Shut out of the Silverdome for the first week of finals, Northern Hawks coach Ruth Tuohy has almost gone to extraordinary lengths to sell Friday night’s derby clash at the same venue as a contest worthy of a final.
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Cavaliers are set to join Hawks in securing a home final should they win in the last round, not lose by more than 30 goals or Kingston not win by a similar margin.
The minor premier Hawks and third-placed Cavaliers have earned the right to host their respective finals.
But both clubs are forced to host their finals outside of Launceston next weekend over a Dancesport Tasmania booking at the Silverdome.
Netball Tasmania has granted the Hawks to play their major semi-final battle against reigning premiers Arrows in Ulverstone.
But Tuohy has appealed to spectators not to miss this special occasion.
“To be honest, no matter when it is in the season, it’s always a great game because it’s the best of Launceston on the court, right there, playing against each other,” Tuohy said.
“There’s a lot of history between the clubs and they’re always guaranteed to be really good games.
“It’s really good for the North and for Launceston to be looking at these two teams heading into their finals because I think they’re both at their peak at the moment.”
Cavaliers coach Dannie Carstens could not be any happier to face the Hawks.
Playing against the best of the strong-bodied, offline style teams will benefit the side returning to the finals for the first time since 2015.
“It couldn’t be a better finish this season for us coming into finals,” Carstens said.
“The Hawks have clearly proven that they’re the team to beat this year, so it’s ideal preparation for Kingston.
“There are some similarities with Hawks, Arrows and Kingston in the style of play.”
After shoring up one of the last two finals spots among four contenders, Cavaliers have fine-tuned their game for when it matters most.
“We’re a very different team to what we were when we played them earlier this season,” Carstens said. “We worked really hard to secure different combinations.”
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