Jaegers Lining Up Low-flying T-birds

Newcastle Herald

Saturday June 30, 2007

By RENEE VALENTINE

THE Adelaide Thunderbirds are in unfamiliar territory for the first time in the 11-year history of the national netball league, and Jaegers coach Jon Fletcher will urge his charges to exploit that fact when they clash at Newcastle Entertainment Centre tomorrow.

The Thunderbirds boast a win-loss record of four-and-five this season to be fifth and out of the top four for the first time ever.

The two-time champions have never finished lower than third, but some narrow losses including a one-goal loss to the Queensland Firebirds and a two-goal defeat to the Sydney Swifts in their past two have them in danger of missing the finals.

Adelaide have eight points, two less than the fourth-placed Firebirds and six adrift of the Swifts and Melbourne Kestrels.

There are only four rounds left in the league, which heads into a four-week recess after this weekend, but Adelaide and Queensland both have a game in hand.

The Jaegers sixth with six points upset the Thunderbirds in a thrilling one-goal victory in Newcastle last year.

Fletcher was confident there could be a repeat performance if he gets a lapse-free effort from his players.

"Unfortunately, we're just not stringing it all together, and you're never quite sure from one week to the next at this stage which players are going to come out and play well," Fletcher said. "I suppose that's just a process that we've got to work through, and hopefully those gaps will become smaller because that's what's hurting us a bit.

"They play a very busy style of netball and you can't afford any lapses, and more so than ever, this will be a real good test for us where we've got to look to play the full 60 minutes."

Fletcher remained wary of the wounded Thunderbirds, who have four Australian squad members, but was also hopeful their confidence would be down.

"We expect they're going to come out pretty hard to get back into the top four, but at the same time they have lost a couple and we'd be hoping there are some self-doubts there that we might be able to expose," Fletcher said.

Thunderbirds goal attack Natalie Medhurst said beating the Jaegers was vital to her side's finals campaign.

"We know where we want to be and we're certainly not happy with how things have panned out for us at the moment, so we're certainly looking for a much-improved performance this weekend," Medhurst said.

JAEGERS v THUNDERBIRDS

Tomorrow at Newcastle

Entertainment Centre, 1pm

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall: Played 7, Jaegers

won 1, lost 6.

This season: Played 1,

Jaegers lost (a) 59-42

POSITION ON LADDER

Jaegers sixth on 6 points,

Thunderbirds fifth with

8 points

PAST THREE STARTS

Jaegers lost 63-54 (h)

Melbourne Kestrels, lost

67-39 (a) Melbourne Phoenix,

lost 53-49 (a) Perth Orioles

Thunderbirds lost 57-56 (a)

Queensland Firebirds, lost

48-46 (h) Sydney Swifts,

won 81-42 (h) AIS Canberra

Darters

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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