Super Netball: Uncharacteristic missed shots from the Swifts have kept the Vixens undefeated run going
The NSW Swifts will come to rue their misses when the game was up for grabs late in the final term, with the Melbourne Vixens able to hold on and maintain its undefeated start to the Super Netball season.
The Melbourne Vixens continue their flawless run in Super Netball, beating the NSW Swifts 61 to 59 to remain undefeated and clamp one hand on the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup. Four crucial and uncharacteristic super shot misses from the Swifts, when the game was in the balance, gave the Vixens the chance to play the ball around and secure the two point win in the final moments.
MVP Kiera Austin said, “We are undefeated, but we’re not where we want to be yet, so there’s still plenty to work on.”
Vixens Head Coach Simone McKinnis was pleased with the overall quality of the match, knowing how fierce the rivalry is between the two sides
“I was really impressed, there were great skills on both sides and it was always going to come down to the end. Swifts were coming back and they always will, but to have the composure and not get wound up I think we did really well”
Swifts’ shooter Helen Housby returned to her usual dominance, scoring more goals in the first quarter than she did across the whole game last week. She finished with 20 from 23 including 10 super shots, equalling her previous record. Her match up with Jo Weston was enthralling as ever; rarely were they more than a few feet apart as Weston applied her trademark tagging pressure. The Vixens’ defender was warned late in the match for delaying play, but tidied up her act to stay in the game.
The Swifts were forced to rejig their usual starting line up due to the late omission of co-captain Maddy Proud courtesy of a knee injury. This opened the door for 11th player Grace Whyte to join the match day 10, the fourth to do so this round. Whyte made her Super Netball debut late in the third term.
It was always going to be a tight tussle between two of Super Netball’s most consistent teams.
Vixens got out to a small lead but were unable to push beyond a three goal lead for over half the match. The lead stretched to eight midway through the third quarter, but in true Swifts’ fashion a flurry of super shots brought them back level heading into the final quarter.
Swifts’ head coach Briony Akle always knew the match was going to be a tight tussle, saying at half time, “We know what Vixens can do. They are a brilliant side. It will probably go down to the wire.”
Emily Mannix was a menace in defence for the Vixens, forcing more movement from the Swifts attackers as they tried to quell her impact. Mannix finished with four gains, two deflections and forced a combined five turnovers from the slick Swifts attackers.
Neither team has managed three consecutive matches against the other, since the 2017-2018 season.
Despite the loss, Akle was happier with her team’s performance across the match compared to previous weeks.
“Although we lost, I’m much more pleased with the effort that we had for 60 minutes. It’s imperative that you’ve got the ability to come back in these games, with the two point shot a game can change in a second. So we can take some positives of being able to fight back, it’s really hard to do in this league”
SARGEANT-MCKINNIS CUP
Named after two legends of netball, Anne Sargeant and Simone McKinnis, the battle for the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup is always fierce. Two of netball’s most prestigious and successful clubs have battled it out for the trophy since 2008, with Swifts coming away victorious 10 times, and Vixens seven.
PLENTY OF PENALTIES
The Swifts came into this game the most penalised team in the league, averaging 64 per game. Maddy Turner being the most expensive with an average of nearly 17 per game. While building physical pressure on court is vital, if the penalty count gets out of hand it leaves the opposition with a free run down court.
Giants-Lightning nailbiter descends into farce after score fail
The Giants have finally earned a breakthrough Super Netball win with an 86-80 extra time triumph against the Lightning in one of the most extraordinary games in recent time.
The round 5 game descended into a farce after a scoring error at the end of regulation time led to a 40-minute period of confusion and disagreement over the result.
The teams traded goals through an exciting final term, but an error on the scoring bench led to about a 40-minute delay until extra time.
Sunshine Coast believed they had won 71-70, celebrated accordingly and left the court, but the Giants believed regulation time ended at 71-71.
We are aware of a scoreboard error at the end of tonight's match. After a score review, the game between Lightning and GIANTS has been declared a draw (71-71). The players are on court warming up and we are heading into extra time.
— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) May 11, 2024
Officials scrambled to solve the issue, and as they did the teams took different tacts.
The Giants stayed on the court, stayed warm and ready to play believing there was more to come, while the Lightning players were in the rooms and umpires reportedly nowhere to be found.
“We actually protested at the time the score was changed,” said Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald during an interview during the confusion.
“The players were aware it was a draw, and when we came off we were a little bit bewildered. I understand from a review it’s been confirmed.
“I don’t want to criticize (the Lightning), I just feel … I would’ve thought there’d be something in place that we would know exactly what was going to happen here.
A 10-minute warm up will begin once both teams return to the court. There will then be two five-minute halves of extra time. https://t.co/sLz5nPR9Oi
— GIANTS Netball (@GIANTS_Netball) May 11, 2024
“It’s been a while now that it has been confirmed it was a draw but no decision has been made and we’re unaware of what might happen.”
Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds said the team was told they had won, with the one-goal “win” agreed upon by a team official, but they were forced to refocus ahead of another 10 minutes.
Reynolds said the team would have played the final moments differently had the actual score been on display.
What they said 🫣 https://t.co/Of9GVHJGQp
— Sunshine Coast Lightning (@sc_lightning) May 11, 2024
The Lightning coach also called for a review, expressing concern for players’ welfare in a team which has already dealt with three separate ACL injuries.
It took 35 minutes for the Lightning, who were told they had won the game, to re-emerge from the dressing room and walk towards the court for a 10-minute warm-up period.
The Giants came out hot, dominating the first period of extra time and building a big lead before coming home with a six-goal win.
A clearly upset Lightning captain Steph Fretwell praised the Giants for the way they attacked the extra period, but said her side would have handled the last plays of regulation time differently had the score been correct.
“You play to the scoreboard, so when we were at 30 seconds our biggest thing was keep possession,” she said.
“If we knew it was a draw we probably would’ve gone for a goal, but when you play to the scoreboard and the scoreboard is wrong …
“We would’ve played that final 30 seconds differently.
“Credit to the Giants, they came out in extra time and killed it and we weren’t up to it.
“We go back and hopefully there’s no scoreboard error in weeks to come.”
WHAT’S UP DOC?
Talked up early as premiership favourites, injury has played a role in Lightning’s lowly place on the Super Netball ladder.
Captain Steph Fretwell is still below her best after suffering an ankle injury and bone bruising in Round 2, Ava Black sustained a season-ending ankle injury before Round 4, Courtney Bruce and Mahalia Cassidy are out in Round 5 with calf and ankle injuries respectively.
SANCTION INACTION
Jamie-Lee Price tested World Netball’s new sanction system with a heavy hit on Leesa Mi Mi, but only received a penalty to stand out of play.
She followed it up a few minutes later with a hard contest against her Diamonds’ captain Watson, but escaped without warning.
Watson appeared to get frustrated with the close attention being paid to her from Price and wing defence, Sam Winders, and doled out some risky return contacts.
But, unlike Price, the calls went Watson’s way, much to the displeasure of the Sydney crowd.
THUNDERBIRDS DESTROY MAVS
An old-fashioned spray from Melbourne Mavericks’ coach Tracey Neville wasn’t enough to save her side from a 22-point annihilation, in the equal lowest score recorded in Super Netball history.
With her injury-ravaged side slipping further behind against reigning premiers Adelaide Thunderbirds, Neville tried to rally her troops during the second quarter.
She laid down the law during a timeout.
“You are feeling sorry for yourself. I am not accepting that,” Neville said.
“You are not rewarding yourself at all.”
While her side tried to respond, they were met with opposition at every turn, with Thunderbirds taking out the match 59 to 37.
However, the Melbourne-based side has had their season cruelled by a raft of injuries, including star shooter Eleanor Cardwell in the previous round. After spraining her ankle, Cardwell was unavailable to take on her former club, and in one of the biggest storylines of the season retired Diamond and mother of two Nat Butler (nee Medhurst) traded her Fox microphone for sneakers in a last-minute call up.
The inclusion shocked many, but it was a smart move given the 40-year-old’s pre-existing connections with three of the current Mavericks, after they were teammates at the now-defunct Magpies. Butler finished with four from seven in her 16-minute cameo, although struggled for accuracy in a low scoring game.
Speaking after the match, Neville said, “It was always going to be difficult with two shooters pull out at the last minute (with injury), structure changing what you’ve been working on. But that’s no excuse.”
The Thunderbirds’ attack were able to ignore all distractions, as they took advantage of early errors from the Mavericks. Neville, who defected from the Thunderbirds in the off-season, rung the changes in response, and a flurry of supershots reduced a ten point deficit to a manageable five by the first break. However, the errors continued and Thunderbirds won every quarter as they continually extended their lead.
Jamaican teammates turned club foes, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Shimona Jok, had a fascinating tussle under the post. Jok finished with a relatively quiet 15 from 19, while five of Sterling-Humphrey’s eight gains came in the last quarter.
Georgie Horjus was named MVP for the Thunderbirds, but the hero of Mavericks’ inaugural win last week, Molly Jovic and teammate Gabi Sinclair were expensive with nine errors each.
SUPPORT ACT
Tracey Neville and Tania Obst - long time friends and now coaching rivals - have been by each other’s sides in some of their finest professional moments.
When Neville guided England to an historic gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Obst was her assistant.
Roles were reversed last season, when Obst head-coached the Adelaide Thunderbirds to their inaugural Super Netball title, with Neville by her side.
This clash was the first time they’ve coached against each other at this level.
BRILLIANT BUTLER
Natalie Butler’s elite career started 21 years ago with the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and she’s since gone on to play with the Firebirds, West Coast Fever (across two separate periods) and the Collingwood Magpies.
One of the game’s legends, Butler has also notched up 86 caps for Australia, and is a thrice-time World Cup gold medallist.
The 40 year old hasn’t pulled on a netball dress since playing reserves for Fever last season.
FEVER’S RECORD FIREBIRDS THRASHING
by Georgia Doyle
West Coast Fever continued their utter domination of the Super Netball, demolishing the Queensland Firebirds 94 to 58 to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
It was a record-breaking triumph, with the 36-goal win the highest in Super Netball history as the Fever eclipsed the previous record margin (34 goals) from the last time these two teams met.
It was an absolute masterclass from Fever, who were commanding from the first whistle, with menacing full court defence and slick attack that gave Firebirds minimal opportunity to reign back in the scoreline as it blew further out each quarter.
In her 100th Super Netball game, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard proved why she is a step above the rest, with a monster 62 from 64, while Donnell Wallam was below her best with only 42 from 54.
Super Netball’s new 11th player rule paid dividends for Fever, subbing out dynamite mid-courter Kelsey Browne, for electric defender Ruth Aryang. The decision comes as Fever looks to prioritise load management as they clock up more air miles than any other club. Younger sister of Australian Diamond Sunday Aryang, Ruth played 22 minutes alongside her sister, and collectively they used their seemingly telepathic connection to reel in seven gains.
Defensive rookie Isabelle Shearer got her first good minutes for the Firebirds after debuting last week for a cameo as the game closed out.
This week, she faced the game’s biggest task — nullifying Fowler-Nembhard.
It was a tough day at the office for the 20-year-old, who failed to win any clean ball in her 25 minutes on court.
After being benched last week, Firebirds goal attack Tippah Dwan was still below her premiership-winning best. Finishing with only five from seven, she was visibly frustrated by the imposing pressure applied by Fever defenders, which forced the Firebirds attack into errors.
So confident in the team’s win were the Fever that they benched Fowler-Nembhard with 10 minutes to go, which allowed their rookie shooters valuable game time.
Fever’s wing attack, Alice Teague-Neeld claimed MVP honours, she delivered her shooters pristine ball with 29 goal assists and contributing defensively with two gains.
DEADLY DONNELL
Firebirds sharp shooter Donnell Wallam returned home to Western Australia, having grown up two hours south of Perth in Harvey.
The proud Noongar woman usually thrives when back home, with strong family support and connection to Country seeing her lift her game to another level.
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NETBALL TAKES A STAND
Super Netball players, umpires and officials have taken a united stand against violence against women, with the league declaring that all those involved will don Purple Armbands for the remainder of the season.
The colour represents domestic violence against women, with Australian Netball Players Association President Jo Weston telling media this week that players were committed to “doing more”, in raising awareness and being “part of cultural change that must occur to stop this nation-wide problem”.
Originally published as Super Netball: Uncharacteristic missed shots from the Swifts have kept the Vixens undefeated run going
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