VU-Western Lightning has its nose ahead in the sprint to the Victorian Netball League finish line.
The Lightning have a tentative hold on top spot with a month to go in the regular season, but it will have all to play for with local rivals City West Falcons and the persistent Peninsula Waves snapping at their heels in the race for the minor premiership.
Tomorrow night’s blockbuster between the Lightning and the Waves at the State Netball and Hockey Centre could go some way to determining which of these two quality teams will have the luxury of a finals double chance. Lightning coach Matt Hills told the Weekly that after an inconsistent past month on the court, it’s time for his team to recapture the steady form that saw it go on an eight-game winning run from rounds three to 10.
“Looking at it now, four weeks out, we should make finals, but we’re aiming to make the top two and it starts against Peninsula,” Hills said.
“The next four weeks we’ve got some really challenging games and we’re looking forward to that.
“We’ll have four finals-like games heading in and that’s the best preparation you can have.
“You’ve got to be able to win these games heading into finals.” The Lightning returned to the top with a 50-31 win over Geelong Cougars on Wednesday night.
They produced their best in patches but also displayed the inconsistency that has plagued them over the past month.
In the first and third quarters, the Lightning were near-faultless. In the second and particularly the fourth, they were sloppy with their ball retention, an area that Hills needs his players to sharpen if they want to return to the grand final for a second year in a row. “The fact remains, consistency when you have the ball is the most important thing,” Hills said. “We’re still the best defensive team by numbers. That means we get it more often than most other teams and we have to use it, and that’s something we have to keep working on.”
The Lightning showcased its depth with 10 players getting court time.
Talented teen Madeline Stewart was handed her debut and impressed.
Different combinations were tried to make the Lightning less predictable. “If you’re going to go deep into finals, it’s difficult to do that with seven players,” Hills said.
Meanwhile, the City West Falcons landed in the top two with a 45-30 win over Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels at SNHC.
