Net Gains 2022: Covid poses threat to Super Netball finals

There’s every chance the Super Netball finals – and possibly grand finals – could be severely impacted. Get the latest in netball.

Who were the winners and losers from Super Netball’s fixture frenzy?

What a difference a week makes.

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Likes

Wood survives injury scare

When Steph Wood crashed to the pine in the third quarter of Saturday’s Queensland derby clash, eventually coming off the court with a knee injury, it wasn’t just her Sunshine Coast Lightning teammates fearing the worst.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich would have been holding her breath after watching her national vice-captain finally rebound to full health after a tough six weeks battling back from Covid.

Several Super Netball players have battled to hit full speed after contracting the virus – even if their initial illness seems relatively benign.

Wood is understood to be among those that have battled post-viral fatigue and bouts of on-court dizziness but was back at her best on Saturday, orchestrating the Lightning’s derby win.

There plenty of feeling between these two sides. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Bitter rivalry great for game

Are there more bitter rivals in Super Netball than the Fever and Giants?

There was plenty of feeling from the Fever crowd during the week when the Vixens took the court at RAC Arena for the first time in three years after their refusal to head to Perth last year following Byron-gate.

While that got the fans going, there’s no real bitterness between the teams.

But it’s a different story with the Giants and the Fever, who have had some tight and physical stoushes over the past few years.

Giants captain Jo Harten’s clashes against Courtney Bruce are among the most anticipated in the sport, while Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich believes she has only seen star Fever shooter dominated once in Super Netball – by former Giants keeper Sam Poolman in last year’s knockout preliminary final.

The Fever’s nine-goal win on Sunday with three players out was not as close as many of the pair’s other clashes but there was still plenty of feeling in the match – and that’s a good thing for the game.

Dislikes

Covid poised to impact finals

Covid continues to make its mark on the Super Netball competition, with the Fever and Thunderbirds both missing players – with some changes coming just hours before game time.

Both teams managed adjustments admirably, especially considering their squads were playing for the third time in a week.

But as the general public attempts to normalise life in the pandemic, sport continues to be buffeted and there’s every chance finals in all codes – and possibly grand finals – could be impacted severely.

Player of the week

Kate Moloney (Vixens)

Moloney’s efforts helped the Vixens to a clean sweep of their matches over the condensed period, including a win in the top-of-the-table clash against the Fever, in which coach Simone McKinnis pulled a midcourt switch.

McKinnis opted to start Moloney at wing defence rather than her usual position of centre and she was instrumental in shutting down Fever midcourter Alice Teague-Neeld, who has been a key player for the Fever this season.

A Diamonds squad member, Moloney is in a three-way battle for one midcourt spot and her display of versatility over the past week – she switched seamlessly to centre for the clash against the Swifts on Saturday – will have pleased national coach Stacey Marinkovich, who would have been an interested onlooker.

Winners and losers from fixture frenzy

Net Gains flagged that the second set of condensed fixtures would make or break teams’ finals hopes and it’s done just that, with some predictable results and some big surprises.

We take a look at the winners and losers from rounds 9-11 and how the results could shape the season with just three fixture games remaining.

The Vixens are among the winners. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Flying high

With three wins from the condensed period, including victory in the top-of-the-table clash against the West Coast Fever, the Melbourne Vixens are in the box seat for a remarkable return to the minor premiership just 12 months after claiming the wooden spoon.

The Vixens survived an extra-time thriller against the Giants, beat second placed Fever and held on against the resurgent Swifts to show they are a realistic chance of reclaiming the premiership after winning it in 2020.

The Fever had every reason to wilt on Sunday, with Sunday Aryang joining Rudi Ellis on the sidelines under Covid protocols, while Jess Anstiss was still out with a foot injury, severely disrupting their defensive line-up.

After a midweek loss to the Vixens, the Fever’s hold on second place – and the double chance in the finals that goes with that – could have been in danger with another loss to the Giants, who toppled them in their clash in Sydney in the first half of the season.

But the Fever not only won, they set a Super Netball scoring record in the process, with talismanic shooter Jhaniele Fowler finishing with 68 points in an effort the keeps their chance of the minor premiership alive should the Vixens slip up in the final three games.

The Swifts won two of their three matches, showing that they will not be defined by the loss of international star Sam Wallace in the opening round.

The defending premiers have taken time to adjust their attack after losing Wallace but have rediscovered their mojo over the past fortnight and continued the roll in the condensed week, beating the Thunderbirds, clawing their way past the Lightning by a single goal and going down by just six goals to the Vixens.

Winning their last three would likely earn them a place in the top four but it’s no easy ask with matches against the Magpies, Fever and Firebirds.

The NSW Swifts have rediscovered their mojo. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The Adelaide Thunderbirds seemed the least likely team to make a move over the condensed week given their mediocre performances in some of the lead-up games.

Having continually turned over the ball that was hard won by star defenders Shamera Sterling and LaTanya Wilson early in the season, the Thunderbirds cut their errors and won two of the three games to sit in third place at the end of round 11.

They are now a genuine chance to play finals, despite having had to battle a Covid outbreak that has put several players in isolation – including three of their starting seven on Sunday.

Biggest losers

The Queensland Firebirds were sitting pretty at the halfway mark of the season, in third place on the ladder with a 4-3 record and while they lost heading into the condensed period they still sat in third place heading into last weekend.

But their hopes of making the finals for the first time since 2018 took a battering, with losses to the Magpies, Thunderbirds and Lightning – three teams that were sitting below them just a week ago and all opponents the Queensland side would have been confident of beating.

But it’s the margin of the losses that could hurt most. A four-goal defeat at the hands of the Magpies kept their percentage up but late collapses against the Thunderbirds and Lightning left them with a combined goal deficit of 34 from the two matches, something that could hurt them if the top four comes down to a mathematical battle.

The Magpies looked to have overcome a slow start to the season and be set to push into the top four before two losses over the past week all but shattered their finals hopes.

After beating the Firebirds last weekend, the Magpies fell to the Giants midweek in a tough match but it was their capitulation to the Covid-hit Thunderbirds on Sunday that will give them nightmares if they miss the finals – as now seems likely.

The Magpies suffered two losses over the weekend. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Sunshine Coast Lightning may have lost two of their three matches but they probably feel as though they deserve to be in the winners’ column after turning around a wretched run with a drubbing of their Queensland rivals in the derby.

Although they lost to the Fever, their effort, without senior player Laura Scherian (Covid protocols) was encouraging, while they had Kate Walsh sidelined for the next match against the Swifts, where they went down by a single goal.

But coach Kylee Byrne has her squad looking at the bigger picture and Saturday’s 20-goal win against the Firebirds was a big step forwards. While they still at the bottom of the ladder, they have already won twice as many matches as any team that’s finished at the bottom of the ladder in the history of the competition.

Round 10

Lightning v Swifts

Maddy Proud (Swifts) 3, Helen Housby (Swifts) 2, Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Lightning) 1

Vixens v Fever

Liz Watson (Vixens) 3, Olivia Lewis (Vixens) 2, Chelsea Pitman (Fever) 1

Giants v Magpies

Jo Harten (Giants) 3, Amy Parmenter (Giants) 2, Ash Brazill (Magpies) 1

Thunderbirds v Firebirds

LaTanya Wilson (T’birds) 3, Hannah Petty (T’birds) 2, Mia Stower (Firebirds) 1

Round 11

Firebirds v Lightning

Cara Koenen (Lightning) 3, Steph Wood (Lightning) 2, Gabi Simpson (Firebirds) 1

Swifts v Vixens

Kate Moloney (Vixens) 3, Kiera Austin (Vixens) 2, Paige Hadley (Swifts) 1

Fever v Giants

Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) 3, Stacey Francis-Bayman (Fever) 2, Jo Harten (Giants) 1

Magpies v Thunderbirds

Georgie Horjus (T’birds) 3, Tayla Williams (T’birds) 2, Ash Brazill (Magpies) 1

Originally published as Net Gains 2022: Covid poses threat to Super Netball finals