SOUTHS can go into this afternoon’s final regular season women’s Premier League Hockey match against Ex-Services virtually pressure-free, according to their coach, as they prepare for a home semi-final next weekend.
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A worst-case scenario sees the two blues hosting Lithgow Zig Zag in the minor semi next Saturday, while a win today and a loss for Parkes against Dubbo will see them in the major semi against Bathurst City.
Ex-Services have little to play for, currently sitting seventh with no possibility of moving up or down the table.
Souths’ unavailable players are trickling back in with Mandy George lining up today, and they will field a side at 100 per cent strength next weekend as Sarah Watterson and Maddie Boyce return from NSW Country duty. Kate Dooley will also come back after a trip to Tasmania as a coach with the ACT PSSA team.
“The girls are bouncing at the moment, we had 18 to training the other night and with the semi-finals coming everyone is keen,” coach Damien Carter said.
“It is nice knowing in advance that we’ll be at home next week one way or the other. It would be good if that could be in a major semi-final.
“Last season things fell into place perfectly for us with Parkes, who were last at that stage, beating Kinross-CYMS to open the door for us to finish fifth.
“So we know what can happen, we just have to hold up our end and win, and if Dubbo upset Parkes then great. If not, it doesn’t worry us too much.”
Carter had the opportunity to watch Ex-Services last Saturday in their loss to St Pat’s and says that they played a relatively simple game based around Haley Butcherine.
He has assigned Steph Plunkett the role of curtailing her influence.
“They will certainly still want to win but I think they’ll be out to have a bit of fun in their last game of the season as well,” he said.
“Last week all they did was try to play the long ball to Haley and catch Pat’s on the counter-attack but I’ll give Steph the sole aim of just marking her and sticking to her.
“Cait Hadley will play high or low alongside her in defence – wherever she is needed really.
“I can’t wait to see how we’ll look next week. Jess Watterson is killing them up front at the moment, Sarah [Watterson] has been scoring goals for NSW Country, Mish Somers is ready to go back into defence next week after her stint up forward.”
Today’s game kicks off from 12.20pm at the Cooke Hockey Complex.