By Damien Stannard
The Melbourne Vixens copped a reality check, Giants Netball are on a roll, and the NSW Swifts and Adelaide Thunderbirds face a long haul to be any chance of reaching the finals after an eventful Round 7.
Netty in a nutshell
Suncorp Super Netball’s unpredictability is what makes the league such a riveting spectacle every week.
Melbourne Vixens coach Simone McKinnis might not agree but upset losses to the Sunshine Coast Lightning and Collingwood Magpies in recent weeks suggests no team is safe.
And while Lightning coach Kylee Byrne promised to quiz the umpiring group over “one-sided” calls, few would have predicted the gaping margin of her side’s crushing loss to Giants Netball.
The Giants are on the move after three consecutive wins, the most recent of which was helped along by the ageless April Brandley who pocketed nine gains and seven rebounds.
Collingwood is also on the move. Their ambush win in the local derby elevated them into fifth place ahead of the Lightning on percentage.
It also gave the Vixens a little reality check ahead of a tough Round 8 clash with the Queensland Firebirds.
“We didn’t have the work rate or intensity about what we were doing,” said McKinnis whose side was in catch-up mode for most of the afternoon.
“It took a little while before we realised it’s on.”
Eyecatcher
What would Australia’s Commonwealth Games rivals give to have this nation’s depth at wing attack?
Three players – Alice Teague-Neeld, Kelsey Browne and Maddie Hay – played critical roles in this eventful round.
All were heavily involved and all were dependable under pressure. That they combined enormous contributions on the circle edge with low turnovers set them apart from many of their midcourt peers.
It was only three years ago that Teague-Neeld’s place in the competition looked shaky. After hopping from the Vixens to the Magpies and then to the West Coast Fever, Neeld had to stand up.
Former Fever coach Stacey Marinkovich backed her and so has Dan Ryan who has allocated the ex-Victorian more minutes at wing attack this season. She has justified their faith.
Under a heap of pressure from Hannah Petty, Teague-Neeld added 40 feeds for just two turnovers against the Thunderbirds.
Browne (34 feeds, one turnover) and Hay (42, 2) were just as clean.
Although they played in beaten sides in Round 7, Liz Watson, Laura Scherian and Maddy Proud can also hold their heads up.
Long bomb
If you opined two weeks ago that the Magpies would feature in a match of the round the laughter would be deafening.
Yet here those Magpies are, about to tackle the league’s toughest road trip – Perth – on the edge of the top four and with a genuine chance of winning.
Successes against top four outfits the Firebirds and Vixens reinforced how close this competition is.
Coach Nicole Richardson has ironed out some wrinkles in her team who are now winning ball and finding their target Shimona Nelson.
That Richardson has also reignited Gabby Sinclair and Molly Jovic means the Magpies are once again dangerous.
Fever coach Dan Ryan has also been clever with how he has rotated his midcourt and pushed buttons at the right time to create impact.
Verity Simmons, Jess Anstiss, Chelsea Pitman and Stacey Francis-Bayman have all had fine moments when asked to fill specific roles.
The latest example was Emma Cosh who carved up the Thunderbirds from goal attack.
“Coshy took her opportunity and ripped it up so really proud of her,” Ryan said.
Cracking stat – 296
Maddy Proud’s 296 circle feeds has her on track to crack Liz Watson’s 2019 record (621) for most in a season. The Swifts captain is averaging 42 per game (Watson averaged 38) but will need to play in the finals to get it done.
