Net Gains: Lightning need to win the tight battle, T-Birds proving they can defend title and will Firebirds take the coaching risk?
If the Lightning are to sneak into the finals series, they’ll need to learn how to get the tight dub, Adelaide defying odds to chase back-to-back titles and the Firebirds have a risky coaching call to make. Emma Greenwood with the Net Gains.
Sunshine Coast Lightning may scrape into the finals but they cannot win the title unless they have a significant turnaround in their ability to cherish the ball.
Net Gains highlighted last week the Lightning’s frustrating inability to get over the line in tight contest - or make a tight contest of a match they should be controlling.
That came back to haunt them on Saturday night when the Melbourne Mavericks hung in magnificently to pinch the match in the dying stages to keep their finals hopes alive.
The Mavs led for less than two minutes of the entire game but finished with their noses in front to keep their finals alive.
It was the sixth time - in just 12 games this season - that there were four goals or fewer between the Lightning and their rivals, and they have lost five of those.
That does not take into account their controversial loss to the Giants - eventually a six-point loss - that occurred after a scoring error tipped the game into extra time after the Lightning thought they had won by one goal.
So what’s the issue?
After recruiting Australian captain Liz Watson and her Diamonds teammate Courtney Bruce, the Lightning were rated competition favourites by most in the pre-season but they have not managed to find consistency on court.
An examination of match stats from all 12 Lightning games this season shows that they are too often guilty of throwing the ball away.
While they made fewer turnovers than their rivals more often than not (in seven out of 12 games), on all but three occasions their unforced turnovers were more than or equal to their rivals - even in games they won.
With defenders that are winning ball and some of the best goalers in the league, it’s a frustrating stat for the Lightning given it could cost them a place in the top four.
Regardless of how things turn out, the Mavericks have to be the overachievers of the season given their cursed start to the year.
Already starting behind the pack after establishing the club in just months following the collapse of Collingwood last year, season-ending injuries to Sasha Glasgow and Lauren Moore before a centre pass had even been taken in the competition proper meant many had the Mavs pencilled in as their wooden spooners.
The Melbourne Mavericks have pulled off another miraculous one-goal win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 29, 2024
MATCH REPORT: https://t.co/jLNp2rqdFdpic.twitter.com/zLRt6dHxPJ
But with coach Tracey Neville demanding they compete for every ball and a never-say-die attitude they have hung in and hung in and are now genuine finals contenders, especially if the Lightning make a misstep in the final fortnight of fixtures.
The Mavericks won both games against the Lightning this season and if they are to make the top four, they will shape as pivotal results.
While they have had contributions across the court, it’s goaler Gabby Sinclair that has shaped as the Lightning’s kryptonite.
On one of the few occasions the Lightning did not make more unforced errors than their rivals, the Mavs came from the clouds, with Sinclair the difference down the stretch.
The former Collingwood shooter, who played in England’s Super League last year before being recalled to join the new club, finished with five-of-six from two-point range in their first clash against the Lightning in round 4 before potting two-of-two super shots after being injected in the final minutes on Saturday night.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds are defying scriptwriters and putting themselves in a position to defend their Super Netball title despite the loss of key personnel in the off-season.
Their comprehensive win over the Vixens in Adelaide not only underlined their potential to go back-to-back as premiers but finish the regular season on top of the ladder should other results fall their way in the next fortnight.
They possess a defensive unit that has been termed the best club combination in world netball, a homegrown midcourt that can compete with the world’s best and a rangy South Australian shooter who will head into camp with the Diamonds for the next year.
But the Thunderbirds’ ship was meant to list without star goaler Eleanor Cardwell, her shooting partner Tippah Dwan and midcourter Maisie Nankivell, as well as assistant coach Tracey Neville, who’s now leading the Mavericks.
With key players in defence and the midcourt, it was thought Cardwell’s absence would be felt most keenly.
But the efforts of Romelda Aiken-George have not only helped the T-Birds but underlined the Jamaican product’s status as a legend of the game.
After 15 seasons with the Firebirds - one of them on maternity leave in 2022 when she gave birth to daughter Gianna - Aiken-George parted ways with the Queensland club and signed with the Swifts, initially as a training partner after an unhappy parting with her former club.
She helped the Swifts to a grand final less than a month after giving birth before making way for Sam Wallace, who was returning from a long-term injury and was quickly snapped up by the Thunderbirds, who quickly adapted their game around the holding shooter.
Applications for the Firebirds coaching position for 2025 close today and while several candidates are expected to put their hand up, one woman is gaining more and more support after the Queenslanders’ back-to-back wins over the last fortnight.
Katie Walker, who has taken the reins in a co-coaching capacity with veteran mentor Roselee Jencke, has the backing of the players, and, it seems, a former coach in Megan McWilliams (Anderson).
Watching Sunday’s clash between the Firebirds and NSW Swifts from the sidelines while joining her former Swifts teammates in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their 2004 premiership win, McWilliams said it would be great to see Walker in the chair next season.
“Obviously (it’s been) tough to see it play out in the media, I haven’t been involved in the back end of things so I don’t really know what has gone on but toughest for the players most of all and I really feel for them,” she said of watching the demise of axed coach Bec Bulley and the team’s turnaround.
“But to see them come out last week and have a fantastic game and just see the happiness and the joy back in their game was the best thing to see last week.”
Asked specifically about Walker, who was the then-Anderson’s assistant in 2021, she gave her endorsement.
“She is a gem of a human and she’s a great coach and most of all, she really knows the players well and I think that’s something that they possibly have been lacking,” McWilliams said.
“So for her to come in here and add this motivation and positivity, it’s exactly what they need right now but that’s not my decision for next year.
“But she’s very well qualified for next year, so it would be great if she got it.”
If the Firebirds do promote Walker, they need to give her the support and scaffolding that was lacking for both McWilliams and Bulley in their first head coaching appointments.
Like that pair, Walker has not completed her high performance accreditation and while that alone won’t ensure she’s a successful mentor, it does highlight the risk the club would be taking in signing another rookie head coach if they did not implement a structured support system.
Genuine fears existed that the Firebirds could face a player exodus at season’s end from a disillusioned playing group - half of which is off contract.
But it moved on one of its most popular last week, re-signing defensive midcourter Hulita Veve for another year.
This season shaped as a tipping point for Veve, who was going to refuse a development role had she been overlooked for a full-time gig again, believing it was time to give a younger athlete a chance.
Handed her chance in the 10 though, the Tongan captain has shown she’s well and truly up to the task of playing in the best league in the world and jumped at the chance to stay for another year.
“I’m just excited to wear the purple dress, it’s been a dream of mine ever since I was 10 years old,” the mum of two said.
“I was very lucky to get a contract for this year, so even more excited to run out there next year.
“It’s so exciting for me to have that security for next year.
“Being a mum as well and not having to go and look out for a job is huge and just really exciting.”
Many had pegged the NSW derby as a game that would shape the top four but the round 14 clash between the Swifts and Giants is now looming as a match to determine which side will avoid the wooden spoon.
The Swifts’ last gasp loss to the Queensland Firebirds was their sixth in a row - an unwanted club record in an incredibly challenging season.
Kudos to the Firebirds, who are fighting back from their own challenges - but this was a game the Swifts were controlling and should have been able to close out.
The Queensland Firebirds continue to breathe new life into their season, defeating the NSW Swifts 61-60 at Ken Rosewall Arena.
— Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 30, 2024
MATCH REPORT: https://t.co/v7UaTrioRppic.twitter.com/KVkw96CBYd
It was the reverse of the teams’ round 3 clash - one in which the Swifts came back from the brink against the Firebirds to force extra-time and claim a win after the Queenslanders had dominated the early stages.
On that occasion, it was the Firebirds who were unable to take advantage of their early form but on Sunday it was the Swifts who seemed to lack confidence in the moment.
The Giants took the game to the Fever on Sunday but one poor quarter let them down.
Captain Jo Harten though said the club wanted to leave the season on a positive note and noted the rise of young guns including Tilly McDonell and Amy Sligar.
“People like Amy Sligar, I really hope she’s going to be the heart of this club, she’s getting 60 minutes at wing defence and she’s challenging,” Harten said of setting the Giants up for the future.
“She took a ball off Jhaniele (Fowler-Nembhard) today and I couldn’t be prouder of people like her.
“We’ve got people like Tilly (McDonell) playing 60 minutes alongside international athletes like Jodi-Ann (Ward).
“There’s so much potential and it’s just bubbling away, it just hasn’t come together for us this year.”
The Melbourne Vixens have maintained their spot on top of the competition ladder despite their loss to the Thunderbirds and remain confident their tough run home is positioning them well for a run at a second Super Netball title.
The Vixens host West Coast Fever at John Cain Arena on Sunday in a match that is likely to determine whether they take out the minor premiership and host the major semi-final.
But captain Kate Moloney and coach Simone McKinnis see the games as a perfect opportunity to prepare for finals in the toughest league in the world rather than a threat to their premiership chances.