Super Netball round eight: Melbourne Vixens vex West Coast Fever grand final replay win, Sydney Swifts solidify top four spot
Melbourne got revenge in the grand final replay, while the Swifts grabbed an important win with finals ramifications. Catch up with all the round eight Super Netball action.
A Super Shot has been the difference for the Melbourne Vixens, who take bragging rights over the West Coast Fever in a replay of last year’s grand final. While the Swifts downed the Lightning to gain breathing space in the top four.
Catch up with all the round eight Super Netball action.
Swifts down Lightning to solidify top four spot
-Jenny Sinclair
NSW Swifts’ coach Briony Akle endured the agonies of yet another close game, as her side edged out Sunshine Coast Lightning by just four points. The Swifts have made a habit of winning ugly this Super Netball season, with their other victories coming by three points or less.
Co-captain Maddy Proud acknowledged how difficult the tight matches are for her coach. Shortly before the match, she said, “We are causing her a little bit of pain!”
Despite the narrow margins, Swifts have now won four games in a row and cemented third place on the ladder. Speaking after the match, shooter Helen Housby explained that the string of tight games have been hard work.
She said, “More than anything it takes it out of your legs, but it’s given us a lot of confidence in our belief to win.”
An undermanned Lightning placed Swifts under pressure from the start, pouncing on any loose balls in defence. However, in their eagerness to get to the ball, Mahalia Cassidy became a victim of friendly fire. She looked dazed on the sidelines as the medical team assessed her for concussion, but was able to return to play in the second half.
With the worst defensive record in the league, the Swifts defenders needed to impact Lightning’s all-Australian shooting circle. Struggling initially, they made a crucial player switch in the second quarter.
Eventual MVP Sarah Klau moved out to goal defence, while Maddy Turner took over her bib at goal keeper. The long arms of Klau worked wonders in limiting Wood’s vision into the circle, turning a deficit into a narrow one goal lead by half time.
In a bid to add further height, Teigan O’Shannassy came on at goal keeper shortly after play resumed. Standing at 188 centimetres tall, she kept Cara Koenen to just six goals in the third term as the Swifts built their lead.
Frustration crept into Lightning’s game, with Steph Wood rolling her eyes at a number of calls. However, coach Belinda Reynolds was having none of her team’s grumbles, calling on players to have a crack at the ball rather than throwing their hands in the air.
With both teams laying down plenty of two-pointers, the final quarter came down to a shootout. Housby ended up with seven in a 22 goal haul, while at the other end Wood scored nine, out of a total of 15.
Maddy Proud had a monster game, directing traffic in the middle and recording 44 feeds and even chiming in for an intercept.
While Akle was happy to take the win, she said there’s lots to work on before meeting Fever next week.
“We are building every week. To build a premiership takes time.”
During their inaugural Pride match, both teams wore black armbands in support of Charlie Bell, whose father passed away during the week. Lightning were also missing Shannon Eagland, who ruptured her ACL last week.
It was confirmed midweek that Shannon Eagland’s knee injury, sustained during Round 7, was a ruptured ACL that will require surgery. It’s the third injury of its kind for the embattled club this season, leaving many of their players traumatised and in tears. Eagland ruptured her other ACL in 2017.
The Swifts have the worst defensive efficiency in Super Netball, by some margin. However, they are sandwiched inside the top four through sheer attacking brilliance. The Swifts score off their own centre pass more than any other team, bar Fever, at a 77 per cent success rate.
Vixens vex Fever in one-point grand final replay win
-Georgia Doyle
The Melbourne Vixens took sweet revenge with their victory over West Coast Fever during Super Netball’s inaugural Inclusion Round. They took a one goal victory after the buzzer, courtesy of a super shot from MVP Kiera Austin. It was a fitting celebration for co-captain Kate Moloney who celebrated her 150th match in the navy dress.
After missing last week’s game with injury, Vixens wing defence Kate Eddy made her presence felt from the first whistle. She drew first blood, picking the pocket of Verity Simmons and from there Vixens stormed out to a five-goal lead.
Eddy continued to wreak havoc, reeling in two intercepts and three deflections, with her impressive wingspan also restricting Alice Teague-Neeld’s vision to the circle.
Fever coach Dan Ryan recognised the intensity and pressure on the game. Where he would usually encourage his team to attack the two point shot, during a second quarter time out he instead told sharp shooter Sasha Glasgow “You don’t need heroics. We just need to stay in touch”.
And stay in touch they did, with three successful super shots to head into the main break trailing by just two goals.
Feeling the effects of playing their last four out of five games on the road, Fever were visibly fatigued. In attack, leads towards the ball were sparse, while in defence everyone seemed to be in chase mode. As a result they were highly whistled, with 60 penalties compared to 45 from Vixens.
Contentious umpiring calls had the score locked at 66 heading into the final super shot period. Fever were flustered and made uncharacteristic errors, giving Vixens a narrow lead. Fowler came to the rescue nailing two super shots to give them a one-goal lead.
But a final penalty from Bruce in the super shot zone gave Vixens an opportunity, and Austin capitalised, nailing the shot and solidifying Vixens in the top four.
It was business as usual for Jhaniele Fowler, unperturbed by the elevation and aerial prowess of Liv Lewis, as she scored 50/52 and reeled in six vital rebounds.
IMPORTANCE OF INCLUSION
As part of the league‘s inaugural Inclusion Round, both teams highlighted three inclusive initiatives under the heading “Everyone Belongs”. This focused on LGBTQIA+ folk, people with a disability and those who are culturally and linguistically diverse and showing how they are welcomed and valued within the netball community.
MOLONEY’S MILESTONE
Vixens co-captain Kate Moloney played her 150th domestic match in their victory against Fever. She debuted for the club in 2013, taking over captaincy in 2017. In this time she has won two premierships, two Sharelle McMahon Medals for Vixens MVP and notched up 25 test appearances for the Australian Diamonds, including a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
COMING UP ROSES
Fever sharp shooter Sasha Glasgow was a notable omission from Stacey Marinkovich’s Australian squad, opening the door for her to be selected for the England Roses, courtesy of her parentage. With the recent announcement of Jo Harten’s retirement, her strong performance with 13 goals and 17 feeds will no doubt have her on the radar of the Roses selectors.
Giants on the ropes after Thunderbirds late charge
– Kate Allman
The Giants Netball are in dire straits as they stare down the second half of the 2023 Super Netball season with just two wins on the board after losing 54-50 to the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
Pride was on the line in more ways than one, with the home side donning rainbow dresses to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride, at the same time hoping to clock just their third win in eight rounds of Super Netball.
It was never going to be easy. Almost every player hit the deck or went super-manning across the court in what became an increasingly physical contest.
“Shoulders back, heads up, we take the hit,” English international shooter Eleanor Cardwell roared at her team during a time-out in the second quarter, when the Giants began closing down the scoreboard by scoring off intercepts.
But Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald didn’t seem to mind the physicality. Calling a time-out in the first quarter, she told her team, “We’re going to have to be off the body and we’re going to have to make those three feet really good. If [the umpires] want three feet to be a little longer, then we can adjust.” With scores locked at half time and the Giants even glimpsing victory with a two-point lead in the final quarter, a failed Super Shot attempt in the dying seconds by usually unshakeable Sophie Dwyer was all the home side’s loss came down to.
A LOT MOORE ACTION
Cardwell and Giants defender Moore were in their own game of perpetual argy-bargy, with the taller Thunderbird using her strength and bullishly owning the scoring space.
Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald has called on Moore for the past two matches to wear the goal keeper bib from the starting siren. It was a decision that excited fans last week against the Swifts, as Moore showed flashes of her ability to elevate last week against star shooter Romelda Aiken-George.
This week, she somehow found lofty new heights against Cardwell. Her desperation also gave her the edge over Thunderbirds’ goal attack Tippah Dwan. Moore finished the match with three intercepts and five gains.
STERLING THE SILENT ASSASSIN
Thunderbird Shamera Sterling astonishingly spent most of the first quarter with her hands on her hips, legs crossed, without a single touch in the first 14 minutes. Her first touch came with an intercept under the post in the final minute of the first quarter.
But you can’t keep the star Jamaican international quiet for long. She rejected a crucial Super Shot attempt by game’s leading two-point shooter Sophie Dwyer and propelled into the game from there.
Sterling leads the league in defensive rebounds and deflections and added three rebounds, one gain and seven intercepts.
BOGEY TEAM
The Giants were previously something of a bogey team for the Thunderbirds, as the only team to have beaten the Adelaide side this season.
With Saturday’s win, the Thunderbirds have now won three of the 14 match ups against the Giants in Super Netball history.
Firebirds back to winning ways against Magpies
– Alex Murdoch
A mother-of-two who had only played four Super Netball equivalent games provided the spark that helped catapult the Queensland Firebirds to its second victory in Brisbane on Saturday – downing the Collingwood Magpies 73-67.
Tongan captain Hulita Veve, who ran on as centre at halftime moving Firebirds skipper Kim Ravaillion to wing defence, replaced speedster Macy Gardner who was out due to a broken wrist against the Melbourne Vixens last week.
Veve, who had only played two ANZ Championship games and two Super Netball matches including the 2016 winning grand final for the Firebirds, kickstarted the fightback of a lifetime.
Shooter Donnell Wallam was also on fire, shooting 65/68 with an accuracy of 95.6 per cent compared with the Magpies’ main shooter, Jamaican import Shimona Nelson, who scored 58/58 at 96.6 per cent.
For the Firebirds and Magpies, it was the second time the sides had clashed, with the latter taking the honours early last month with an eight-point 69-61 victory over the Queenslanders.
Determined for a different result, the Firebirds came out swinging, quickly drawing away to a five-point 10-5 lead despite the shock loss of Gardner.
The Magpies, however, didn’t stay down long, hitting back fast and hard and by the end of the first quarter it was anybody’s game at 15-15.
In the second quarter it was more of the same, a brutal battle of the shooters (Wallam scoring 96 per cent and Nelson 97 per cent accuracy) with neither side giving an inch.
When the smoke cleared at halftime Collingwood was again in the ascendant with a two-point lead 37-35, with both sides aided by two two-point Super Shots.
The third quarter, however, was Firebirds masterclass, turning the tide to create a six-point lead 52-46 in an absolute cracker quarter for the Queenslanders.
Not only did they score 19 goals to the Pies 12, but they ended with a five-point 54-49 lead.
While Ash Brazill’s return to the midcourt was a huge boon to the Magpies after illness prevented the wing defence from partaking in last weekend’s loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
For Kelsey Browne and Jodi-Ann Ward, who were celebrating their 100th and 50th game milestones respectively, it was definitely not the outcome they would have preferred.
Meanwhile, the game marked the third annual Pride Match between the two teams, with this battle also coinciding with the Super Netball Inclusion Round.
With both teams donning rainbow warm-up gear in the lead-up to the game, the Pride Match was designed to show the LGBTIQ community that they were welcome and safe in Netball.
Firebirds goal attack Emily Moore, who scored 6/9 at 66.7 per cent was declared player of the match. She gave credit to Veve for stepping up, while also admitting it was great to play alongside gun players like Wallam.
Originally published as Super Netball round eight: Melbourne Vixens vex West Coast Fever grand final replay win, Sydney Swifts solidify top four spot
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