Devils ready to embrace Saturday finals timeslot

CORIO has wasted no time returning to the Geelong & District Netball League finals, entering the bracket as a top three contender.

Playing-coach Shayna Brown said this will be the first time, to her recollection, the Devils will feature in the Saturday slot in the first week of finals, with Corio finishing the home and away season second on the ladder.

In the first qualifying final, the Devils will face powerhouse club Winchelsea, who are eager to rectify last year’s straight-sets finals exit.

The two clubs finished within a win of each other.

Corio outlasted the Blues in Round 4 with a 55-48 win at home in the two sides’ only meeting this season.

“Winchelsea sets a very physical standard from a defensive perspective. They play a hard one-on-one, so we need to be very physical with the ball,” Brown said.

“We need to make sure we’re clinical, make them reactive, but they’re a well-supported club, so we’re aware they have that eighth man behind them.

“They’re also very exceptional at moving the ball, but we’re very excited and can’t wait to get stuck into it.”

Brown said the Devils would be at full health tomorrow afternoon, confirming Team of the Season midcourter Molly Gribble and team-mate Madyson Menzel’s return after they were rested last week against Geelong West.

Brown, Jordyn Fairchild and Jordee Nichols all have the green light as well with each battling injuries throughout the season.

The Devils have also hit a couple of speed bumps over the past month, suffering defeats to Thomson in Round 17 and East Geelong in Round 15.

Brown said the losses were not necessarily a bad thing to have before finals, and allowed the side to plug any holes.

“It’s enabled us to become more disciplined and clinical with the ball, which will be crucial against Winchelsea.

“We’ve had times where we’ve had lapses and teams have either made us pay or they haven’t. An example in this was our last game against Belmont, where they really capitalised on us.

“So turnovers have been a really big focal point for us, which we’ve been able to rectify since.”

In Sunday’s fixture, Belmont and Bannockburn will face off in the elimination final.