HAMPDEN Green is quietly confident it can overcome Camperdown Night in the Western Regional State League open preliminary final tonight.
The Stacey O’Sullivan-led team will take a full squad into the do-or-die final.
The all-conquering Hampden White combination awaits the winner in next week’s grand final.
Hampden Green’s two losses have come against Camperdown Night and Hampden White.
O’Sullivan said Kate Foster and Laura Blackburn would bolster Green’s line-up.
“We are confident. We have all players available, which is good,” she said.
“I think it will be a tight game. Everyone will have to beat their opponent.”
The Tracey Baker-coached Camperdown Night team was a convincing winner when the two sides met in round three, winning 56-39.
“We were with them up until half-time and they blew it out in the second half. But we didn’t have our full side,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan said a WRSL grand final berth would help players fine-tune for the regular season.
“It’s good playing another game. The more tough pre-season games you have going into the Hampden league season, the better,” she said.
Hampden Red plays Warrnambool City in the 17 and under preliminary final.
Red coach Gill Herrmann said Olivia Niddrie, Bridget Smith and Aylish Frusher would miss the final.
“We are a bit undermanned with three girls away on a Duke of Edinburgh school camp in Sydney,” she said.
“We’ll be stretched a bit with the bare seven.”
Herrmann said Hampden Red was pleased with the development of its players throughout the home-and-away season.
“We have been trying to work on gelling together,” she said. “We have six girls up from 15 and unders, so they are new to the team and had to get used to the game and different skill set of 17 and unders.”
Terang and District awaits the winner in the grand final.