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CUP CLASH: Melton's Kate Williams, left, and Krista Woodroffe, and Stacey McCartin and Sally McLean of Lake Wendouree with the premiership cup. PICTURE: JEREMY BANNISTER.
SURPRISE losers two weeks ago, Lake Wendouree coach Sally McLean says her team will be better prepared to take on Melton when they meet in tomorrow's Ballarat Football League senior netball grand final.
The Bloods sported one of their strongest line-ups of the year when they upset the minor premiers by three goals in the second semi-final.
Melton's win, which overturned previous 26-goal and 59-goal defeats from earlier in the campaign, booked its first grand final berth since the loss to Lake Wendouree in 2008.
It also left the Lakers to progress to a sixth-straight decider via the preliminary final, which they did, beating rivals East Point by a solitary goal last weekend.
"I think our preparation will be a little bit better this time because we hadn't seen (Melton's) team at full strength.
"We probably will go in a little bit better prepared and have a bit more of an idea of what we are up against," McLean said.
"We played Melton in the 2008 grand final and they don't have any of the same players currently playing.
"It is very different and they've done a great job."
McLean said the Bloods' state league players Brooke Thompson and Melissa McCauley weren't the only threats the Lakers had to contain.
"That was the first time we'd seen Melissa out on court last time we played them, (but) we don't want to focus too heavily on those players, because obviously there are five other players on the court and we need to account for all of them," McLean said.
Melton coach Krista Woodroffe said a previous finals win over Lake Wendouree had helped the belief within the side, but didn't consider it overly important.
"It's always good to know that you can beat a team, (but) we did know that we hadn't played them with a strong side at the beginning," Woodroffe said.
"Pretty much we've got nothing to lose.
"We've got the grand final to lose of course, but the anticipation of getting into a grand final wasn't high on our list, so to be there is a win already."
Woodroffe, who will play in her first ever senior grand final, admitted the group was nervous, but didn't expect it to have a detrimental effect.
She said the squad had a number of experienced players that should cope well on the big stage.
"We're as prepared as we can be at the moment and we're just waiting for Saturday," she said.
SQUADS
MELTON
Jaclyn Verbeek,Brooke Thompson, Jessica Kalmar, Amy Conroy, Krista Woodroffe, Brooke Gleeson, Tegan Gardam, Melissa McCauley.
LAKE WENDOUREE
Mel Allen, Emma Burton, Kara Hart, Kirsty Walsh, Stacey McCartin, Gina McCartin, Laura McDonald, Molly Boyle.
