Super Netball talking points: Fiery ‘aggro’ erupts, Diamonds make controversial call
The Super Netball season is heating up and all the talk has been about a fiery incident that got very physical between two players.
Netball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Netball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s nearly the halfway mark of the Super Netball season and there’s plenty to unpack from an eventful Round 6 that saw plenty of unexpected results.
Here are the major talking points from the weekend’s action including some upsets, some old fashioned argy-bargy and a controversial omission from the Diamonds squad.
Watch Suncorp Super Netball on Kayo. Every game of every round LIVE. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now >
Old fashioned argy-bargy gets physical
There were tense scenes in the Swifts vs Lightning clash when Swifts youngster Sophie Fawns tried to prevent Lightning defender Kate Walsh from reaching out to contest a shot from Swifts shooter Helen Housby.
Walsh had played superbly and earlier blocked two shots from Swifts shooter Kelly Singleton, forcing the Swifts to make a change and bring Fawns on to replace her.
But things got spicy in the third quarter when Walsh karate chopped Fawns on the neck and shoved her out of the way as the Swifts shooter fell to the ground.
The by-play between the pair continued later with a similar incident, when Walsh reached over Fawns to defend a shot and nearly face-palmed her in the process, before shoving her out of the way.
Bit of argy-bargy in the shooting circle 🔥
— Fox Netball (@fox_netball) April 23, 2022
Did this moment go too far? Or fair game? 🤔
📺 WATCH #SwiftsLightning on ch 505 or stream on @kayosports🔥 pic.twitter.com/vemFYc0q8v
The physical play caught the eye of fans and while Australian netball legend Cath Cox, now a TV commentator and pundit with Kayo, believes the umpire should have intervened with a warning, she loved seeing some good old-fashioned argy-bargy.
“It’s hard to say because the role of any player I think is to test what they’re allowed to get away with, particularly defenders,” Cox told news.com.au.
“So Kate did what she was allowed to do. She didn’t get a warning at any stage, the umpire didn’t tell her to settle down or anything like that.
“I think the first one probably should have had a warning straight up but because it didn’t, it meant that Sophie Fawns had to get in there and be just as physical in trying to protect the space.
“By the end of it they were both giving as badly as each other probably, but I still think there should have been a warning.
“Not sent off, because you need a bit of that sort of stuff in the game, a bit of aggro, a bit of physicality.
“There certainly should have been a warning. You can’t swing your arm back and knock someone’s head off and push them to the ground.
“Having said that, I loved it. I love that sort of stuff in our game. It gives us something to talk about and Kate Walsh did what she could get away with so it’s not any fault of hers.”
‘Tough’ Diamonds call sparks controversy
Netball fans were up in arms last week when gun centre Kim Ravaillion was left out of the initial 18-player Diamonds squad for the Commonwealth Games in July.
The veteran midcourter has had a sensational start to the Super Netball season for the Firebirds and was considered a sure thing to be picked in the squad, but she was overlooked by Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich.
Cox said although it was a very tough call to leave Ravaillion out, the selectors prioritised continuity from Australia’s win in the Quad Series in January.
”From the outside looking in, it looks like she’s having a solid season,” Cox said.
“Same can be said for (NSW Swifts wing attack) Maddy Proud — they’re getting massive numbers on feeds.
“But when we spoke to the selectors, they said there’s so much more that has to be looked at. They basically said there’s other players in that position that give you more in attack and in defence.
“I think from all points of call the decision was made that there’s probably just other players in there that are giving more across the court in every area.
“Yeah it’s tough and of course the Queensland fans are really upset by it — understandably, because they love Kim Rav, she’s one of the fittest in the game, she’s amazing, she’s so crucial for that Firebirds side.
“But she wasn’t there last year and the other thing to consider too is it’s obviously a really short turnaround with no time together. So I feel the selectors have gone with a team they know was successful in January and won against the four best nations in the world.”
Diamonds selectors have the flexibility to add players to a squad of up to 22, before eventually trimming it down to a final squad of 12 for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“There’s no reason Kim Ravaillion can’t (be selected) if she turns her game around,” Cox said.
“They can make some changes and those two (Ravailion and Proud) could find themselves in the squad. So it’s not all dead and buried yet.”
Upsets galore as finals race thrown wide open
Only one of the four games went to script in Round 6 with the Melbourne Vixens defeating the Adelaide Thunderbirds to take top spot on the ladder.
The Sunshine Coast Lightning continued their resurgence with an excellent win over the NSW Swifts and Collingwood showed they aren’t out of the fight for finals with an impressive victory over the Queensland Firebirds.
But the game of the round game came when the Giants defeated the West Coast Fever 74-73 in a thrilling upset to breathe life into their season.
The victory catapulted the Giants up into fourth on the ladder but with just over half the season to go, the battle for the four finals spots is well and truly on.
“The last round excited me actually because there’s been a few upsets,” Cox told news.com.au.
“So the comp has really evened out after Round 6 and we’re nearly at the halfway point so that means it’s all very exciting going into the second half.
“It looks like the ladder is going to shift and move a bit more than we thought it might have at the start. The Vixens and the Fever were sitting up the top pretty comfortably but they’ve been challenged the last couple of weeks.
“It makes it all very interesting and that’s exciting me for the second half of the season.
“The likes of the Giants, they had a massive performance on the weekend and they look like they’re getting their mojo back a little bit.
“It’ll probably be the Vixens and the Fever sitting up the top but who makes up that top four is really anybody’s guess. Some teams have been slow to start but are finding good form now. You can’t predict it.”
Super Netball Round 7
Queensland Firebirds vs NSW Swifts — Saturday 5pm AEST
Adelaide Thunderbirds vs West Coast Fever — Saturday 7pm AEST
Sunshine Coast Lightning vs GWS Giants — Sunday 2pm AEST
Melbourne Vixens vs Collingwood Magpies — Sunday 4pm AEST
Originally published as Super Netball talking points: Fiery ‘aggro’ erupts, Diamonds make controversial call
Happy Ellis making mark in sparkling breakout season
Rudi Ellis stunned plenty when she was named as a training partner for the Diamonds squad earlier this year. Next week, she’ll head to New Zealand for the Constellation Cup as Australia’s newest Test player.
Mavs make Uneeq signing as part of stacked training roster
A roster that underlines the depth of Super Netball and the difficulty of snaring a full-time contract, or a nervy move by a club unprepared to back new talent? The verdict on the Mavericks’ stacked training roster.