THEY can match it with the best, but Old Collegians netball co-coach Meagan Forth says the word “finals” is not part of the Warriors’ vernacular at the moment.
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Fresh off a narrow two-goal defeat at the hands of ladder leader Nirranda – and having drawn with Dennington back in early May – the Davidson Oval-based team has shown it has the makings of a real contender.
But being a young team, Forth says inconsistency has been a natural bugbear of the outfit.
“We probably have dropped a few games that we maybe should have won, but based on our inconsistent form, (that’s to be expected),” she said.
“But we’ve found the biggest factor when we’ve play well is enjoyment.
“Positivity has been a big focus point for us. When everyone enjoys their netball, it pays off.”
The Warriors were sitting fourth on the ladder in late May, but four consecutive losses have seen them slip to eighth.
They still find themselves in the hunt for a top-five berth, just six points behind South Rovers and Timboon Demons, who sit fourth and fifth respectively.
But Forth said finals were not the focus for her developing team.
“I think our focus has gone away from finals at the moment,” she said. “We’re focusing on playing quality netball and enjoying it.
“If finals are going to be, great. It’s really tight from fourth down to eighth.
“One upset win here or there can make a difference.
“But I don’t want to play every Saturday thinking about finals.”
A big win to Kolora-Noorat over South Rovers last weekend opened up a three-win break for the top three over the chasing pack.
The Lions and Demons are leading the bottleneck with six wins apiece, while Merrivale, which has now had both its byes, is hot on their heels with four wins and a draw.
The Warriors trail Allansford, which also has four wins to its credit, by less than three points of percentage.
Forth said they will strive to produce more of the kind of netball that saw them draw so close to Nirranda when they take on East Warrnambool this Saturday.
“We’ll just be looking to build on the form we had last week … have a bit of fun, but playing some quality netball,” she said.