Sport
19 September, 2024
Saints to take confidence into third-straight WFNL A Grade decider
Coach Jess Cannane sees continuity as the key to recent success.
Horsham Saints coach Jess Cannane said the club are in a good spot ahead of its third-straight WFNL A Grade grand final against Horsham Demons on Saturday, September 21.
Six of the club's seven netball sides will compete at Dimboola Recreation Reserve.
"It's super exciting to be able to get that third consecutive grand final from an A Grade point of view, but also for a lot of our junior sides and the rest of our senior sides," Cannane said.
"It's putting our club in a really strong position, both now and moving forward as well."
This consistent performance stems from the continuity of the playing group in recent times, according to Cannane.
"We've got a core group of six or seven girls that have played over those last few grand finals, And you can see that core group and that connection," she said.
Then, talented juniors such as Maddison Bethune and Cara Tippet come into the mix, whilst Jorja Clode continues to shine early in her senior netball career, and Holly Phillips has added her athleticism to the side.
"She's very athletic, has got a super jump on her, and has amazing hands over the ball. She's getting more and more used to our game plan," Cannane said of Phillips.
"It's very rare these days that you have a really tall wing defence that can jump. We're fortunate enough that we've got that in our side, which adds just that extra defensive pressure."
Looking ahead to the fourth match against Horsham this season, Cannane expects the Demons to be at the top of their game.
"They'll probably be a little bit more polished [after] one extra game under their belt," she said.
"Every time that we play Horsham, it goes goal-for-goal, and it's about who can keep the most composure and control when they're coming into attack and really maximising any opportunities that they get to score."
Coming into the contest as back-to-back premiers, Cannane said her side should have a positive mindset.
"I think we need to take on that persona of that this is our third grand final, and we're coming off two successful, and I think we need to carry that confidence into our game," she said.
But this will not take away from the Saints' focus on the contest, which was on display late in the second qualifying final.
"If we can turn over the ball with our defensive rebounds and create scoring opportunities for ourselves, that is going to put us in a good position to win the game," Cannane said.
"We know how strong we are from an attacking point of view, but if we can maximise that defensive ability, it will go a long way.
"They'll be ready to play, and so will we."