After the Queensland men’s and women’s teams took the lead in the points table following round one last weekend, there will be some fierce contests this weekend. The teams on top will be looking for wins to help secure a championship title, while the teams at the bottom will no doubt be searching for points to find a berth in the top four for the finals.
In Adelaide, the Hotshots will be looking to capitalise on their surprise second place on the ladder after winning one of their two games last weekend against last year’s runners-up, the WA Thundersticks.
They will meet the Tassie Tigers, who are also on a high after pushing 2004 title holders, the Blades, to extra time in their second match last weekend. The Tigers will be missing Olympic gold medallist, Matthew Wells, while the Hotshots will hope their import players, Ravi Kahlon and James Kelly, will help maintain the momentum, as both teams seek to continue their improved form from last year and gain crucial wins to provide them with a berth in the finals.
In other matches, the Blades will be hoping for a leisurely run against the Stingers, however with a win under their belt from last week over the Lakers and with them being accustomed to humid conditions, the Stingers are sure to provide a hard-fought contest.
Meanwhile, the Waratahs will meet the Thundersticks in Wollongong, and the Lakers will host the Vikings in Canberra, as these teams fight to make their mark on the top end of the ladder after each winning and losing a game last weekend.
In the women’s competition, last year’s winners, the Diamonds will be looking for a more dominant performance over the Arrows following a shaky start in their first game last weekend, where they only managed to score in extra time over the Suns.
Fielding a less experienced team than in previous years, the Diamonds will be relying on the strike power of Hockeyroo Hope Munro and team-mate Bree Murray, while the Arrows will be playing with more determination than ever as they attempt to return to their form which saw them win 5 back-to-back titles from 1998 to 2002.
Elsewhere, the Van Demons and Suns will play it out in Adelaide to win points to climb the table, with the Suns motivated by their close game last weekend against the Diamonds.
In Canberra, the Strikers will clash with the Vipers with the hope of maintaining the form that saw them reach the finals last year, while the Scorchers are likely to dominate in their match against the Pearls in Brisbane and improve their lead of the competition.
