It is set to be a massive weekend in the Central Highlands A-grade netball competition as two of the league's top-three sides face off in potential grand final preview.
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The undefeated Learmonth Lakies will host the third-placed Buninyong Bombers on Saturday afternoon. The game is set to be played in less than ideal conditions with rain and wind foretasted for the contest.
Learmonth coach Jordan O'Keefe believes his side's versatility will go a long way in a potential victory.
"It's going to test our versatility which has been our strength all season," he told The Courier.
"I think we're capable of playing great netball all over the court. In a game like this where the weather is less than ideal the more versatile side is going to be a bit more successful."
With the wild weather foretasted, O'Keefe knows a big part of the match will come down to who can hold onto the ball most effectively.
"The conditions are going to be very telling," he said.
"It's going to be some real wet weather netball and I expect both sides to be playing with a fair bit of caution from the start... there's a good chance it's going to come down to who can hold onto the ball the best."
Both sides have proven they can beat any of the top four teams so I'm expecting a pretty evenly matched game.
- Learmonth coach Jordan O'Keefe
Despite the wet and windy conditions, O'Keefe expects his side to capitalise on their opportunities with the ball in the semi-circle.
"If we do have the opportunity close to the ring we've got to take those... there's going to be not a lot of long-range attempts but in saying that we have an expectation to convert our opportunities when they're there."
Goal shooter Alicia Verhey will come back into the Lakies team after missing time with injury, however O'Keefe said she will see limited time on the court.
The game will be the sides first meeting since the first week of finals in 2018 where the Lakies handed the Bombers a 21-goal loss.
FIXTURE
Rokewood-Corindhap v Hepburn, Creswick v Beaufort,
Ballan v Dunnstown,
Clunes v Gordon,
Learmonth v Buninyong,
Daylesford v Newlyn,
Carnham-Linton v Springbank,
Waubra v Bungaree.
LADDER:
LEARMONTH 48, 334.69, HEPBURN 44, 228.57, BUNINYONG 40, 185.20, SPRINGBANK 40, 158.52, BALLAN 40, 149.60, ROKEWOOD-CORINDHAP 36, 150.52, WAUBRA 28, 153.26, GORDON 28, 70.49, Dunnstown 24, 103.59, Bungaree 24, 99.45, Carngham-Linton 20, 75.96, Skipton 20, 75.49, Newlyn 16, 73.81, Clunes 12, 59.42, Beaufort 4, 47.96, Creswick 4, 40.58, Daylesford 4, 24.91.
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