Harcourts seeking final redemption

Redemption will be on the minds of Harcourts going into their Netball Wairarapa premier one grand final match with Kuranui College at the Genesis Recreation Centre Masterton on Saturday afternoon.
Harcourts will start the hottest of favourites after demolishing their premier one opposition to the point where they need just 15 goals to register a phenomenal 1000 for the season. But they don't need reminding that just 12 months ago they also went into the final with an unbeaten record and were comprehensively beaten by St Matthew's Collegiate.
"We were embarrassed, absolutely embarrassed," Harcourts coach Kelly Sargent recalls of that loss. "We allowed things outside the actual game to get to us, we let ourselves down. This is our chance for redemption and we're pretty determined to make the most of it."
If past results between Harcourts and Kuranui are anything to go by Saturday's game should be one-way traffic. They have met three times to date with Harcourts winning 53-19, 86-27 and 63-13. Sargent is determined, however, those results will play no part in Harcourts's build-up for the big one. Rather the total emphasis will be on playing as well as they can no matter what the scoreboard says. "Obviously we know everybody will be expecting us to win by a big score, and, in all honesty ,we probably should but the main aim for us is to keep our standards up," Sargent said. "We want to start strongly and keep going flat out all the way through, that's the plan anyway."
Tactically, Harcourts will be doing nothing different than they have all season. Their swift movement of the ball on attack and "in-your-face" style of defence have been regular features of their performance and Sargent sees no reason to change that approach.
"It's all about doing things quickly and putting the opposition under constant pressure, of getting into their minds," she said.
Sargent does have respect for Kuranui, however, particularly their defence which she believes are capable of posing a few problems for the Harcourt's attacking end.
"They are strong in the defensive area but we've got a couple of strategies which will hopefully help us overcome any hassles we could have there," she said.
Playing the premier one final indoors at the Genesis Recreation Centre not the Colombo Road courts as reported yesterday is seen by Sargent as a definite plus for her side as it meant there was no chance of the weather making the ball and court surface slippery.
"The type of game we want to play is better suited to indoors, it makes quick movement of ball and feet that much easier," she said.
Sargent herself and Hope Phillips will probably start in the shooting circle for Harcourts with Carlene Karaitiana at wing attack, Katie Wyeth at centre, Geraldine Carroll at wing defence, Elaina Heggie at goal defence and Astee Karaitiana at goal keep. Substitutes are likely to be Michelle Teahan and Naomi Cressey. All of those players are expected to be back on deck in 2009 but whether Harcourts will be playing in the Wairarapa premier one series then or in a superleague competition involving the top clubs from Wellington, Kapiti, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa remains to be seen. The latter proposal is currently under consideration by the centres concerned with finality one way or the other anticipated within the next week or two.