Like a tightrope walker not daring to look down, the Hoop City Geelong United Supercats know one stumble over the next fortnight could be catastrophic in their push for an NB1 South playoff berth.
Only once since a Geelong team re-entered a second-tier competition have the Supercats missed the playoffs – and that was their first year back in the SEABL in 1997.
However, the door finals action will remain open if United (9th, 9-9) can overcome Ringwood (17th, 6-13) and Ballarat (10th, 9-10) this weekend.
The Hawks did Geelong United a favour by upsetting Waverley (8th, 11-8) on Wednesday night to keep the Supercats in touch with the Falcons and Eltham (7th, 11-8).
“They’re a dangerous team because they’re not in contention,” coach Grant Wallace said. “They’re a team that can play hard at the perimeter.
“We’ve got to bring our A game.
“Our defence, when that is solid, our offence follows suit.
“Our Friday night game will be our fifth game in 14 days, so recovery is the main priority at the moment.”
NAIDOC ROUND – GAME NIGHT PROGRAM
The Geelong United-Ballarat men’s matchup is game two of the battle for the Mark Leader Shield.
The winner will be determined by who has the highest aggregate score from the women’s and men’s games between the Supercats and Miners.
“With the news of Cecil Exum’s passing – he and Mark were teammates and mates – it will be an emotional night Saturday night, for sure,” Wallace said.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating the life of Mark Leader.”
Click below for the live stream and stats for both games.
Minimal tickets remain for Saturday night’s NAIDOC Round game night. Purchase yours now via bit.ly/3pqEQRA
