THE Launceston Tornadoes have been dealt a major injury blow before their toughest game of the season against SEABL powerhouse Dandenong with US import Emilee Harmon sidelined for the next month with a knee injury.
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The 24-year-old has a tear in the lateral meniscus which has plagued her for the past few weeks and had surgery this week to correct the problem.
The Tornadoes are on an eight-game winning streak and are looking to extend that against Eastern conference ladder-leader Dandenong as they push towards the play-offs.
"It is a big blow for her individually and for our club but it has been troubling her for quite a while and she is a pretty tough character and has just battled on with it," Tornadoes coach Reece Potter said.
"But I am really confident that our group is resilient - they are tough and competitive and have confidence in each other so I think we will be able to fill that gap and hopefully we can get Emilee back for those last few games of the year."
Dandenong presents the biggest test so far for the Tornadoes with a quality line-up and team game plan as the club prepares for a tough run against some of the top teams in the competition.
"The girls feel bad for Emilee but they have pretty good character and I'm looking forward to seeing how they take the challenge to probably the best team in the competition so it is going to be a good night on Saturday," Potter said.
"I think we have a really good chance.
"It is going to build a lot of confidence and a lot of fear for the rest of the competition if we can beat the best team in the comp without one of our best players."