they host the unstoppable juggernaut that is Moama.

‘‘We have a couple of tough games coming up. Moama will be a good opportunity to work on some tough netball before it hits finals,’’ Ryan said.

‘‘These games will be a good marker of where we’re at. We’re hoping to put together a solid performance, but if we don’t start well on the weekend we may find ourselves quite a few goals behind.’’

Having youth on their side is quite the doubleedged sword. However, if the Tigers aren’t careful they may just get cut considering the news a veteran player is out for coming games.

Despite this, Ryan remains positive and said there would be a heavy focus on consistent play.

‘‘We’re a young side and she was a really experienced player,’’ Ryan said.

‘‘We’ve been a little inconsistent as players find their footing on court. For some of the girls it’s their first year in A-grade.

‘‘But we are excited to play Moama and see just where we’re at.’’