NOVA Sky may be a long shot to get inside the top four of the Bathurst Netball Association's A grade competition but the fact the team are even in the position to do so makes coach Kathy Keech a proud mentor.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The girls in green have picked up two wins from their five games and have a big test ahead of them this Saturday in a meeting against Panthers.
The competition is set to split into separate A and A reserve grade battles in a fortnight's time and Nova would need two upset wins to even make that a possibility.
However, Keech said the club has always made the A reserve battle their number one goal for the year, and all the team's encouraging performances against top-ranked opponents has been a bonus.
"I've been mostly pleased with how we've gone. Since the competition is joined between A and A reserve we were always looking at A reserve as our goal, so I think we're holding our own in that mixed competition well and truly," she said.
"The girls do seem to be enjoying themselves at this level. Some of them may have played together before but it is quite a new mix this year. We still haven't had the entire team together yet so I'm feeling confident.
"I think that the results we've had have been expected and I think that we'll hold our own when the competition splits. There's plenty of talent in this team."
Nova picked up wins against Panthers Allsorts (43-35) and Bulldogs Hurricanes (47-42) earlier this month.
They pushed an in-form Superstars United (36-24) side last round and before that fared better against Bulldogs Verdelho (50-28) than the scoreboard suggested.
"It's a challenge. It's not simple going out there knowing you have to take on those top couple of sides," Keech said.
"They try hard to lift and make sure that they bring their best netball. All the girls that are in this team are experienced players. Hopefully when things shift we'll end up where we should be and hopefully we'll be as competitive as we are now.
"It's great to see the girls playing so well but there's a long way to go yet. We've had five games so far, they're doing a great job and it isn't easy to keep lining up against A grade sides. The mindset is that you've always got to be on your game but our girls are doing a good job with that."
Nova and Panthers will be the 2.30pm game.
Other games see Scots All Saints College and Bulldogs Verdelho play at 1.15pm, Panthers Allsorts and Bulldogs Hurricanes battle at 3.45pm while Collegians Mystified and Superstars United play at the same time on court two.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News