Super Netball, round 12: Thunderbirds slay Vixens to boost three-peat hopes
Defending champions Adelaide Thunderbirds snapped Melbourne Vixens’ five-game winning streak to breathe life into their finals quest and keep their three-peat dream alive.
Defending champions Adelaide Thunderbirds snapped Melbourne Vixens’ five-game winning streak to breathe life into their finals quest and keep their three-peat dream alive.
Bouncing back from last round’s loss to the West Coast Fever, the Thunderbirds put the brakes on the Vixens’ late-season charge to score a 56-53 Win at John Cain Arena.
There was a scare for the Thunderbirds late in the game when star defender Latanya Wilson hobbled off the court with just 30 seconds left the match, but coach Tania Obst later revealed she had suffered cramps.
Spearheaded by defensive menace Wilson, attacking young gun Georgie Horjus and shooting powerhouse Romelda Aiken-George, the win propelled the Thunderbirds back into the top four at the expense of the Lightning, who now sit outside on percentage.
Melbourne remains in third position on the Super Netball ladder with two rounds to play.
Last year’s Super Netball grand final combatants, the Thunderbirds have now defeated the Vixens twice this season after their round one win in Adelaide.
The Vixens had not been defeated since their round six loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning - the day Simone McKinnis announced she would be stepping down as head coach at the end of the year.
Aiken-George top-scored for the Thunderbirds with 41 goals from 47 attempts, while Horjus (7/7, including two super shots) also provided plenty of drive after shifting from wing to goal attack in the second quarter.
Captain Kate Moloney led the charge in the midcourt for the Vixens, while Sophie Garbin top-scored for the home team with 38 goals from 41 attempts.
The Thunderbirds got off to a flying start with Aiken establishing her presence under the post and Wilson causing trouble at the other end to open an eight-goal first-quarter lead.
The Vixens struck back to win the second and third quarters as Obst shuffled her line-up across the court to find an answer to Melbourne’s charge.
With less than a minute on the clock, the Vixens fluffed several two-point chances in a desperate late bid to get over the line as the Thunderbirds held on.
The Vixens face the Queensland Firebirds at home next Sunday for the penultimate round of the season, while the Thunderbirds host the Melbourne Mavericks.
GIANTS SEAL MILESTONE WITH WIN
by Jenny Sinclair
Giants Netball co-captain Jo Harten has celebrated her 200th National League game with a five point win over the injury ravaged Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane. One of the most inspirational leaders in Super Netball, Harten’s court smarts were pivotal as the Giants hit the front early and stormed to a 68 to 63 victory, despite their other co-captain Jamie-Lee Price describing it as an “ugly win.”
Coach Julie Fitzgerald agreed saying, “Sometimes you do win ugly, but I liked the control that we showed in the last seven or eight minutes of the game. We will have ugly moments but at least we pulled through them.”
Getting the points was always going to be an uphill battle for the Firebirds, after two of their starting seven were lost to season ending knee injuries. While Tippah Dwan has been absent since Round 5, co-captain Hulita Veve was a recent omission after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in training this week. Unfortunately the loss sees the Firebirds anchored to the bottom of the ladder after 10 consecutive losses, in their worst ever season.
In a blistering first term, Harten led from the front in her milestone match as the Giants raced out to a seven point lead. Wing defence Amy Sligar was particularly punishing at wing defence, finishing with four gains in an MVP performance.
However, the Firebirds clamped down on the game in the second term. They introduced the strategic dual super shot threats of Abigail Latu-Meafou and Emily Moore, with Latu-Meafou raining in four long range shots to reduce the deficit to just three by half time.
With Harten starring at one end of the court for the Giants, it was another veteran, injury replacement player Casey Kopua, who also fired at the other. Drafted in to play goal keeper after a six year absence from elite netball, the 40 year old proved that there’s no substitute for experience as her long arms caused numerous held balls.
Matters became heated in the third quarter, when Jamie-Lee Price and Ruby Bakewell=Doran clashed as they raced for a loose ball. Firebirds’ coach Kiri Wills erupted on the bench, calling out “What about that elbow!” as Price appeared to lash out at her opponent.
Fitzgerald downplayed the episode.
“I don’t think this match was more physical than any other,” she said.
“I don’t want to see players sent from the court unless it’s a deliberate thing and I didn’t see anything tonight that was possibly deliberate.
“That’s what our game is now.”
As the Firebirds hit the lead in the final term and tried to steam home, Giants’ coach Fitzgerald rang the changes, bringing supersub Matisse Letherbarrow on at goal shooter, and shifting Harten out in front of her.
The move was effective, with Letherbarrow having a huge impact on the scoreboard in her cameo, hitting 8/10 including 4 supershots, to overhaul the lead again and seal the match.
THE JO SHOW
Since she first burst onto the netball scene as a gangly teenager, Jo Harten has established herself as one of the world’s finest goal shooters and an inspirational leader.
Now living in Sydney with her wife and daughter, Harten spearheaded the English Roses to their famous 2018 Commonwealth Games victory as part of her 117 national caps.
She also rates helping to establish Giants Netball from the ground up as one of her greatest achievements.
CONTRACTING CHAOS
With the contracting period not far away, how the Firebirds manage their problematic goal attack position will be fascinating.
Abigail Latu-Meafou has come into her own in recent weeks, after limited court time earlier in the season.
Now the Firebirds’ preferred starter, her game smarts should hopefully see her earn a contract.
KOPUA’S KAPOW FACTOR
For those who wondered why Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald signed former New Zealand captain Casey Kopua as an injury replacement player, the stats paint the picture.
In the 40 year old’s four games Kopua’s helped the club to their first two wins of the season, and in those four games she sits equal first for rebounds and third for the most gains.
Quite an achievement!
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