Magpies claim Vic bragging rights as Giants on a roll: Super Netball Rd 7 Sunday wrap

Giants continued their inspiring turnaround in form to claim a third victory on the trot, while Collingwood upset cross-town rivals Melbourne.

Giants continued their inspiring turnaround in form to claim a third victory on the trot, thumping Sunshine Coast Lightning by 28 goals.

The home team defence was carved up by Diamonds’ squad inclusion Sophie Dwyer and English star Jo Harten. The pair scored the highest total for 15 minutes in 2022 with 26 in the third quarter, and equalled the record total of 82 for Super Netball.

No amount of input from the parochial crowd made up for the absence of key Lightning goaler Cara Koenen due to Covid protocols, as Giants took outright fourth place to wrap up the first half of the season.

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There was also the undercurrent of Netball Australia’s statement about bullying during the week, supporting Lightning goal defence Kate Walsh who had been trolled online for her play in round six. All the players were on notice to play clean and tight, and the umpires were seen having early chats with midcourters to tidy up their defensive actions.

With a sharp 75% conversion of gains and turnovers, the Giants dictated space at every turn, and the Lightning’s foot speed became its own worst enemy. MVP April Brandley personally demolished Steph Wood, and with seven rebounds eclipsed the total for all the opposing team. At the other end Dwyer nailed 8/8 supershots as the Giants completed a huge team performance.

The Lightning had a frustrating night in defence as they were continually reactive, suffering 70 penalties to 46. During half time, coach Kylee Byrne expressed frustration at the huge disparity of whistle they had to combat.

Tara Hinchliffe was the shining light for her team, with ten gains versus her 14 penalties. Both Walsh and Kadie-Ann Dehaney had blocked shots but it was the peripheral vision and reading of play that let their side down. To make matters worse, midcourter Mahalia Cassidy was quite distressed on the bench after a late knock to the head.

Meanwhile, Lightning were organised as ever on their centre passes, but the Giants squashed the second phase, with goal shooter Batcheldor forced to take most for her team with twelve. Wood struggled to marshal her troops and was given no quarter by Brandley, throwing the ball away five times.

GIANTS NETBALL 82, SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING 54

MIDCOURT MAESTRO

Jamie-Lee Price continues to dish out her mercurial best, with her casual elusive play putting her bang at the top of the circle all afternoon. Smart coaching advice also saw Maddie Hay more than double her goal assists from the first quarter by holding back further and longer, so that Giants could conserve energy and watch play. Their short decisive passing caught the Lightning with heads spinning, not able to fly out for intercepts.

PRIME REAL ESTATE

Giants controlled exactly where they wanted to take their shots, with the revitalised combo of Harten and Dwyer balancing beautifully. Harten reduced her movements and took one-handed feeds economically, while Dwyer relished her new role driving the baseline. Then in the power five, they were exceptional, nailing 12/16 supershots.

PERCENTAGE BOOSTER

With a huge margin of victory, Giants have set up their second half of the season. As the top three teams have a goal difference of over 105%, big victories are required for any team to keep in touch and hope to secure a finals berth. Coming into round seven, Giants had 94.8%, but emerged today with 102%.

- Andrew Kennedy

Mwai Kumwenda of the Vixens receives a pass during their loss to the Magpies. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

MAGPIES CLAIM VIC BRAGGING RIGHTS IN VIXENS UPSET

The Collingwood Magpies showed that early losses won’t define their season with an upset win over cross-town rivals the Melbourne Vixens.

The win lifts the Magpies up to fifth position on the ladder, while the Vixens remain in second place - a win would have seen them leapfrog the West Coast Fever into first.

With six players across the two teams in the 18-player Diamonds squad, this match provided an opportunity for players to cement their place in the 12 that will head to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.

However, only Diamonds captain Liz Watson looked impressive for the Vixens, as goal attack Kiera Austin was hesitant and shot at just 69.6%, and Kate Moloney and Jo Weston were not at their most dynamic.

Collingwood wing defence Ash Brazill was uncharacteristically quiet, while goal attack Sophie Garbin had limited minutes on court.

The Magpies pulled out to an early lead, as the Vixens took some time to adjust to their reshuffled defensive line up.

With Kate Eddy missing the match due to Covid protocols, coach Simone McKinnis shifted her defenders forward, moving Weston to wing defence, Emily Mannix to goal defence and bringing Olivia Lewis in at goal keeper.

The long arms of Weston, who stands at 188cm, caused some early trouble for her opponent Kelsey Browne, who is just 164cm.

However the speed of Browne and her combination with centre Molly Jovic - that has been forged through short, sharp passes - meant she was able to counter Weston’s pressure.

After being overlooked for the Diamonds squad, Browne - who was the MVP for the match - has put out two sensational performances, sending a message to selectors should they be looking to make any changes.

She finished the game with 25 goal assists, 34 feeds and four gains to her name.

The Vixens found their feet late in the first half and the ball began moving more smoothly down the court, due to centre Moloney and goal attack Austin lifting their work rate in support of Watson in wing attack.

As the Magpies pulled back their lead with a strategically placed time out, they forced a second-half defensive change to the Vixens, who brought training partner Sharni Lambden into wing defence, allowing Weston to move back into goal defence.

As the Magpies’ lead grew, so did the intensity of the match with players desperately throwing themselves into every opportunity to turn the ball over.

Despite impressive super shot accuracy from Vixens’ goal shooter Mwai Kumwenda in the dying minutes of the game, the Magpies strength and consistency across the court had created a gap that was too difficult to bridge.

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 70, MELBOURNE VIXENS 60

COVID WOES CONTINUE

While Collingwood was struck hard with Covid in the early part of the competition, today it was the Vixens who were affected, losing mid-courters Hannah Mundy and Kate Eddy to health and safety protocols, while shooter Rahni Samason also missed the game due to a knee injury. While only Eddy is a starting seven player for the Vixens, the losses affected their bench depth and forced a full reshuffle of the defensive end.

SHOOTING COMBINATIONS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Both teams are settling in new goal attacks this year, with Kiera Austin coming to the Vixens from Giants Netball, while Sophie Garbin joined the Magpies from the NSW Swifts. At the halfway point of the regular season, it has been Austin’s combination with Mwai Kumwenda that has clicked more effectively so far. Garbin’s combination with Shimona Nelson has taken longer to come together - more consistent court time for Garbin will be key to this connection being cemented.

UMPIRES CRACK DOWN

The trend of high penalty counts this season continued in this game, with the Vixens giving away 61 penalties and the Magpies 68. The lack of umpire experience this season has been a talking point, which may be contributing to this trend, as the umpires are not accustomed to the level of contesting that takes place in a Super Netball match. However players also have a responsibility to adjust - the Covid fatigue of a number of players across the competition could be a factor in why this adjustment has been a struggle.

- Megan Maurice

Originally published as Magpies claim Vic bragging rights as Giants on a roll: Super Netball Rd 7 Sunday wrap