WANL 2023: Souwest Jets keen to shake off slow starts in round seven clash against West Coast Warriors

As the Souwest Jets continue their quest for their first win of the 2023 WA Netball League season, coach Cherie Farnan says the squad needs to buck a trend of slow starts.

The Jets are set to hit the road for another stint of games in Perth, starting Friday when the Jets play the West Coast Warriors at the Gold Netball Centre.

It comes after the Jets returned from the mid-season break falling just short against Peel Lightning 54-48 at the Eaton Recreation Centre last Friday.

Speaking to the South Western Times, Farnan said the Jets were unfortunately pipped at the post in a closely fought contest.

“We had a very slow start and were just chasing for the rest of the game,” she said.

“We need to make sure that we have better starts as it’s now become a bit of a trend that we need to rectify.”

The match saw a number of new faces take the court after midcourters Brooke Gibson and Amy Donaldson were ruled out with injury, along with the absence of several other players including Cassie Farquhar-Reid, Kate Kimberley and Jen Brown.

Farnan said while the Jets were taking a “wait and see” approach with Gibson, Donaldson had been ruled out for the rest of the season after an ACL rupture while playing for the West Coast Thunder during the National Men’s and Mixed Netball Championships in Perth.

“The break wasn’t our friend that’s for sure,” she said.

“But we will see our training partners given opportunities in the meantime.”

Among the training partners that made their Jets debut last Friday were midcourters Laura Jenour, Giaan Evans and defender Ashleigh Weyer, with Jenour and Weyer having moved over from the Warriors to join the Jets.

Farnan said while players could have mixed emotions coming up against old teammates, it allowed for great competition.

“They do, of course, come with some insight, though there have been lots of personnel changes from both our perspectives and at the end of the day, our focus must be on us.”

The Warriors sit in sixth place on the WANL ladder with a 1-5 record, their sole win coming from their 58-46 win over Peel Lightning in round five.

The Warriors will be looking to find form following the mid-season break after being held off by the Rangers 58-56 last Friday.

The last time the Jets and the Warriors met was in the final round of the 2022 home and away season, when the Warriors defeated the Jets 59-34 at Eaton Recreation Centre.