Women’s competition continuing to go from strength to strength

The first half of the Women’s Competition season has been filled with intrigue as the playing standard has gone to a new level, leaving the premiership race wide open.

Port Macquarie Magpies staged an impressive come from behind victory last round and will want to cap that performance with a win over the Sawtell Toormina Saints.

Last week’s win saw the Magpies move to first place on the ladder and they will want to cement that standing. Their line-up includes a large proportion of university students who head to exam period soon and this is throwing up some challenges in terms of putting a settled line-up on the park. Port are as strong, if not stronger, than any other club in both numbers and quality so should be well placed to manage the next couple of weeks.

The Saints have been decimated by injuries to key players and are really tested in the depth department. Despite this, they’ve managed to maintain contact with the top two over the last couple of weeks but a loss against Port could see a gap in the table start to open up. They will be primed for a big performance this week knowing that the general bye follows which may be enough to see some of the players from the injury ward return the following week.

Northern Beaches/Grafton came agonisingly close to recording their first competitive win last week and will be primed to take on the Coffs Harbour Breakers.

The joint venture team is improving week on week and will be keen to take another positive step forward. Not only are the skills improving and team cohesion coming together, the players are getting used to the weekly bumps and bruises and are finding their feet within the competition. The defensive effort last round was outstanding and if the team can find a couple of reliable avenues to goal they will really test the other teams.

Breakers were disappointed to let a winning position slip last week and will want to ensure they don’t allow that to happen again. The team has improved out of sight in 2019 and has become a genuine title contender. Several quality inclusions have helped greatly but the main improvement is as a result of a further 12 months development and experience. A win against Northern Beaches/Grafton will ensure the team heads to the mid-season break looking at the second half of the season in a positive light.

Round 7 fixtures – Saturday 1 June

Port Macquarie Magpies v Sawtell Toormina Saints at Wayne Richards Park, Port Macquarie (Under 17 at 10:00am, Women at 11:50am, Reserves at 1:20pm, Seniors at 2:50pm)

Coffs Harbour Breakers v Grafton Tigers / Northern Beaches Blues  at Fitzroy Oval, Coffs Harbour (Under 17 at 10:00am, Masters at 11:50am, Women at 1:20pm, Reserves at 2:50pm, Seniors at 4:20pm)

For full fixture details, click here.