United finding consistency, Kobe sidelined for season

GEELONG United has a chance this weekend to find the form that has eluded them to this point in the season, meeting two top eight sides in Sandringham and Ringwood.

Head coach Jamie Petty said recent performances from the 2-5 side has shown it can match it with the best in the competition, following Geelong’s win over an unbeaten Mount Gambier side last week.

“Last weekend pretty much summed it up, that we’re up to competing with the very best, but it also highlights the strength of the league too,” Petty said.

“Injuries didn’t help with Sunday’s loss to Kilsyth, obviously we didn’t’ have Kobe and we lost Poppy Stephens for that game too due to an injury she sustained against Mount Gambier the night prior.

“Depth on a double header isn’t our friend at the moment, but on any given night we are able to beat anyone.”

Petty confirmed Geelong will undertake the rest of the campaign without Kobe Tehau King-Hawea due to a major knee injury she sustained late last month.

Petty couldn’t go into the injury’s specifics, but it is understood the injury took place during a non-contact incident at training, creating a large hole in the side’s frontcourt rotation.

Petty also said returning United wing Eve Braslis is less than three weeks away from returning to Geelong, as she completes her season overseas in Iceland.

Geelong’s first leg of this weekend’s double-header will be at home against 6th placed Sandringham, who also ended Bendigo’s unbeaten run dating back to 2022 earlier in the season.

United will then head to Ringwood to meet the 5th placed Hawks on the Sunday, but Petty reiterated the importance on coming out firing over both days.

“We need to find out who we are as a team,” Petty said.

“We’ve had really good flashes, but also some bad patches too where we might not be able to beat a top eight team, but this weekend is about consistency.

“We want to have 80 minutes of consistent basketball this weekend, and 80 minutes of sticking to our structures and defensive processes.”

Tickets to Saturday’s clash at The Geelong Arena against the Sabres can be secured at tickets.geelongaustralia.com.au/tickets/nbl1-2024-geelong-united.