Judging by this year's tight premiership race, a cut-throat final to watch Cavaliers take on AYC-Friends Arrows for a place in the State League decider should have netball diehards reaching deep into their pockets for admission. The Silverdome encounter on Saturday would alone be worthy of the grand final. Cavaliers are well within their rights to feel aggrieved they are not already there instead of Northern Hawks. In the space of the last two weeks of the regular season, the league leaders slipped from first to third to miss the two bites of the finals' cherry. One positive will be walking on court hours before the Super Netball clash that will bring in a bigger than usual crowd to a preliminary final. That has prompted Netball Tasmania to open up the gates free of charge for two curtain-raisers to encourage supporters to only fork out to watch Collingwood Magpies play host to NSW Swifts. "We thought if we bring the State League players in for a couple of games, not only is it good for the crowd but we hope a lot of them stay around," Netball Tasmania boss Aaron Pidgeon said. "We are not charging for State League this weekend, so it just doesn't become too expensive if they want to buy a general admission ticket for the Super Netball game. "We're really hoping the local community will come out and support the weekend." The Silverdome will close briefly after the final to allow staff to make court alterations that include fulfilling sponsorship obligations before Super Netball spectators are admitted into the venue. Pidgeon was excited that Collingwood's only Tasmanian game - the third annual in Launceston - coincides with the second biggest this year on the domestic calendar. But Netball Tasmania always planned to protect its grand final as a standalone game. "Things probably just fell into place for us," he said. "There were a couple of options for the Collingwood games down here in terms of their fixturing, but this by far and away was the best and most preferable one. "We had a chat, knowing we'd have court challenges and we may have to premeditate where some of the finals were. We thought if we need to run semis in Hobart, it would be good to prearrange the prelims in Launceston."
QUICK: Cavaliers midcourter Dana Lester looks to move the ball along last game with Arrows. Picture: Phillip Biggs
Judging by this year's tight premiership race, a cut-throat final to watch Cavaliers take on AYC-Friends Arrows for a place in the State League decider should have netball diehards reaching deep into their pockets for admission.
The Silverdome encounter on Saturday would alone be worthy of the grand final.
"We thought if we bring the State League players in for a couple of games, not only is it good for the crowd but we hope a lot of them stay around," Netball Tasmania boss Aaron Pidgeon said.
"We are not charging for State League this weekend, so it just doesn't become too expensive if they want to buy a general admission ticket for the Super Netball game.
"We're really hoping the local community will come out and support the weekend."
The Silverdome will close briefly after the final to allow staff to make court alterations that include fulfilling sponsorship obligations before Super Netball spectators are admitted into the venue.
"Things probably just fell into place for us," he said.
"There were a couple of options for the Collingwood games down here in terms of their fixturing, but this by far and away was the best and most preferable one.
"We had a chat, knowing we'd have court challenges and we may have to premeditate where some of the finals were. We thought if we need to run semis in Hobart, it would be good to prearrange the prelims in Launceston."
