Super Netball wrap: The Mavericks put on biggest ever score against Firebirds
The Mavericks have kept their finals door open after a dominant defeat over a vulnerable Queensland outfit, in the Firebirds’ first match since the sacking of coach Bec Bulley.
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Melbourne Mavericks picked up a much-needed win for their finals hopes as they piled on the pain for Queensland Firebirds with a 73 to 61 victory at John Cain Arena.
The Mavericks bounced back from their Kings Birthday drubbing by the Melbourne Vixens by posting their highest ever score as shooter Shimona Jok and Gabrielle Sinclair put on a clinic to lift them to equal fourth on the ladder.
Deadeyes Jok and Sinclair shot at a combined 97.1% with Jok being the highest rated player on the court and Sinclair not missing a single shot.
Jok (47 of 49 attempts) shot more than 40 goals for the fourth time in her last five games as she combined beautifully with midcourters Molly Jovic and Maisie Nankivell.
Jovic produced game highs in goal assists (29) and feeds (38) before leaving the court late with a blood nose and she was delighted with the way the Mavericks responded from their poor showing last week.
“The second half of last week wasn’t good enough. We knew that and we knew that Firebirds obviously had a tough week so they were going to keep coming back at us,” she said.
Sunday’s match was also the Mavericks last home game in Melbourne for the season and Jovic was thrilled to reward their new fans.
“It’s super special. I feel like we’re building more fans each week so to give back to them for supporting us is super special,” she said.
Defensive duo Kim Jenner and Olivia Lewis were dominant with a combined five intercepts and ten deflections in a disciplined tussle with Diamonds shooter Donnell Wallam (55 goals including six super shots).
For the cellar dweller Firebirds, the loss continued their week of turmoil after parting ways with head coach Bec Bulley less than two years into her four year contract.
It was the second time the Firebirds have lost to the Mavericks this season and a win would have lifted them off the bottom of the ladder, and kept them in finals contention.
Mavericks goal attack Gabrielle Sinclair relished extra court time in the absence of Eleanor Cardwell as she shot at 100% from 19 attempts including seven super shots.
Sinclair has been deployed as a long bomber off the bench during the power five for most of the season but with added responsibility she has been more effective, nailing 17 super shots in the past three games.
Her battle with Ruby Bakewell-Doran was riveting as the Firebirds goal defender was one of her side’s best with a team-high two intercepts.
Firebirds changes backfire Down by four goals at half time, Firebirds interim coach Lauren Brown made three changes to the line-up including debuting wing defence Maddi Ridley and benching Lara Dunkley.
Dunkley had been the highest rated midcourt player in the first half and by the time she returned half way through the third term, the damage was done.
The Mavericks opened up a ten-goal margin within five and a half minutes as Molly Jovic ran riot to make the match all but over.
Mavericks hit the road Sunday’s game was the Mavericks’ last in Melbourne as they hit the road for the final four weeks of the season.
Their last home game will be played in Hobart in two weeks time and it could be pivotal in the finals race as they face the fourth place Sunshine Coast Lightning.
With away trips against top four sides the Adelaide Thunderbirds and West Coast Fever to come, the Mavericks will have done it the hard way if they are to earn a maiden finals berth.
Records break as Fever prove too strong for valiant Swifts
The West Coast Fever have reclaimed the second spot on the Super Netball ladder after their gritty tussle with a valiant NSW Swifts on Sunday afternoon. Records fell in the 78 to 71 victory as Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard broke her previous highest score in a game, shooting 73/74 in front of the largest ever home and away RAC Arena crowd of 11,267.
The trek to Western Australia is tough for any team, but for the Swifts, it added another layer of complexity to an already pressurised week. After news broke of Sam Wallace-Joseph’s mutually agreed departure from the club, the Swifts had something to prove when they stepped onto RAC Arena.
Speaking post match, Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud, said the controversy has been playing in the background for a long time. “While it has only come out this week, we have had to deal with it for probably a month. There was a little bit of a relief in a way that all that speculation now has a conclusion.”
Reflecting on the loss of Wallace-Joseph on the court, Proud said, “It would be silly to say that it hasn’t affected the group. We are a very tight-knight group and we had played with Sammy for eight years. We won two premierships with her and have been through a lot. Despite what happened and no matter what we have been through, to lose any player that has been with you for a long time is going to be extra hard. So yeah it has been tough and taken a mental toll on everyone, not just the players.”
Unfortunately for the NSW side, the Fever rarely put two bad performances together. The homicide was clinical with the ball in hand, starving the Swifts of opportunities for gains with just four for the 60 minutes. The same can’t be said for the home side who collected 13 gains for the match.
After several years of playing with a holding shooter at the back end, the Swifts are still adjusting to having 60 minutes of feeding a moving circle. There were early moments of confusion between Helen Housby and youngster Sophie Fawns with the two moving into the same place, but by the end of the first term they had settled and only trailed the westerners by two.
But the wheels came off for the Swifts in the second term as the Fever forced them into ball-handling errors which they were able to capitalise on. The won ball kickstarted the Fever’s precision execution, to which the Swifts had no reply.
With the margin pushed out to 14 heading into the third power five term, Fawns unleashed a flurry of supershots to keep her side in touch. But her nine from 12 two-point goals for the match weren’t enough to get her side over the line.
Unsurprisingly, Fowler-Nembhard’s imperious aerial abilities won her MVP honours. Speaking post match she acknowledged both records saying, “The goal today was to put scoreboard pressure on through me. The green army always shows up and to turn up like this today is amazing. It shows how passionate we are over here in the west.”
GAME 3 AT RAC
International netball returns to RAC Arena on 27 October when the Australian Diamonds take on the New Zealand Silvers in the third game of the Constellation Cup. This is the first time since 2019 that test netball has been played in Perth and will coincide with Netball Western Australia’s 100 year anniversary. It’s perhaps a reward for local netball fans, who have broken records all season with their attendance at Fever games.
UNEEQ OPPORTUNITY
Swifts have 21 days from Thursday’s announcement to replace Sam Wallace-Joseph. 11th player, Grace Whyte has had ample opportunity to show her wares so far this season however she has struggled to fire. The recently completed Pacific Netball Series have highlighted another potential replacement athlete in Tongan shooter Uneeq Palavi who shot 63/66 in the Tala’s fourth consecutive title. Palavi is a Mavericks training partner and was coached by Briony Akle during the 2023 Netball World Cup.
VIXENS HALT SURGING LIGHTNING
The Melbourne Vixens have overcome the latest in their shocking run of injuries to secure an away win against the surging Sunshine Coast Lightning.
While the Vixens were always in control, the 63-61 victory didn’t come easily as Lightning pushed Super Netball’s ladder leaders for the full sixty minutes.
With the score narrowed to just one point in the last minute of the game, Vixens’ coach Simone McKinnis praised her team’s ability to find the extra gear needed to run out winners. “Either you are working to get ball, or working to protect ball, otherwise you are spectators so you’re not doing your job,” McKinnis said.
With 12 current and former Diamonds squad members on the court, the high-quality match ran goal for goal in the early stages, and it wasn’t until early in the third quarter that Vixens were able to break open a nine-point lead. Lightning fought back hard, but Vixens took advantage of a very short held ball in the dying seconds of the match, which could have levelled the match and pushed it into over time, to run out two-point winners. This was despite losing tall defender Rudi Ellis, who is the latest casualty after sustaining an ankle injury last week.
Ellis’ absence created an opening for rookie Sharni Lambden who matched up against Diamonds captain, Liz Watson. After getting her hands to a few touches early, the speed and finesse of the world’s best wing attack proved too much for Lambden to contain, as Watson finished with 41 feeds and 35 centre pass receives. Fatigue crept into Lambden’s game with the youngster unable to pull out of a few contests, resulting in a warning being given to her halfway through the final term.
Post match, McKinnis praised Lambden’s impact on the game. “She did fantastic. It was a big ask coming in, then starting and then playing on Liz Watson. She took it all with both hands and did sensationally.”
For her part, Watson carried the load for her team as her fellow attackers were guilty of basic breaking errors, and trying to work the ball closer to the post during the one point phase of the game, with the Vixens defenders gobbling up any slightly misplaced passes.
At the opposite end of the court, Vixen Sophie Garbin underlined her credentials as the most improved player in the league, top-scoring with 37 from 41. The Diamond has taken her game to a new level this season and is building a strong connection with fellow national team member, Kiera Austin.
Lightning rotated players their defenders, with Courtney Bruce still on managed minutes after a calf injury earlier in the season, but it was her young teammate Ash Ervin who was able to put a slight crimp in Garbin’s scoring prowess, with eight deflections.
Vixens captain Kate Moloney was awarded player of the match. Speaking to broadcast after the match, she said, “It was a tough game and I am proud of the fight our girls showed. Knowing that we can beat Lightning is going to be important in finals.”
BRUCE TAKES A BENCH SEAT
Courtney Bruce was one of two marquee 2024 signings for the Lightning. However, she spent half of this season rehabbing an injury sustained in Round 4. In her stead, youngster Ash Ervin more than ably filled the vacant goalkeeper bib and has been rewarded with the starting spot for the last two rounds relegating Bruce to an off-the-bench role. Does this signify Bruce’s transition to an impact player?
HOME COURT FINAL
The Vixens’ home run to the finals is looking positive. Two of their next four games are against bottom-ranked teams, so if they secure those wins, Vixens have all but sewn up a home court final.
THUNDERBIRDS SHUT DOWN GIANTS
By Kate Allman
The Adelaide Thunderbirds have put the Giants’ 2024 finals hopes at critical risk with four rounds of Super Netball to go, stifling the home side in a 57-42 victory in Sydney on Saturday night.
The reigning premiers got out to an early lead and kept the Giants to a miserly score all game, thanks in large part to the Jamaican wall of Latanya Wilson and Shamera Sterling-Humphrey. The defensive pair finished with nine intercepts and three rebounds between them.
“Our ability to get the ball up and down the court was really effective for the majority of the game. We get ball with our defence end, and make sure we cherish that as well as scoring off our own centre passes,” said Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst after the match.
It was not the way the Giants hoped to celebrate Julie Fitzgerald’s 400th national league game as head coach. Fitzgerald has won five premierships with former club the Sydney Swifts. After reaching the grand final but falling short against the Swifts in 2021, she has not managed to bring the Giants back to the top of the mountain.
The Giants have won only three matches from 10 this season and are second from the bottom of the ladder. But co-captain Jo Harten believes the team’s season is far from over.
“We’re under a coach who has just coached her 400th league game, she closes her pre-game statement with, ‘I believe we can do this’. If we take any learning from Jules, we go into every game believing we can still do it [win a premiership],” said Harten after the match.
THE THIRD COMING OF AIKEN-GEORGE
Thunderbirds goal shooter Romelda Aiken-George has brought stunning confidence into her 16th season of Super Netball, 2024 being her first year with her third club.
The 35-year-old former Swift stands at 196cm with a wingspan stretching almost the entire circle. A nightmare to defend both on paper and on court on Saturday, she towered above Giants goal defence Jodi-Ann Ward and had 11cm over goal keeper Tilly McDonnel. She finished the match with 38 goals from 47 attempts but won a whopping seven rebounds on the occasions she missed.
“Her ability to take the ball wherever you put it in the air. She’s a formidable target for us,” said Thunderbirds centre Tayla Williams.
At the other end of court, Sterling-Humphrey led the league on defensive rebounds and deflections coming into round 10. With Wilson roaming alongside her as a mobile goal defence, the Jamaican internationals look poised to take Adelaide to a second grand final berth in as many years.
JULIE’S 400TH
Only a handful of coaches in any code have reached 400 games, among those to do it are NRL greats Wanye Bennett, Tim Sheens, Craig Bellamy and Ricky Stuart.
It’s an impressive feat to reach in a league that has only 14 regular season games per year and two rounds of finals.
Originally published as Super Netball wrap: The Mavericks put on biggest ever score against Firebirds
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