IT'S been a long wait for defending Bathurst Netball Association A grade premiers Collegians Mystified to get back on the court - and the wait could be even longer.
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The competition gets back underway this Saturday following a break over the winter school holidays where Collegians and Panthers are set for a grand final rematch, if the weather permits.
Prior to the holiday break the A grade competition split in half, with the top four teams playing for the title, but Collegians weren't able to play the first post-split round because their opponents Scots All Saints College forfeited that clash.
To say they're keen to get back on the court is an understatement.
Collegians coach Melissa Noonan hopes that the weather lets her team fulfil their ambition to play.
"Sometimes waits like this happen in a season, and with rain and snow predicted we might not get on yet," she said.
"They're pretty keen. We obviously had to cancel training as well this week due to the rain, so that hasn't helped things, but we'll definitely be itching when we get around to it."
That wait to play could threaten to extend even longer if the weather does intervene, because the A grade competition has a general bye the following weekend.
The Collegians-Panthers clash has became one of the most exciting rivalries of recent times and has produced some regular season and grand final contests.
The matches have favoured Collegians on more occasions over the past few seasons but in their latest meeting this year Panthers came away with a 51-48 victory.
Noonan is hopeful that her side can take lessons away from not only that defeat but other moments from the season so far, and has confidence in her team to make that happen.
"Panthers got that win on us from the first round. I think we've been a bit flat from the start of the year, and sometimes when you keep winning and winning you can fall a little flat," she said.
"We've had a couple of losses now so hopefully we've got a bit of hunger back in our game now, and I also hope that we'll have a full team together for the weekend as well.
"It's always a great clash against Panthers and really gives us something to look forward to, coming back. They're probably in the same boat as us with not having a lot of netball lately so we'll see what happens."
Collegians have tasted defeat twice this season - their other loss coming against Bulldogs Verdelho - and they'll be on a quest to try and maintain a spotless record from here on out.
Their opponents this Saturday, Panthers, will be hoping to bounce back from their 38-31 loss to Bulldogs Verdelho prior to the holiday break.
Bulldogs will look to hold onto the early lead they've built on the new A grade 1 ladder when they take on Scots All Saints College at 1.15pm.
Collegians and Panthers have the later timeslot for their meeting on court one this Saturday, playing from 3.45pm.
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