Cooper off the bench

Cindy Cooper is an interesting selection in the unbeaten Wairarapa netball team to play Hutt Valley 2 in a crucial regional super league match at the Genesis Recreation Centre in Masterton tomorrow night.
Cooper was on the reserve bench when top-of-the-table Wairarapa came from behind to beat Porirua-based KBJ at Traita last weekend, but player-coach Kelly Sargent has opted to start her at wing attack on this occasion.
"She (Cooper)isn't tall but is nippy and quick and those attributes could really be handy in this game," Sargent said. "We're hoping she will add an extra dimension to our game."
Joining Cooper in the starting line-up tomorrow will be Sargent herself at goal shoot, Abby Hull at goal attack, Emma Foote at centre, Lisa Manihera at wing defence, Sarah Brooking at goal defence and Lisa Butler at goal keep.
Sargent is anticipating them coming under fire from a Hutt Valley 2 side which has had just the one loss to date and is coming off the back off a big win over Hutt Valley 1.
"They (Hutt Valley 2) will certainly be the strongest team we have met so far," she said."They can't afford another loss and they'll be giving it heaps."
Sargent also believes this match could be "make or break" for Wairarapa.
"We have two away games after this to finish the competition and it would be a huge boost to go into them without having been beaten," she said. "It just makes the pressure that much greater if we lose this one."
Strong starts have been the feature of Wairarapa's play this season and Sargent is keen for them to continue that trend tomorrow night.
With what is sure to be a good-sized crowd behind them she sees an early lead as giving the home team a definite pychological edge.
"It we can get out by five or six goals it means the opposition have to dig deep and some teams find that difficult to do," she said. "Especially when the crowd is against them."
Sargent is confident though that if the boot is on the other foot and Hutt Valley 2 are in front early on Wairarapa have the character and resolve to fight back.
She said last Sunday's win over KBJ was a case in point with Wairarapa squandering a seven-goal halftime lead to trail by three goals at the end of the third quarter.
But with a few positional changes being made to cope with KBJ's physical style of play Wairarapa took control of the fourth quarter to win by 47-44.
"That was the first game where we have to dig deep ourselves and we did exactly that," Sargent said. "So if we get in that position again we know we can do the job,"