Eagles excelling during tough stretch; Grand Final rematch awaits

EAST Geelong has played the third seeded team over the past three rounds and all games have ended in the same fashion as East Geelong wins.

The Eagles sit in second position on the Geelong & District Netball League (GDNL) ladder with eight wins and one loss, trailing undefeated Corio, the lone loss for A Grade coach Justine Radford and her group.

Radford says the group has banded together in recent weeks, capping off the first half of the season in hot form with four consecutive wins, all while encouraging a next player up mentality with several minor injuries forcing the squad’s makeup to adapt.

“The girls seem to be gelling well.

“We’re at the halfway point of the season so it’s nice to be seeing consistency results-wise and through the combinations we’ve been using recently.

“But while we’re using less players than we’d like, it’s been a great chance for some new faces to come in and make an impact.”

East Geelong and the rest of the competition will enjoy a week off over the King’s Birthday Long Weekend before starting the second half of the campaign.

Up next on the schedule for the Eagles are the reigning premiers Werribee Central, who despite a slow start to the season by the Centurions’ standards, have won their past three games.

Radford said it is always an entertaining affair between the two clubs, partially due to the fact they have both played in the past two Grand Finals.

“The break will be really good for us to sort out a few injuries here and there.

“Werribee is always a challenge for us, so we always love to have a match against them, it’s always tight.

“Sure, they have had a slowish start to the season, but from our scouting and their results, they’ve brought some players back in such as league best and fairest Amanda O’Malley and shooter Brigitte Ardossi – just some physical players that have helped them back into contention.”

Ashleigh Cushion also returned to action in last weekend’s win against Bannockburn following a bout with knee and ankle injuries.

Radford says Sylvie Jarvis is adjusting well to her new role as the side’s goal defence and Laura Rowe, Zoe Perovic and new signing Bronte McConnachie are making solid contributions in the middle and attacking halves.

The Eagles and Centurions begin play next Saturday at Galvin Park.