South Warrnambool’s Josie Ellerton avoids her lunging North Warrnambool opponent Jordyn Billings in last year’s 1st semi-final.
IT’S not often a team sits second bottom with three rounds remaining and is still a legitimate finals contender.
But that is the case for Hampden league A grade side South Warrnambool, which has notched five wins and is just one game adrift of fifth spot.
While top three sides Camperdown, Koroit and Warrnambool have cemented their finals spots, the race for fourth and fifth is still wide open.
Only bottom-placed Port Fairy, which is yet to record a win, is out of finals contention.
Today, fourth-placed North Warrnambool Eagles hosts the Roosters.
South Warrnambool coach Gill Herrmann said the Roosters’ finals chances rested on wins against the Eagles and sixth-placed Cobden.
The Roosters play Camperdown in the final round.
“It’s one of those seasons.
‘‘There is a clear top two and the rest of us are fighting,” Herrmann told The Standard.
“It’s good in that way.”
North Warrnambool Eagles coach Sharon Kenna moved across from the Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara league this season and the evenness of the competition has impressed her.
“Every game there is pressure, that is the big thing I have noticed,” she said.
“I come from a league where the top five stands out from the rest of the teams, whereas in this league even Port Fairy is pushing teams.
“You have to have an intense game plan.”
Kenna said a win would guarantee the Eagles played finals: “It’s important for us and it’s important for them too.”
In two meetings this season little has separated the Roosters and Eagles. South Warrnambool won in round two, 46-42, while North Warrnambool Eagles reversed the result in round nine, 42-40.
“In the first game we led and they came from behind and beat us and in the second game, they went ahead and we beat them,” Kenna said.
Both Herrmann and Kenna said the game would come down to which ever side’s goal combination handled the pressure.
In other games, second-placed Koroit and third-placed Warrnambool meet, fifth-placed Terang Mortlake hosts Camperdown and Cobden can keep its finals dream alive against Port Fairy.
justine.mc@standard.fairfax.com.au