Valiant effort but worries deepened by classy Brize
THE relegation trapdoor is looking ominously open for Saffery Panthers after their latest defeat – combined with two injuries – contributed to a miserable Sunday afternoon.
Despite the positives the Guernsey outfit will take from a decent-enough display against the league leaders Brize Jets, their battle for Division Two South survival looks like it will have to be completed without Tiff Gervaise-Brazier and Gemma Batiste.
And if losing two of their regular starters – in the case of Gervaise-Brazier, arguably her island’s best player right now – was bad enough, their replacements now look like they may need to win every one of their five remaining games.
Because, with nearest rivals Meon and SAS both picking up surprisingly emphatic victories, it leaves Panthers a dozen points adrift and with any margin for the slightest error now long gone.
All roads lead to a huge showdown with Meon this Sunday at Beau Sejour where nothing but victory will do, acknowledged Panthers captain Nena Copperwaite, as any hope of survival hinges on that hour of netball.
Still, she and her team-mates will go into it with some confidence after performing better than the final margin of defeat suggested here against a Brize Jets side with a seven-point cushion of their own at the top.
‘It is frustrating that we came out of it with nothing today, not even any bonus points, because we deserved something after a good performance where we fought hard and played pretty well,’ said Copperwaite after the 46-32 defeat.
More in Monday's Guernsey Press.
