No room for mistakes as United edges towards finals berth

THE NBL1 South Finals are within sight for Geelong United’s women’s side with just six games remaining.

United has rattled off four straight wins in recent weeks, further bolstered by last Saturday’s convincing sold-out win over Melbourne Tigers to put them in a tie for eighth with Eltham with eight wins and seven losses.

Geelong head coach Jamie Petty believes the pieces have come together for his side with an important two-game double-header beginning tonight against Hobart at home and then against Nunawading on the road tomorrow.

“The girls are all buying in and doing it together,” he said.

“We didn’t get a pre-season together – girls coming in late and Eve [Braslis] coming in halfway in the season. It was always going to take some time, but if we’re rolling, we know our basketball can match it with anyone’s.”

Two wins against the Chargers and Spectres would almost certainly propel United into the top eight.

Petty also praised veteran member of the roster Jessica Scannell and former United player and assistant coach Alex Duck for their contributions this season.

Following Petty’s announcement as coach, Scannell’s re-signing and Duck’s appointment to the coaching staff gave the squad a welcome boost at the start of the season.

“Jess has been unbelievable for us from a culture point of view; we have starters taking on the bench a lot in practice. As a result Jess has taken on a leadership role with that second unit to really push our starters and it really makes our trainings competitive,” Pettty said.

“For Alex, though, it’s so good for the players to have someone that has been there, done that, won a championship before.

“She was such a cerebral player when she played and chalked up about 300 games as a point guard in this league. That has helped her develop as a great coach and a great communicator on this team.”

For tickets to this week’s clash against Hobart, head to tickets.geelongaustralia.com.au/tickets/nbl1-2024-geelong-united