WARRNAMBOOL Mermaids coach Peter Davis has called on his players to sideline themselves from the netball court this weekend ahead of the team's cut-throat clash against Warrandyte on Saturday night.
Eight of the Mermaids have been juggling both netball and basketball this year, with Davis preferring them to play only the latter this weekend.
"There haven't been any rules in place all season but after the loss last week, I've asked the girls to have this week off netball because it's such an important game for us," he said.
While the Mermaids are on their last lifeline, several of the players' netball sides are aiming to build momentum ahead of the Hampden league finals series.
For Brooke Rudezky, netball finals have already arrived, with her East Warrnambool side facing South Rovers in Saturday's qualifying final.
The Warrnambool Mermaids boasted a flawless home-and-away record but went down to the Venom by five points last Sunday in the opening match of the best-of-three semi-final series.
Davis believes while the shock first defeat was disheartening, it would most likely increase the Mermaids' hunger levels.
"It's good for the girls to realise that not winning is disappointing and that it hurts to come away with a loss," he said.
"They realise that winning is a lot more fun.
"I'd rather have this loss now against a team that we have the ability to beat rather than have it happen in the grand final series, if we make it, against a side like Altona which is very, very strong."
The Venom attempted a staggering 47 foul shots on Sunday, nailing 31, almost half their final score of 64.
The amount of times they went to the line was particularly astonishing, considering the Mermaids' opposition teams have attempted 17.7 foul shots on average per game this season.
"Things just didn't go our way," said Davis, who was looking forward to a deeper line-up at the Arc on Saturday and hopefully Sunday.
Talented teenagers Maddie White and Ebony Rolph will return after being unavailable for match one due to a basketball camp.
"Ebony's a stronger guard who will be able to match up on their stronger guards and Maddie is a very versatile player who can play inside or out," the coach said.
Louise McLean is recovering from concussion-like symptoms after a nasty fall in the last quarter on Sunday, with the Venom controversially escaping the incident without a foul.
Another key Mermaid, who Davis preferred not to name, has a chest infection and is on antibiotics.
As it has done in the lead-up to the finals, the minor premier will be completing individual shooting sessions this week as well as its usual Thursday night training.
A social gathering is also on the schedule, with captain Holly Greene inviting the team to her house tonight to prepare for this weekend.
kbutler@standard .fairfax.com.au
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