Kiwi champ Maria Folau shows her class for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Super Netball
Adelaide Thunderbirds shooter Maria Folau shines in the spotlight in her debut Super Netball season.
Thunderbirds
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Adelaide Thunderbirds superstar Maria Folau had every reason to pull out of the game against Collingwood Magpies in Melbourne on May 17.
Had the New Zealand goal shooter opted to stand aside for personal reasons surely no one would have objected, or be surprised.
Just hours before the opening pass, her husband and controversial rugby union gun Israel Folau had his $4m contract with Rugby Australia terminated and highly illustrious career as a Wallaby all but cut short in a Rugby World Cup year.
The champion full back had been the target of an avalanche of criticism for his religious-fuelled social media posts which RA said had breached its code of conduct.
In response, Israel thanked Maria for her love and encouragement to stay true to their beliefs.
Maria had to be feeling stressed and full of emotional thoughts for Israel.
Yet, not only did she front the Magpies, Maria went about her netball business as she has been doing for years, totally focused on her game, as well as being devoted to the Thunderbirds’ cause.
The win did not happen, and in fact the Thunderbirds put together their worst effort for the season.
But it was not Maria’s fault. She shot 30 goals from 39 attempts and the misses were acceptable considering she usually fires from long range.
That has been Maria Folau from the moment she first put on the Thunderbirds’ dress.
The Kiwi fell into the Thunderbirds’ lap in ways. She needed a Super Netball team to be prepared for the Netball World Cup in England in July and the Thunderbirds desperately needed a big name in the goal circle.
Maria doesn’t owe the Thunderbirds anything, yet she has given everything in all five rounds. Her supreme skills have been outstanding and her ability to feed young shooter Sasha Glasgow and bring her into the contest has been a huge plus.
And it must be noted Maria is genuinely enjoying her time in Adelaide. That is evident in her enthusiasm and competitive desire to help the Thunderbirds be a success.
Maria made her international debut in 2005 and has played 138 Tests. That is a long time under pressure to perform at the elite level. She is also one of those polarising athletes who struggle to escape the spotlight, further adding to the pressure.
Never is that more evident than when the players are called onto the court before each game at their Mile End home. Forget about the booing the likes of Gary Ablett has copped in the AFL in the wake of the Israel drama. No player gets a louder introduction from the Thunderbirds’ faithful. The fans just love her.
SUPER NETBALL
ROUND 5
Thunderbirds 54 (S. Glasgow 28/32, M. Folau 26/34) d Firebirds 51 (A. Latu-Meafou 18/22).
Swifts 60 (S. Wallace 45/47, H. Houdby 15/18) d Vixens 50 (I. Venter 4/4, T. Philip 18/22, C. Thwaites 28/32).
Lightning 72 (C. Koenen 8/9, S. Wood 21/24, P. Proscovia 43/48) d Giants 61 (C. Bassett 31/36, K. Austin 7/7, J. Harten 23/26).
Fever 63 (J. Fowler 51/52, K. Stanton 12/14) d Magpies 61 (S. Nelson 44/51, N. Medhurst 17/21).
TABLE
TEAM P W D L % Pts
Swifts 5 4 - 1 117.1 32
Lightning 5 4 - 1 113.6 28
Vixens 5 3 1 1 112.5 26
Magpies 5 2 1 2 108.2 21
Giants 5 2 - 3 94.1 17
TBirds 5 2 - 3 83.7 13
Fever 5 1 1 3 89.0 11
Firebirds 5 - 1 4 88.3 7
GOAL SHOOTING
Goals Att
1 J. Fowler (Fever) 252 262
2 S. Nelson (Magpies) 227 259
3 S. Wallace (Swifts) 217 229
4 C. Bassett (Giants) 184 210
5 P. Proscovia (Lightning) 181 197
6 C. Thwaites (Vixens) 173 192
7 G. Tippett (Firebirds) 157 160
8 S. Glasgow (TBirds 129 158
THUNDERBIRDS BEST
Chelsea Pitman was named MVP for the game. Defenders Shamera Sterling and Layla Guscoth made life uncomfortable for the Firebirds’ shooters and Sasha Glasgow was stood firm under the post, also rebounding well.
THIS WEEK
ROUND 6
SATURDAY
Lightning v Vixens (Sunshine Coast, 2.30pm)
Firebirds v Fever (Brisbane, 6.30pm)
SUNDAY
Swifts v Magpies (Sydney, 12.30pm)
Giants v Thunderbirds (Sydney, 2.30pm)
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