One of the real dark horses heading into the season, the Jets were brilliant pre-Christmas, reeling off five straight wins to be sitting pretty in second position on the ladder.
Led by exceptionally talented all-rounder Joel Brett, Northerners showcased excellent consistency through the first half of the season, with a no-passengers approach lifting them to some crucial victories.
Coach Steve Allen explained what he had found to be the most pleasing aspects of his side’s campaign to date.
“I think at different stages we have been challenged, chasing some lower totals or chasing some larger ones, but different people have stood up when it has been their time to shine and it has been an even spread across the team,” Allen said.
“We haven’t been just relying on one or two to get us across the line each week, obviously we have had ‘Snowy’ Brett who has had an outstanding season, but overall, we have seen a more even contribution this year.”
The challenge for the Jets now is to continue their good form into the new year, with the tricky task of Nagambie first up on the agenda.
Sitting in 10th spot with two wins to their name, the Lakers have arguably been the biggest disappointment of the season to date, with an inability to post large totals a major concern.
However, you cannot expect a side with the quality of Mark and Luke Nolan, Tyrone Muir and Josh Sanderson to be down for too long, with the mid-season break giving the Lakers a chance to freshen up and recapture their best form.
Allen said he expected to see a fired up Nagambie take the field at the weekend, with its talent alone making for a daunting proposition.
“They are always a fairly well organised group, there is a lot of talent there and are always very difficult to get over,” he said.
“Hopefully at home we can produce our best, because we will certainly need to if we want to resume our season on a winning note.”
He also outlined the areas his team needed to execute strongly if it was to come away with win number six.
“We've always been able to defend a total with the ball and have been reasonably consistent in that area over the season,” he said.
“For us it is about our top order getting off to a good start with the bat and building a platform with the bat, we know that if we can do that, we will continue to be successful.”
