Bianca Chatfield: Crucial start for Firebirds, and the recruitment wins that make Swifts an early pace-setter

The heavily-scrutinised Firebirds’ crucial win has put them on the front foot, while the Swifts and T-Birds are deserved pace-setters. But some teams are clearly struggling already. BIANCA CHATFIELD’S round 1 SSN report card.

What a season it’s going to be if the opening round of Super Netball games is any indication.

You just got the feeling every team was ready to go, there was none of that first-game lack of intensity, teams just took charge straight away.

Clubs now seem to be playing a lot of practice matches against other Super Netball teams and

with every result crucial in a 14-game season, they’re ready to go from the first whistle.

We certainly saw that from the Adelaide Thunderbirds as they chase a third straight premiership.

They’re an outstanding team and have strengths all over the court, including Romelda Aiken-George.

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For a player who came into the season off an interrupted pre-season after knee surgery only recently, she does not look like she’s slowing down and the Thunderbirds picked up where they left off last season.

The Lightning, Swifts and Firebirds also shone with round 1 wins.

Hopefully it’s a sign of great things to come.

DISTINCTION

Fighting Firebirds

It may have looked like just a win against the Giants – a match I thought could have gone either way – but it’s quite significant in what the Firebirds have gone through in the off-season, their savvy recruiting, a new coach, new ways of doing it – and certainly players that all were so desperate to make sure they got this first win over the line.

The limited number of turnovers was one of the key things that showed a well-oiled machine has been operating in the background at trainings to try and get this team to understand what they need to do with their new personnel – like Mary Cholhok at shooter – even though they are still finding their feet as a new collective.

Hulita Veve and Lara Dunkley celebrate their round one victory. Picture: Getty

But thinking about the fractures that were evident last season, the Firebirds wouldn’t have been able to hold on for a win like that last year after the Giants fought their way back into the game.

The players that have been in the trenches during the toughest times over the past couple of seasons – and recent weeks when a glaring spotlight came on the club after the results of Netball Australia’s independent investigation into the culture of the club was handed down – really stood up when the game was on the line and showed their desperation to make sure the team started the season with a win.

From a culture perspective, you can have so much going on in the background, all of this loud noise about how much things have changed, but it’s what this group of 10 players and the coaches can do together on game day, where they can dig in and really show the grit that they have and how much resistance they’ve been able to build together, that matters.

Firebirds head coach Kiri Wills and Lara Dunkley. Picture: Getty

To me, that’s the key to them being able to win on game day.

It is about blocking out that noise and it is about trying to stick together. It’s about a team collective that can often just be brushed past as being not relevant in the professional era.

But to this team, it is so important that they know how to stick together and they know how to charge forward and support each other.

Whatever happens at the administrative level, or whatever gets dug up from the past, this team has to be able to move forward and know that people are handling that on their behalf, for them, and not look at that anymore.

Starting the season with a win was so significant for the Birdies, it’s like a finals win for another outfit.

This is the strong, solid foundation they needed and to know that what they’ve been doing in the pre-season and the changes they’ve made are all leading in the right direction, would be a huge sigh of relief.

The Swifts made some big moves this off-season, including bringing in Grace Nweke. Picture: Getty

Savvy Swifts

You had to put the Swifts at No.1 in the off-season recruiting race after they picked up Grace Nweke, Verity Simmons and Sharni Lambden.

And the way they went out and played against the West Coast Fever over in Perth – probably the hardest place to play in this league – is a significant win for that team.

We already knew Nweke was probably going to be the best recruit of the season but it was the recruiting of Verity Simmons coming in for Maddy Proud that was a masterstroke from Briony Akle and that’s without even touching on Lambden, who was also outstanding.

You’ve got to add assistant coach Dylan Nexhip, the current Australian men’s captain, into that recruiting mix as well.

Verity Simmons’ recruitment was a masterstroke. Picture: Getty

I thought Sarah Klau really struggled defensively last season, she was heavily penalised and out of play a lot but she and Maddy Turner were really methodical in their take-down of the Fever and must be really loving just having Dylan’s eyes on their game.

For experienced players, like Turner, Klau and Paige Hadley, the girls that have been around the team and in that same environment for a long time, bringing in someone different in an assistant role can be just the rejuvenation you need.

I remember when Michelle den Dekker came into the Diamonds set-up towards the end of my career, it was like a breath of fresh air having someone different watching my game, giving me different feedback and different ways of explaining things.

It was a real game-changing moment for me personally and I just think having someone like Nexhip in that role for the Swifts is another recruiting tick for them.

After the disappointment of last season, it showed they’re a different team with a different way of looking at things – and their performance on Sunday was scary for the rest of the league.

Belinda Reynolds, and the Sunshine Coast Lightning, also came away with a first-round win. Picture: Getty

PASS

Belinda Reynolds

The Sunshine Coast Lightning coach made several proactive strategic moves in her team’s win against the Mavericks on Saturday.

She was clearly capitalising on the upskilling of players that had gone on in the pre-season and strategic moves the team has been working on in the background.

The Lightning were winless against the Mavericks in two tight games last season and Reynolds knew it was important to make the right moves at the right time to ensure her team started the season on the right foot.

Even if it was just one centre pass that didn’t work, then the change was made – and that’s what I really liked seeing from Belinda Reynolds.

Reilley Batcheldor is the real deal. Picture: Getty

A player like Reilley Batcheldor is no longer just coming on for the super shot, she is now a real deal shooter who can play 60 minutes for the Lightning.

Cara Koenen, who started at goal attack, still has shooting volume in her game but Reynolds had no hesitation in injecting Batcheldor into the game for the Diamond, while her decision to start Steph Fretwell at goal shooter and open up the space in front of her, was a masterstroke.

Ditto, the move to slot Kristiana Manu’a into the starting seven, especially when she had spent most of the pre-season with the Mavericks and could read their centre pass so well.

It was the case in every area of the court as well.

While Ash Ervin dominated at ‘keeper last year, Reynolds started Courtney Bruce in the GK bib, knowing the importance of sweating on Mavericks shooter Shimona Jok from the first whistle.

It was just really clever coaching and I enjoyed seeing a different dimension to the Lightning.

The Vixens continue to have trouble on the road. Picture: Getty

FAIL

Vixens playing in Adelaide

The Melbourne Vixens need to learn how to travel to Adelaide and be able to take on the Thunderbirds.

It’s quite hard to believe that they can’t figure that out.

The Thunderbirds are an excellent team and have excellent players all over the court.

If the challenge is in experience, the Vixens have that in spades. Clearly it’s a mental thing.

I think the Vixens are going to have to really put that game to the side and hope they can somehow work through what they’re going to do if they have to go back to South Australia and play the Thunderbirds again in the finals.

Kate Eddy of the Vixens. Picture: Getty

While last year’s grand final loss was heartbreaking, it was only by two goals and I thought they would be excited to take the Thunderbirds on again on their home court.

And maybe they were, but it’s just how quickly things just unravel for.

Once the Thunderbirds got a few goals up in that second quarter, the Vixens just capitulated.

The shining lights for the Vixens were Kate Eddy and Lily Graham – the two players we probably don’t talk about enough in that team – and they really saved them in that second half to ensure it was not a the thrashing like the one the T-Birds handed out in the semi-final last season.

NA’s maternity leave policy

This is absolutely nothing to do with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard returning to the Fever after a tragic miscarriage earlier this year, I don’t think there’s anyone in the game that begrudges her returning and wouldn’t celebrate one of the best player in the game returning to the league.

But having some clarity around how that works from a contractual point of view is the most important thing for Netball Australia to focus on because at the moment, there’s a lot of conversation around it.

With another player having been signed as a permanent replacement this season and making the tough decision to move her young family across the country to take up that contract, NA can’t just expect everyone – especially other clubs – to sit back and not ask questions about how that works.

It’s important for Fowler-Nembhard and her replacement Mwai Kumwenda as well.

You want some transparency so Fowler-Nembhard can come back and play the game without having to constantly relive the reasons around her return.

Our sport has to be brave and bold when making policies that affect women like this does and not hide from tough conversations – including on player injuries.

We can’t just hide away and think it’ll go away, we just won’t worry talking about it.

This is the moment where we really have to be strong as a sport.

Obviously a lot would be going on the behind the scenes between the clubs and Netball Australia to work through it but if the more transparency there will be, which can only be good for everyone.

Originally published as Bianca Chatfield: Crucial start for Firebirds, and the recruitment wins that make Swifts an early pace-setter