Super Netball: Mavericks one game from finals, Thunderbirds take back top spot
The Mavericks are on the brink of making the Super Netball finals, the Fever snatch a one-point victory over the Vixens and the Thunderbirds hand Swifts their seventh straight loss to secure top spot.
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The Adelaide Thunderbirds have downed the NSW Swifts 60 to 48 in Sydney, shooting to top place on the Super Netball ladder after West Coast Fever defeated the Melbourne Vixens earlier in the day. The Swifts didn’t make it easy for them however, holding the Thunderbirds to one of their smallest winning margins this season.
The 12 point loss is now the Swifts seventh consecutive defeat this season, their worst ever streak in the club’s proud history. Coach Briony Akle said, “I’m really disappointed. We were in there, with three and five (point) difference.
“When you’ve had a season like we’ve had, you dig deeper for one percenters, two percenters.”
Akle acknowledged how difficult it had been for the team in the wake of the club’s separation from strike shooter Sam Wallace-Joseph. She said, “I know they’re a great group of athletes who’ve gone through a rough time. They will come out the other side, they are too good not to. They are champion players that will rebound and we are excited by that.”
Like every other team this season the Swifts struggled against a smothering Adelaide defence that finished with 15 gains. In the final game of First Nations Round, Akle sprung a selection surprise, opting for the moving circle of Helen Housby and Sophie Fawns. Cracks appeared shortly after the game started, with Thunderbird and MVP Shamera Sterling-Humphrey blocking two attempts at the post in the first few minutes of the match. Sterling-Humphrey was an absolute menace, with her pressure over the shot restricting the Swifts to just 62 percent accuracy early on.
Searching for more firepower, Akle swung Tongan international Uneeq Palavi into goal shooter during the second term, looking for strength and creativity under the post. Palavi also had her work cut out for her against the Thunderbirds defence, but finished with some razzle-dazzle off the post and a slightly more accurate 10 goals at 71 percent during her 27 minutes on court.
After the match, Palavi said her side put out some ‘real fight’ and spoke about the challenge of playing against the world’s best defender. She said, “Coming against Shamera was pretty nerve-wracking but I didn’t let her status get into my head too much.”
With the Swifts trailing by eight points at half time, co-captain Maddy Proud said her side had patches of brilliance, but needed more of them. She led the way for her side with a dynamic attacking effort, but lacked support as others faltered around her.
With the game slipping ever further from the Swifts’ reach, Akle kept shuffling her side, searching for ways to stop the rot. During a time out she said to her side, “We have nothing to lose, go for the twos but protect each other.” However, the Thunderbirds held the Swifts to just ten points for the third quarter as their rampage continued. They let the final quarter slip to the Swifts, but remain in ominous form ahead of finals.
The Swifts had ten gains defensively, and their pressure caused some chaos at times as they forced the Thunderbirds attacking end into errors. Romelda Aiken-George continued her vintage season with the Thunderbirds, top scoring with 43/46.
WHAT’S IN A YEAR?
This time last year, the Thunderbirds defeated minor premiers Swifts in the Super Netball grand final. Twelve months on, the Thunderbirds are on track for a back to back title, while the Swifts languish at the wrong end of the ladder. Their seventh consecutive loss is the club’s worst streak in its 28 year history, their season cruelled after they parted company with strike shooter Sam Wallace-Joseph in controversial circumstances. Uneeq Palavi has filled the gap admirably in the last few weeks, but all eyes are on who the Sydney-siders will recruit for next season.
DIAMOND WATCH
With a busy international season ahead, youngster Georgie Horjus is putting her hand up for a Diamonds’ debut. Finishing the game with 40 feeds, 20 goal assists and five goals during a brief goal attack cameo, Horjus’ game smarts and versatility make her a possible candidate to replace the retired Steph Fretwell.
Fever level up the top spot on the ladder after nail biting win
West Coast Fever have created a logjam at the top of the Super Netball ladder with a 68-67 victory in a finals-like thriller against the Melbourne Vixens at John Cain Arena.
Both teams now sit in equal-first and are expected to be joined by the Adelaide Thunderbirds and it sets up a fascinating final round of the home-and-away season with the all-important finals double chance up for grabs for the top two.
The Vixens attempted several super shots to try to pinch victory late but Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard remained calmest in the dying moments as she continued her dominant season by shooting 60 of 61 attempts.
The Jamaican goal shooter was the highest rated player on the court and she inspired her side to play old fashioned netball as they only scored one super shot - courtesy of goal attack Shanice Beckford.
The Fever were incredibly efficient with their ball use in the attacking third as they put up 74 shots from 76 feeds.
“My team came out here with one goal in mind and that was to fight really hard. Super proud of how we played in defence through to attack,” Fowler-Nembhard said.
“We want a top two finish because we’ve been fighting so hard throughout the season.
“It would mean a lot for us. That’s what we’re gunning for.”
Fever wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld was superb for a second straight match with 25 goal assists and 29 feeds, and she combined strongly with centre Jess Anstiss whose defensive efforts were pivotal.
The Fever’s desperation was the difference in the end with wing defence Sunday Aryang having a match-high three intercepts which was as many as the entire Vixens side.
In the goal circle, Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney were enormous with a combined three intercepts, while Dehaney produced eight deflections as they harassed the typically prolific Vixens shooting pair of Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin.
The Diamonds squad members coughed up five turnovers apiece as they struggled to handle the in-your-face style of defending of Williams and Dehaney, and youngster Lily Graham played most of the second half as a result.
For the Vixens, it is a second straight defeat to a fellow premiership contender after a 15-goal loss to the Adelaide Thunderbirds last week.
The home side were ill-disciplined giving away 18 more penalties than the Fever and they were unable to find the right mix in defence with Kate Eddy returning to wing defence resulting in Emily Mannix being benched to start the game.
Vixens young attackers provide spark
The Fever led by as much as nine goals during the second quarter and it appeared as if the game might be a blow out.
Vixens coach Simone McKinnis then made a crucial change with Sophie Garbin benched in favour of 18-year-old Lily Graham who found an ally in 20-year-old wing attack Zara Walters to breathe life into the contest.
Graham and Walters have only played five matches each in their Super Netball careers but they showed the composure of veterans.
Graham nailed four super shots in the second quarter’s power five to level the scores at half time and she went to play most of the second half finishing with 17 of goals including six super shots.
Walters meanwhile the highest rated Vixen with a game-high 28 goal assists and 48 feeds in just her second game back from injury.
Regular Vixens wing attack Hannah Mundy missed with a quad injury and Walters’ performance puts an interesting selection question to Vixens coach Simone McKinnie ahead of the finals.
Final round equations
The Vixens face the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane on Saturday to finish the home-and-away season, while the Fever play at home against the Melbourne Mavericks later that day.
Both sides will then have to sit back and watch the Adelaide Thunderbirds take on the Sunshine Coast Lightning at home on Sunday to see how the final ladder positions play out.
Mavericks one game from Super Netball history
With just one regular season round to go, Super Netball’s newest club is on the brink of reaching finals in its first year.
The Melbourne Mavericks wrenched a nailbiting 55-54 win from the clutches of the Giants Netball to launch into the top four in front of 5,000 fans in Sydney on Saturday night.
Through a seesawing match, neither side could edge away with more than a five-goal lead.
Scores were locked and the Giants looked in control with 90 seconds to go, but a wayward Giants’ pass across the top of the circle was tipped by Kim Jenner before she collided with Amy Sligar on the sideline.
The Mavericks’ Eleanor Cardwell finished the goal after the intercept, keeping the possibility of a finals fairytale alive in the penultimate round.
“I’m just so proud of this group, to come away and nail it in the last five seconds is a true credit to this team. It’s really hard to get those clutch wins, and we’ve shown it now two weeks on the trot,” said Mavericks coach Tracey Neville.
“Two back-to-back wins for us is a first – that for us is an inaugural event. Everything at the moment is an inaugural event and that’s why we celebrate so hard.”
Sligar left the court after the full-time buzzer with a suspected serious wrist injury, which coach Julie Fitzgerald said had yet to be checked out but “certainly doesn’t look good”.
“It did seem a little bit strange that it was just play on, we had two players lying on the ground on the sideline,” Fitzgerald said.
The Melbourne Mavericks made a stumbling entrance to the league this year with three losses on the trot to start the season. But a handful of single-point wins, including both this week and last week, have kept them in the hunt for an inaugural finals berth.
SHIMONA’S RAW DEAL
Jamaican international Shimona Jok has been earning more than her keep at the Mavericks since the former Collingwood Magpie was controversially brought in as an 11th player this season.
Jok is surviving on meagre $22,000 six-month salary but played every minute of every quarter and topped the individual scoring on Saturday.
She shot with 100 per cent accuracy for the first half, and finished with 34 goals from 35 attempts, bettering her English international teammate Eleanor Cardwell’s 17 from 21.
“Shimona’s been a massive asset, she’s worked really hard to earn that place. Her energy, communication and passion on and off the bench is really important as well,” Neville said.
Players named in the standard 10 of Super Netball squads are earning more than double what Jok is, with minimum contracts of $48,000.
NOT A GREAT LOOK
The Giants held a smoking ceremony to open their home game for First Nations Round and invited the Mavericks to attend. The visitors didn’t show for the ceremony, which was held an hour and a half before the match – reportedly because it didn’t align with their 90-minute pre-match routine.
“We apologise for that, we didn’t want to disrespect it in any way, we just found out quite late and had hoped to be able to change the time. Our warm-up and pre-game time is really important – we have a lot of people in our team that need strapping and treatment,” Neville said when asked to clarify.
The timing was not ideal on two fronts as it came in the same week Netball Australia, Netball Queensland, the Australian Netball Players’ Association released a statement to take a stand against racism.
LIGHTNING’S HOPES STAY ALIVE
by Katrina Nissen
Sunshine Coast Lightning’s thumping 16 point win against the Queensland Firebirds has kept their Super Netball finals hopes alive, holding onto fourth place on the ladder but with a difficult match against the Thunderbirds next week. However, the 83 to 67 point victory has quashed the hopes and hearts of Queensland Firebirds fans, who were an unlikely chance for finals after their late season charge up the rankings.
Pre-match, star Firebirds shooter Donnell Wallam was in tears during an emotional Welcome to Country as part of First Nations round. Wallam regained her composure to have moments of brilliance, but struggled for accuracy to finish with 31 from 43 at 72 percent.
It’s been a tough week for the proud Noongar woman, who has received widespread support from the Australian netball community after sharing a racist diatribe she received on social media, and she wasn’t at her best.
The intense rivalry and finals desperation of the two Queensland clubs was abundantly clear as both sides scrapped for each ball across the full 60 minutes. They each had opportunities to pull away early in the match but were unable to capitalise on opportunities. However, Lightning opened things up in the first super shot period with Steph Fretwell and Reilley Batcheldor nailing five to send the visitors into the first break with a handy four goal lead. Fretwell finished the match with four from six in the supershot period while Batcheldor nailed four from five during her supershot cameos.
The wheels continued to fall off for the Firebirds in the second quarter as their centre pass-to-goal rate fell to a lowly 50 percent.
With nothing left to lose, the Firebirds rolled the dice, bringing on Isabelle Shearer and captain Kim Ravaillion, who hasn’t played since these two sides last met in Round 7.
On Ravallion’s return, interim coach, Katie Walker said she was proud of her return.
“It was awesome to have Rav back out there,” Walker said.
“For the way she plays and the way she leads and her presence.
“I thought she did a great job to come in and steady the ship. It was a tough ask to come in, in chase mode, but in those moments we are lucky to have someone like her to turn to.”
The midcourt battle between Tongan captain Hulita Veve and Diamonds captain Liz Watson was fierce, with neither leader giving an inch. In the first quarter, Veve took an elbow to the ribs for her efforts, but her close attention did little to slow down Watson, who mounted a huge 45 feeds, only slightly higher than teammate Leesa Mi Mi’s 42 feeds.
Every Firebirds player saw court time in the 16 loss, but no combination was able to slow the goals raining for the confident Sunshine Coast side. Lightning also got minutes into each of their athletes ahead of next week’s crucial game.
Wakka Wakka woman Mi Mi finished with MVP honours.
Speaking post match, she said the best is still yet to come for the Lightning.
“Our punishment was great throughout this game,” she said.
“But we still have a lot of improvement to do as we aren’t up there yet. Hopefully, we can do that next week.”
With the focus now on finals for the Lightning, coach Belinda Reynolds is ruing the close matches they lost during the season. “It is exciting for the league but not so much exciting for us,” she said post match. “But if we deserve to be there, we will win those games. We will walk towards it as we have the last few games where we have been under the pump to make finals, the last five or six weeks.”
THE ANXIOUS WAIT
Despite holding onto fourth position and having a superior percentage, the Lightning are not safely in the finals yet. They have an anxious wait to see the results of the Melbourne Mavericks clash with West Coast Fever in Round 14.
If the new kids on the block lose, Lightning will play finals.
If they win, Lightning will need to take a mere one point victory over the Adelaide Thunderbirds to secure their sixth finals berth in eight seasons.
MAMMOTH MINUTES
Liz Watson and Ruby Bakewell-Doran are the only two players not to have spent time on the bench this season. Watson leads all-comers with 799 minutes of total game time, which includes two extra-time matches. She has only missed one minute of match play courtesy of a positional switch in Round 2. Bakewell-Doran has also played every minute of the Firebirds season for a total of 790 minutes.
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Originally published as Super Netball: Mavericks one game from finals, Thunderbirds take back top spot
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