Wairarapa will seek to take a further step in closing out a disappointing season on a positive note when they take on Maidstone in the regional superleague netball competition tonight.
Relegated to the bottom four after finishing at the rear of the points table in pool play, the side is left
fighting for pride in the play-off for ninth to twelfth positions but will enter the match, at the Recreation Centre in Masterton at 7.30pm, as favourites.
Opponents Maidstone, who along with Kapiti join Wairarapa and Taita in the play-offs, were kept winless in their pool and by all accounts are not expected to overly trouble the home side.
Wairarapa can take several positives after their comfortable 52-36 away win over Taita on Sunday, which came on the back of a sound thrashing by St Mary's Old Girls only two days earlier that put to bed any hope of challenging for the title.
"It's disappointing we're probably going to finish one place lower than last year because I think the side is better than that," coach Kelly Sargent said.
"It's been a mixed season, we started out quite well and then the girls didn't respond too well after a couple of tough losses and we drifted well off the pace."
Being placed in the tougher of the two pools had also been a considerable disadvantage.
"We had five strong sides in our pool and the other one probably had three," she said.
"I have no doubt we are better than at least one of the sides in that pool who have made it through."
Injuries and absences had also hit the side hard during the season, making it incredibly difficult to maintain a consistent starting line-up.
The lack of player availability even resulted with Sargent herself jumping in the shooting circle against Taita in the last game.
"We have a really large squad, which doesn't really help with cohesion and it's often been the case I can't know who will be starting in a game until I see who turns up for it," she said.
"There has been a lot of tough lessons to be learnt this season, for the girls and myself.
"What's important is that everything is taken on board so when next season swings around we know to do things a bit differently."
Should Wairarapa win tonight they will play-off for ninth position against the victor of the Kapiti versus Taita match after Easter.
Wairarapa will seek to take a further step in closing out a disappointing season on a positive note when they take on Maidstone in the regional superleague netball competition tonight.
Relegated to the bottom four after finishing at the rear of the points table in pool play, the side is left
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