Backward step not an option for Harcourts

That Harcourts will start rank underdogs for their debut match in division one of the regional superleague netball competition against St Marys Old Girls at Wellington East Girls College tomorrow is a given.
Along with powerful PIC No.1 - who Harcourts host in Masterton next weekend - SMOG are regarded as division one favourites, and no wonder when you peruse their record in division one preliminary round play.
There they had four wins from their five matches with the only slip-up actually coming against PIC No.1 to whom they lost by just the five goals, 51-46.
Their best performance, however, undoubtedly came against defending Wellington champions Wellington East a fortnight ago. SMOG had never beaten them in over a decade but in an absolute thriller they scored a 55-54 win.
Harcourts, for their part, also go into tomorrow's encounter with an impressive form background, having gone through the first round of Wairarapa premier one play undefeated and then earning promotion from division two of the superleague with a record of four wins and one loss.
The problem for them, however, is they have yet to strike anything like division one superleague action in terms of physicality, skill level and match tempo and confronting a team of SMOG's calibre first up is hardly the ideal introduction to it.
Most pundits would, in fact, see a loss of under, say, 30 goals being a moral victory to Harcourts under the current circumstances.
In Harcourts's favour, however, is they have do have a number of players who have first hand knowledge of playing in the Wellington or Hutt Valley competitions and, even more importantly, they are not the sort of team who will surrender without a decent fight.
Player-coach Kelly Sargent always adopts a no-nonsense approach to the game and others like Emma Foote, Geraldine Carroll and Katie Wyeth epitome the old adage that when the going gets tough the tough get going.
Taking a backward step is never part of their philosophy.
Indeed, on that note, they will be wanting to demonstrate the same aggression "Terminator" Foote displayed last weekend when she participated in a charity boxing tournament.
From all accounts she was brutal in her execution, and remember she was in the ring just a few hours after having played a full game of netball for Harcourts in Taita.
For Katie Wyeth tomorrow's match will provide a royal opportunity for her to demonstrate to those "over the hill" that she is worth a close look for a higher honours in the not-too-distant future. Her form in the pivotal playmaking role of centre has been outstanding all season with her high degree of fitness being matched by a similarly high degree of agility and tactical nous.
Kelly Sargent and Geraldine Carroll will need to be major contributors to the Harcourts effort too as they will have the shooting responsibilities and can expect to be up against a tall and rugged SMOG defence.
Whichever way you look at this game anything other than a comprehensive SMOG victory seems very unlikely but if any side is capable of proving the doomsayers wrong Harcourts is that team.