Matt Hewson
Geelong West Giants are looking to leapfrog perennial rival St Joseph’s and climb into the top three of the GNFL A grade ladder when they travel to Herne Hill Reserve to face Joeys this Saturday.
The Giants are riding high on the back of a 77-point victory last week over Grovedale, and are in fourth spot with three wins from four matches and a healthy percentage of 229.
Giants coach Jill Leader said her team’s morale was high, but second-placed Joeys were never to be underestimated.
“The vibes pretty confident, but us and Joeys, we’re always in for a good game,” Leader said.
“No matter where we stand, no matter what time of the season it is, we’re usually fairly evenly placed and there are some good match-ups across the court.”
Goal shooter Aleisha McDonald has been in top form so far this season, shooting 52 of the Giants 87 goals last week, and her side will be looking for her to continue that form when she matches up against St Joseph’s Tori Honner in defence.
At the other end of the court, Giants’ new goal defence Karina Martin will have her hands full with Joeys leading scorer Emma Buwalda.
Giants’ only loss of the season was a narrow one at the hands of Newtown & Chilwell in round one, making every game important from here on if Geelong West want to keep pace with the top sides.
“We were pretty disappointed with our result against Newtown, to be honest,” Leader said.
“We had both Rachel and Jess Leader away that week, and we were level with them with only a few minutes to go. But Newtown always know how to finish off those last five minutes and get a win, so we went back to the drawing board and really focused on ourselves.
“(This match is) very much a marker on how our season’s going, and we’ve got South Barwon next week so the lead-up to these two games has been intense.”
In other GFNL A grade matches this week, South Barwon will be looking to steady its season with a win in Colac.
The Swans had back-to-back one-goal losses in rounds two and three and after a bye last round will need a victory against the league leaders to get back into the top half of the table.
Newtown & Chilwell host Leopold, bottom two teams St Albans and Grovedale will both be seeking their first win of the season in their clash, and Bell Park heads to Kardinia Park to face St Mary’s.
