Stawell will face a tough assignment to bounce back against a potent Southern Mallee Giants when Wimmera netball league action continues this weekend.

The Warriors had a tight tussle with Warrack Eagles last week and need to respond on their home courts at Stawell to maintain confidence.

Stawell gave the Eagles a head start last week and ultimately fell at the line as its opponents secured a 51-44 victory. It is something the team can’t afford to do again on Saturday.

The Giants are coming off strong wins against the Eagles and Minyip-Murtoa, beating the Burras 59-29 in a show of strength last week. 

Giants Steph Thomson and Zali Brown had a day out in the goals and will be looking for a repeat performance.

At the same time, Stawell’s defensive end of Molly Orr, Lisa Fleming and Courtney McIlvride will need to limit the Giants’ opportunities.

Warrack Eagles play Horsham and prompts the question how close can the Eagles get to the irrepressible Demons?

Horsham remains the team to beat but one of Warrack Eagles’ strengths is remaining unfazed under pressure as they keep chipping away at their opponents.

Horsham scored a big 76-34 win over traditional rival Ararat last week and the Eagles goalies will need to combat the height and toughness of the Demons’ defenders.

Megan Werner, lining up for her 250th game, is clever and experienced and her team-mates have come to depend on her reliability.

The centre of the court will determine much of what happens.

The Eagles can rotate Emma Koschitzke, Sarah Spicer and Ashlynn McKenzie without losing drive through the centre, while Horsham relies on the likes of Georgie Carberry, Tamika Mentha and Jedda Heard to open opportunities for Emma Buwalda and Paula Wiedermann.

Dimboola takes on Ararat in what should be an evenly matched contest at Dimboola.

Both ends of the court will be subject to tight contests and it will be interesting to see which Dimboola defender lines up on the Rats’ Delaney McLoughlin.

At the other end, Dimboola can usually rely on Nicole Polycarpou and Billie-Jo Barber for their accuracy.

This is another contest that could come down to the centre of the court where Ararat’s Jesse Bligh can be very determined and hard to shut down.

Horsham Saints are back in action against Nhill indoors at Coughlin Park.

Nhill has young players showing improvement each week, however the Saints should be too strong.

Nhill junior Jenna Schneider has come up against some strong centre players and this week will be no different. It will be a good test of her skills in a battle against the Saints’ Ash Grace.

Horsham Saints’ Jess Cannane is also a great defensive leader and Kiana Marshman is settling in well in the goal-keeper role.

SUCCESS: Wimmera Football Netball League representative netballers tasted success at a Golden City Tournament in Bendigo at the weekend. The league’s 17 and under outfit won its grand final by two goals, defeating Ballarat 12-10. The 13 and unders also won their decider, getting the better of Echuca Blue, 8-4, while the 15 and unders claimed runner-up honours in their grand final, falling short of Ballarat by 10 goals, 20-10. Horsham District league netballers also competed in Sunday’s annual competition. The 17 and under and 15 and under teams made the semi-finals, both falling short of victory by two goals. The league’s 13 and unders also made finals. 

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