By Tyler Lewis
At a unique mid-season break, ROC loom as the powerhouse of AFLOE Division 1 netball.
The Roos have yet to experience the bitter taste of defeat in season 2021 and have thumped teams when the opportunity has risen.
To put it simply: the Roos after five games have scored the most goals and have conceded the least, which leads to them holding a percentage of 253.17.
ROC A Grade coach Simon O’Shanassy is pleased with how his side is shaping after five matches.
“We are very lucky that we have picked an A Grade squad that is balanced across the court,” he said.
“It is something that is going to favour us going into the second half of the season and finals, we don’t have many weak links.
“Our greatest strength is our versatility.
“We have some state players that we’re trying to manage their workloads, but when they are unavailable we are able to bridge that gap with other players.
“(We are) very happy, the greatest thing about the group I’ve got is they’re really willing to work together – there are no egos amongst them,” O’Shanassy said.
After five outings, the Roos average 64 goals a game.
Scoring 64 goals a game leaves very little room for the chance of defeat, a statistic that impresses the coach, while handing out a warning that they haven’t even peaked yet.
“In any sport, scoreboard pressure is a valuable asset,” he said.
“The greatest thing is we haven’t had the ability to play our strongest seven – there isn’t really one in my team – but Dee Dee (Deng), she has just come back, she shot 63 goals on the weekend.
“The scary thing is, I don’t think we have reached our full potential yet.
“We are still making good progress, as much as sitting on top of the season after six or seven rounds, I think we are finding our groove and you’ll probably see some major improvements in the team in the second half of the season.”
O’Shanassy’s side holds many state superstars,
“That’s the thing, as a coach, it’s not just coaching, it’s about managing,” he said.
“Managing workloads and keeping a lid on it.
“Having coached for so long, I always live by the theory that ‘the last game of the year is one that you always want to win’.
“If you peak too early, it is not an opportunity to do.
“It is about managing workloads, keeping a lid on things and keeping the girls honest,”
As any good club does, it continues to challenge its players while things are running smoothly, O’Shannassy and his ROC side are no different.
“We have 10 great athletes within our group and we are playing some really good netball, but there is some lapses in concentration in games,” he said.
“The greatest challenge for me is creating consistency and sending the message that ‘hey guys this is our mantra’, it’s about really challenging the girls to maintain consistency and build on improvement.
“Playing against Belgrave, there was a real sense that at half time that we could’ve shot 100 goals, the greatest thing for me was that the girls really pushed hard in the second half and didn’t allow them to play consistent netball.”
ROC was set to take on Emerald over the weekend in the lockdown effected round. If the lockdown is concluded at its projected time, ROC will return to take on fellow unbeaten side, Seville, in a clash that looms as a finals taste-tester.
In Premier Division, meanwhile, before the weekend off, Olinda Ferny Creek managed to claim a big scalp, defeating Beaconsfield.
After four rounds, the Eagles and the Bloods were both undefeated.
The two faced off where the Bloods took the points and the mental edge for later on in the season.
Olinda Ferny Creek – a sheer powerhouse of the competition – aren’t leading the league for goals scored, or conceded, but as good teams do, the Bloods just unassumingly find a way.
Over the lockdown weekend, the Bloods were set to take on Pakenham, a side that has recorded just one win.
While it sits pretty atop of the ladder, it is the way the Bloods have won over the four other teams that sit inside finals contention, Olinda have played two, beating both.
Three teams sit on three wins, leaving just percentage separating third from fifth, setting up a mouth-watering return, when that comes.
The Bloods – yet again – are the team to beat.
