Super Netball round 12: Melbourne Mavericks stun NSW Swifts West Coast Fever defeats Sunshine Coast Lightning 69-54

NSW Swifts have surrendered top spot on the Super Netball ladder for the first time since round 1 after Melbourne Mavericks pulled off a stunning round 12 boilover.

Melbourne Mavericks have pulled off one of the biggest Super Netball upsets of the year, denying a New South Wales Swifts surge with a 68-64 victory on Saturday night.

With their coaches arm in arm on the sidelines, the Mavericks four-goal win had all the physicality fans have come to expect.

But, it was their clinical play and scrappy hunting of loose balls that won the day.

Such was the drop in the Swifts’ form that they lost three of the four quarters and have dropped to second after holding down the minor premiership position since the season began.

In a first versus sixth placed matchup, few would have tipped the Mavericks, but after a horrendous eight goals to one start they grittily clawed back the deficit to take a one point lead into the first break.

From that point on they never relinquished it, despite the Swifts’ desperate attempts to wrestle back control.

At the heart of the comeback was goal defence Kim Brown who used her footwork to create confusion for the feeders looking for New Zealand star, Grace Nweke, who had three turnovers in the first term. Brown’s partnership with youngster Jessie Grenvold has grown over the course of the season as the former training partner relishes the opportunity created by Lauren Parkinson’s long term injury.

Ever a class act, Nweke found form in the second term and eventually went on to slot 48 from 53. However, she was outscored by the Mavericks’ tall timber, Shimona Jok, who finished with 61/63 of her own.

The Swifts continue to search for answers for their problematic goal attack and wing attack position.

While Helen Housby is one of the best in the world, she had another quiet match finishing with 6/10 at 60 percent. Sophie Fawns, after sitting out for the first nine rounds, was used for her two point accuracy in an attempt to claw back the lead. 19-year-old Grace Whyte and the experienced Verity Simmons were both rotated through wing attack against the Mavericks’ captain, Amy Parmenter.

Comparatively the Mavericks have largely run the same midcourt all season.

On Saturday night each member of that midcourt impressed with Parmenter collecting two gains and wing attack Tayla Fraser shaking off a first quarter hard hit to put in 37 feeds. But it was MVP Molly Jovic who largely carried the load with 32 goal assists: a career best for the centre.

Mavericks coach Tracey Neville hinted that Jovic is playing international quality netball.

“For me, the Diamonds play internationals and they are the players we want in our team,” she said.

“They always want to be better and always want to progress. We can only work with her as an individual to bring out the best in her and I think tonight she brought out the best in herself.”

Parmy leading the charge 😤
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— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 28, 2025

GLASGOW CALLS OUT TROLLS

Mavericks goal attack Sasha Glasgow has revealed the social media vitriol she’s received since making her comeback from a serious leg injury. In a personal post shared to Instagram, Glasgow acknowledged that amongst the DMs and comments in the early rounds of the season, trolls took potshots at her return to form and her “appearance and life.” Glasgow bravely called out the trolls urging them to remember that athletes are people too and that “noone has the right to comment on our bodies.”

HADLEY’S HARD WORK

Diamonds vice captain Paige Hadley is having one of her best seasons to date, but her work often flies under the radar.

Currently, Hadley sits fourth for goal assists (194), second for second phase receives (158), and third for loose ball pick ups (20).

But most impressive is her safe hands: she has only given away 21 turnovers all season. Comparatively, most of the other members of the Diamonds front line have turned over upwards of 45 balls each so far this season.

LIGHTNING CRASH LEAVES FINALS BERTH IN JEOPARDY

- Erin Smith

Fever coach Dan Ryan says his seemingly unstoppable side still have more levels to reach after punishing Sunshine Coast Lightning 69-54.

The win is Fever’s 10th consecutive victory while Lightning have now lost three in a row.

Fever coach Dan Ryan said to bank 10 consecutive wins was a huge feat.

“I”m really pleased to see the team growing week upon week and building on different parts of our game and just the form of all the players out there,” Ryan said.

“We are really enjoying the wins but I”ve always been pretty critical of where we know we can keep getting better and need to keep getting better and today was no different.

“I think the score line wasn’t indicative of how intense and tough the game felt.”

Lightning, missing shooter Cara Koenen due to a foot injury for the second week running, were on the back foot from the opening quarter.

Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds said Koenen was “extremely close” and they gave Koenen up until the last possible minute but she wasn’t able to pass the fitness test.

It was like Fever’s players could read their opposition’s minds - whatever the Lightning tried - the green clad side had an answer.

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard takes possession.

Lightning shooter Steph Fretwell looked hesitant under the post and was off her game, which in turn put a lot of pressure on Reilley Batcheldor.

The issues under the Lightning post cost them vital points with Batcheldor shooting at 90 per cent and Fretwell at 80 per cent.

Fretwell sank just 2 of her 6 super shot attempts.

Fever’s Sunday Aryang certainly takes some blame for the Lightning’s shooting woes, going to great lengths to keep Fretwell away from the post and from the centre of the arc for the super shots.

Ryan said the Fever’s defensive effort on Saturday night was one of their best of the season.

“Tonight we knew we had to be good because of how dangerous Lightning’s attack is when they get humming,” Ryan said.

It was in stark contrast to Fever shooting duo Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Shanice Beckford shooting at 96 per cent and 94 per cent respectively.

Reynolds said it was always going to be a tough task.

Shanice Beckford outpoints two opponents.

“I think any team without a target shooter is always going to be a hard job,” Reynolds said.

“To Roo and Steph’s credit they attacked it and they had to attack some of those two points because of the position we were in, it’s always good to have your three shooting threats to go to.”

Fever midcourters Alice Teague-Neeld, in her 100th game, and Jordan Cransberg had Lightning’s Liz Watson and Leesa Mi Mi frazzled. Watson and Mi Mi had 12 general play overs between them.

The visitors’ slick ball movement and accuracy under the post had them ahead 22-13 at the first break.

Lightning stepped up in the second quarter — a time out speech from Belinda Reynolds where she asked her team “Is this how we want to end the half” seemed to spark something and they staged a gallant fight back shooting tit for tat with Fever. But the level quarter meant Fever still had a nine goal lead at the end of the half.

Lightning star Liz Watson.

The momentum carried into the start of the third quarter with Lightning shrinking the scoreline to a difference of six within the opening three minutes.

But Fever weren’t having any of it - fighting back to outshoot them 15-14 and surge ahead 51-41 at the last break.

Fever showed no mercy in the final quarter.

Lightning players looked defeated and at a loss as to how to deal with such a fast-paced attacking side.

The Sunshine Coast side’s finals chances are under pressure and it isn’t going to get easier with their final two regular season opponents being Swifts and Thunderbirds.

Lighting have a good record on the road and Reynolds is confident they can still pull it together and make finals.

“It’s just keeping the energy,” she said post-match.

“We had ourselves within touching distance in the third quarter, it is about finding that energy… and maintaining that when we are attacking. I have full faith that we can attack these last two games, there is no tomorrow if we don’t.”

FIREBIRDS CO-CAPTAIN FACING YEAR ON SIDELINES

— Rebecca Williams

Queensland Firebirds co-captain Hulita Veve will be sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL tear - the second player to be ruled out for the remainder of the club’s 2025 campaign this week.

The Firebirds revealed on Friday the 29-year-old midcourter and Tongan international injured her ACL in training earlier this week.

The club said Veve would consult with a specialist in the coming days to determine when she would undergo surgery.

Veve’s injury comes after Firebirds goal attack Tippah Dwan was this week also ruled out of the rest of the season due to an ongoing knee injury.

Hulita Veve has suffered an ACL injury.

Firebirds head coach Kiri Wills said the loss of Veve’s was a blow to the team’s on-court leadership.

“This is a massive blow for Hulita and for all of us at the club,” Wills said.

“Not only is Hulita a leader in our club, she’s a hugely popular and important part of our purple family and I know everyone will be doing all we can to support her as she begins her rehabilitation.

“It’s a huge loss for us on court - but we have a resilient group and I know Hulita will want us to do all we can to finish the season as strongly as possible.”

Veve was named as a co-captain alongside defender Ruby Bakewell-Doran this year.

A premiership winner with the Firebirds in 2016, the mother-of-two made a successful return as a full-time contracted Super Netball player last season.

The Firebirds sit at the bottom of the Super Netball ladder with three rounds remaining in the regular season.

Originally published as Super Netball round 12: Melbourne Mavericks stun NSW Swifts West Coast Fever defeats Sunshine Coast Lightning 69-54