Top-two battle a warm-up for playoffs

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

WHANGARA Old Girls and YMP (1) take centre-stage tonight in their final round-robin game before the premier grade playoffs, and this one could go either way.

A week from today, these two teams are likely to meet again in the 1 versus 2 top-four playoffs to decide who goes straight through to the grand final.

Whangara are top of the table on 48 points, YMP are on 43, Claydens Waikohu 39 and Horouta Gold 32.

Farmlands Ngatapa (22), Taste One High School Old Girls (18), Lytton Senior A (12) and Gisborne Girls’ High Senior A (1) will contest the bottom-four playoffs.

Defending champions Whangara were beaten 60-48 by Waikohu on Saturday — their first defeat since the grading round and a result that gave them a bit to think about as they hit the business end of the season.

“That loss has not interfered with our ambitions to make the final,” said Whangara coach Ronnie Martin.

“What it has done is make the girls more alert and more aware of what they should be doing.

“They know now they can take nothing for granted. It has kept them grounded.”

Martin said they want to tidy up a few defensive issues tonight.

“YMP will be strong on the ball and we have to be strong defensively and “man up” to ensure we contest the ball.

“Hopefully we have an improvement in our shooting, which I am sure will occur.”

Ace shooter Nadia Taare was unwell last Saturday against Waikohu and Martin hopes she will be right for tonight.

YMP coach Ingrid Brown said she expected a tough game.

“We are going to have to put in a solid four-quarter performance. I am pretty happy with how the team’s going at the moment and expect to see another strong performance.”

Gisborne Netball Centre manager Allisa Hall said YMP and Whangara always produced a good battle.

“You can never pick which way it’s going to go. Tonight will be no different,” she said of the 7.45pm game.

In the 6pm game at the Y, Horouta Gold take on HSOG.

“Horouta would be favoured to win, given their position on the table,” Hall said. “But it could be close because HSOG will want to finish the round-robin strongly.”

Horouta secured a top-four berth with a hard-fought win over the much-improved Lytton Senior A last week.

The defensive pressure they applied on the students in the second half told the story in that game and they will no doubt look to emulate that pressure tonight as they prepare for the playoffs.

Challise Rutene will again be a key player at the attacking end and will lead from the front, as she has done all season.

HSOG will need to reduce the error rate that cost them in their 52-48 loss to Ngatapa on Saturday.

They want to finish top of the bottom four and as their skipper Tanya Owen indicated after Saturday’s game, staying on task would be key.

Tonight’s match gives them the opportunity to tighten up their general play and combinations ahead of next week.