Fletcher Aims For More Second Time Around

Newcastle Herald

Thursday June 7, 2007

Renee Valentine - Netball

COACH Jon Fletcher has been pleased with the Hunter Jaegers' efforts in the first half of the season but expects his charges to up the ante in the second round of the national netball league.

The league reaches its midpoint this weekend, but the Jaegers and the Sydney Swifts both played double-headers last month and have already played each side this year.

Hunter beat the Orioles 56-51 in their season-opener, and Fletcher is hoping for an even better win in Perth tomorrow.

"I'd like to think we're a better team now than we were at the start, but the important thing now is to consolidate on a good first half of the year," he said. "We're hoping that now we've had a bit of a look at the competition, we can add a few things to take us to another level again."

The Jaegers have recorded three wins and four losses to be caught in a three-way tie with the Queensland Firebirds and Adelaide Thunderbirds for fourth place.

"If we won a couple more games early we'd be in great shape, but we're certainly right in the mix," Fletcher said. "We're looking at just trying to peg one game off each week and if we get enough of those, then we'll be in great shape at the end."

? Circle defender Lauren Russell replaces Edwina Gosse in the only change to the Jaegers squad bound for Perth today.

The Jaegers' recovery powers will be tested this week as the majority of the squad played for development team the Jays in the NSW Waratah League in Sydney last night. They were then up early today to catch flights west.

? Jo Morgan may have scored 44 of Queensland's 54 goals in their nine-goal win over the Jaegers last week, but it was one of the veteran's least accurate efforts for the season.

Morgan, who has the highest shooting average in the league of 37 goals a game, usually has a success rate well above 80 per cent but only converted at 76 per cent last week.

? Three teams are tussling for the lead as the Newcastle open championship turns for home.

BNC Cricketers 1 lost the outright lead with six rounds remaining after their first defeat of the season 36-35 to Nags Head on Saturday.

The win put Nags Head level with BNC Cricketers and perennial performers Gazas Sportz on 19 points.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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