A Queensland Firebirds training partner was a surprise standout this weekend, while the wheels have fallen off at the Collingwood Magpies.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds continued on with their winning ways, and a clutch super shot from the Melbourne Vixens broke West Coast Fever hearts.
Here are some of the talking points from the inaugural Inclusion Round.
THE VIXENS’ FORTRESS
The Melbourne Vixens got their redemption against the West Coast Fever thanks to a clutch goal off the hot hands of Kiera Austin on the final whistle.
The Vixens have been unstoppable at home, which is an exciting prospect for Vixens fans given the grand final will be hosted in Melbourne.
In a close game the general play turnovers made a difference on Sunday with both teams keeping them relatively low, however, the Vixens excelled with only nine for the whole match.
Kiera Austin absorbed the pressure to shoot the Vixens to victory. Austin starred for the home side, not only slotting the match winner in the final moments but also through her defensive efforts throughout the clash. She came away with two intercepts, the same number of intercepts as wing defence Kate Eddy who was also a standout for the Vixens and Fever’s Courtney Bruce.
Aware of the damage the Fever could do during Suncorp Super Shot time, the Vixens remained calm, only opting to go for the long shot when the risk was low.
COLLINGWOOD UNRAVELLING
The Collingwood Magpies’ season is slipping away more and more every match, their loss to the Queensland Firebirds on the weekend another blow in their campaign for back-to-back finals appearances.
The Magpies started the match well going goal-for-goal with the Firebirds before a strong second quarter put them ahead at halftime, however, from there it fell apart.
Concerningly for the Magpies they’ve been unable to win more than one quarter during a match since round two. Instead, the side has been relying on one big quarter effort to win matches which has resulted in them only winning one game aside from their first match in round one.
The Magpies were unable to slow the Firebirds this weekend. This weekend’s match against the Firebirds also highlighted another hole in the Magpies’ structure.
They fell short partly due to their inability to convert goals from gains. The side had five total gains for the match and scored off none of them compared to the Firebirds who scored seven goals from 12 gains.
THE VEVE EFFECT
They say when one door closes another opens, and this couldn’t be more true for the Queensland Firebirds.
With Macy Gardner ruled out for an expected six weeks, training partner Hulita Veve was given the nod to take the court at halftime on Saturday night.
Veve, a premiership player with the side in 2016, stepped onto the court fresh off captaining Tonga to a third championship win at the PacificAus Sports Netball Series the weekend prior.
Veve looked at home as soon as she took the court for the Firebirds. Veve’s impact in the midcourt was immediate, providing a burst of energy to the side but also her calmness and confidence on the court lifting those around her.
In the half of netball Veve was able to shut down the drives to the circle edge from Collingwood’s Molly Jovic with the Pies’ midcourter only feeding into the goal circle twice in the third quarter and four times in the last.
Veve tallied up 14 feeds, one gain and one intercept in her return to court for the Firebirds and with the side looking better with her on court it’s likely she’ll be back out there for them soon.
MATCH REPORTS
Queensland Firebirds vs Collingwood Magpies GIANTS vs Adelaide Thunderbirds Melbourne Vixens vs West Coast Fever NSW Swifts vs Sunshine Coast Lightning
