Victory in last home game would be a fitting result

Saturday night will be the last chance for fans of the ECU Souwest Jets to cheer on their side when they play their final home game of the season.

The Jets take on the Perth Lions from 7.10pm at the Eaton Recreation Centre, in what they hope will be their first win of the year.

In their last encounter in Round 1, the Jets suffered a tight 10-goal loss at the State Netball Centre.

Jets coach Erin Culnane said she was not sure what Lions team would turn up this week, with West Coast Fever players rolling through the squad during the season.

“Rumour has it that Annika Lee-Jones will be playing as their shooter and she will cause us headaches because she is so tall,” she said.

“Also, Ingrid Colyer has been playing for them throughout the season.

“I don’t know what they are going to bring this weekend.”

Culnane said the Jets would be without Alkira Rodney and Ashton Embry for this weekend’s game.

“We are down on player numbers this weekend and are going to have to pad out our team with some other squad members,” she said.

“We just hope to put the pressure on them.”

The Jets showed considerable improvement at the weekend, when they lost by just 15 goals to the Coastal Sharks at the State Netball Centre.

It was a better performance than earlier in the year, when the Jets were defeated by the Sharks 70-39.

Goal shooter Shantelle Tassone hit 26 of her 30 shots to shoot at 87 per cent for the game, while Kate Duncan scored 10 goals at 77 per cent.

Culnane said the result showed they were improving.

“It was a slow start, but we fought back and forced them to make mistakes,” she said.

“We stood up to their physicality a lot better than the last time we met them.

“We were eight goals down in the first and held that right until the final term.

“They started to get frustrated and made a lot of mistakes.”

Culnane said she was pleased with the direction of the team.

“That is what we are looking for, that steady improvement throughout the season.”