Taking up the challenge in the ‘Y’ tonight

CHALLENGE TIME: Gisborne Girls High School A and Farmlands Ngatapa face tough matches tonight in the YMCA in the first round of challenge games. Defence will be key against two A grade teams playing good attacking netball. Ngatapa defender Ellie Parker(pictured) will be a vital cog in her teams' machinery. Picture by Paul Rickard

THE first challenge games to decide the composition of premier grade netball for 2016 are on tonight at the YMCA and the full game length may dictate the outcome.

Gisborne Girls’ High Senior A, winless and bottom of the table after round 1 grading games, front up against top A-grade team Taiki at 6pm.

Farmlands Ngatapa, who finished second-bottom on the premier table, take on second-ranked A-grade side Whalis at 7.30.

Goal differential was needed to separate Whalis and Taiki, so both teams could pose their premier opponents enormous challenges.

“These are 60-minute games tonight though, a first for us in these challenge matches, so it is quite difficult to gauge how these four teams will go,” says Gisborne netball centre manager Allisa Hall.

“It is a huge step up to the full-format game length and which of the teams handles that best will decide the outcomes. Both Whalis and Taiki played fantastic netball through A grade but tonight will come down to which team have the strongest legs for that extra 20 minutes,” said Hall.

“Ngatapa had a very close loss to Whangara Old Girls on Saturday (36-33) so perhaps they are starting to come into form now. School teams in general take a bit longer to gel than other club teams and Girls’ High teams have in previous seasons grown as the season progressed.”

Despite the performance of the A-grade challengers, Girls’ High and Ngatapa will be tough to beat.

“Both teams will, I am sure, be determined to retain their premier grade status. No one wants to drop down a grade.”

The remaining challenge matches are on Saturday — Girls’ High playing Whalis and Taiki meeting Ngatapa.

The composition of all senior grades will be decided after that.