Confident Celtic to have a go at Harcourts

Celtic are confident of putting Harcourts to the test in their top-of-the-table Wairarapa premier one netball clash at the Genesis Recreation Centre in Masterton tomorrow night.
Which in itself is a brave statement considering Harcourts made a one-horse race of the premier one competition last season and have started 2009 with convincing wins against Gladstone All Blacks (59-19) and Carterton Sports Arena (83-11).
Celtic coach Dayle Clarkson is, of course, realistic enough to accept Harcourts will start hot favourites but she is adamant her team has shown her enough in their recent victories over Carterton Sports Arena (62-33) and St Matthew's Collegiate (37-24) to suggest an upset result is not beyond the realms of possibility.
"We can win, no doubt about that," Clarkson said. " But they (Harcourts) will punish us if we don't play well, there's no doubt about that either."
Celtic or Celtic Marist as they were known previously did not front in the premier one competition last year because too many of their better players were either involved in other sports on Saturdays, or had work commitments.
Clarkson says they would almost certainly have been missing for the same reason this season too but for Netball Wairarapa deciding that all premier one matches should be played indoors at the Genesis Recreation Centre on Thursday and Friday nights.
But even if Celtic beat Harcourts and go on to head the premier one points table at the end of one full of matches they won't be taking up the offer to represent the Wairarapa in the regional Top Club competition.
Those matches will be mostly played at weekends and consequently Celtic would not be able to field a competitive side.
"We would enjoy the challenge but it's not on for us, we just wouldn't have the players to make a decent go of it," Clarkson said.
The Celtic coach is optimistic her side will match up to the formidable Harcourts squad at the shooting and defensive ends of the court.
Interestingly enough their ace in the shooting circle is Hope Phillips, who was such a vital part of the Harcourts team last season, and she will be joined there by her mother Katie Phillips who uses her experience to telling effect.
Star rugby player Perri Tatana, a Manawatu NPC representative in that code last season, has been the spearhead of the Celtic defence but she dislocated her shoulder helping Eketahuna to a good win over Petone in the Wellington women's rugby competition last Saturday and will probably be sidelined from both sports for at least three to four weeks.
Her loss is a definite blow to Celtic but Clarkson believes it should not detract too much from their chances, especially with defenders of the calibre of Naomi Reiri and Trisanna Campbell to call on.
The $64,000 question for Celtic then is whether they can cope with the speed and skill of a Harcourts midcourt unit led by arguably the most influential player in Wairarapa netball, centre Katie Wyeth.
That job for Celtic will fall into the hands of a quartet comprising Jodi Graham, Danielle Gray, Jamie Reiri and Janine Southey with the ever-busy Reiri regarded to be their lynch pin in that area of the game.
Coach Clarkson isn't anticipating Harcourts changing their game plan from what has been so successful for them in recent times, a plan which relies largely on the pace of their play upsetting the rhythm of their opposition.
And to that end she acknowledges that if Celtic don't show similar directness and assertiveness in their approach they will be in trouble.
"We can't afford to stand back and let them dictate, our attitude needs to be every bit as determined as theirs," she said.
The Harcourts v Celtic match will get under way at 6.45pm tomorrow night and will be followed at 8.15pm by the clash between Fagan Motors Hot Shots and Gladstone All Blacks.
Fagans are looking for their first premier one victory but it's difficult to imagine it coming here.
The Friday night matches at the Genesis Recreation Centre are St Matthew's Collegiate v Wairarapa College at 6pm and Carterton Sports Arena v Kuranui College at 7.30pm. The former should be a close go but Kuranui will be warm favourites to win the latter.