Expect the unexpected this weekend

By Sophie Taylor

With seven rounds in the books, the midway point of the season has arrived with plenty of gusto.

The ladder may have seemed locked in a few weeks ago, but that is no longer the case after some massive results during the past few weeks.

Confidence is brimming among a few cohorts while some teams have a point to prove, so expect the unexpected this weekend.

CAN FIREBIRDS GET OUT OF THE FIRE?

The battle of the Birds is always a tough one, and this clash between the Thunderbirds and Firebirds could well set the tone for the second half of the season.

While not the closest on the ladder, these two sides provided the match of the round all the way back in round one, as the Firebirds fought to the very end on Thunderbirds home territory.

Back at Nissan Arena this week – where the Firebirds got their only win on the board in round two – the home side will have a point to prove and nothing to lose against the reigning premiers.

While they sit bottom of the ladder compared to the TBirds in third, the on-court matchups will prove intriguing.

Shamera Sterling-Humphrey has been in superb form this season, averaging 6.8 deflections and 3.2 intercepts per match.

Watch out for the battle between Sterling-Humphrey and Donnell Wallam, with the goal shooter in fine form under the post.

Sitting on an 84.7% shooting accuracy for the season with 23 Suncorp Super Shots to her name,  Wallam continues to adjust her game week on week.

Expect some enormous matchups through the centre.

Kim Ravaillion has returned to full minutes and will put up a fight against Thunderbirds firebrand Tayla Williams who continues to interrupt opposition midcourt combinations.

Georgie Horjus has been unstoppable this season, rotating seamlessly between wing and goal attack with ease.

Offering game smarts and quick hands, Horjus will offer a tough battle to both the midcourt and defensive ends.

Expect to see Hulita Veve and Ruby Bakewell-Doran go head-to-head with the smooth mover, bringing hands-over pressure and ball-winning ability to the Firebirds back-end.

Suffice to say both sides have their own weaponry and are likely to bring out the big guns here.

The question is whether the Firebirds can bring the form of their opening rounds or if the Thunderbirds will continue their form which led them to a club-high SSN score on the weekend.

THE REST OF ROUND 8

The Vixens come into round eight fresh off the back of a top two battle and will be brimming with confidence after defeating the Fever in Perth last round.

The GIANTS looked like a new team with Maddie Hay back in the midcourt, earning their second win over the weekend to great excitement.

Back in Melbourne for the second week in a row, the GIANTS will hope to harness last week’s form and challenge the Vixens every step of the way.

The Lightning and Fever’s recent history makes this matchup a tricky one to predict.

While the Fever were more than convincing in the teams’ round two battle, winning by 25 goals, the Lightning have found some nice form in recent weeks and could be emboldened by a home crowd at UniSC Arena.

Watch out for both teams’ defensive ends, with both building nicely into the season and not lacking in height or ball-winning ability.

Elsewhere, the Mavericks will host for a second week in a row and come up against the smarting Swifts.

With a record-low 33-goal effort last week, the Swifts will be under pressure to turn that result around and could well do that against the sixth ranked Mavericks.

While the Swifts got away well in round two to run away with an 11-goal victory, the Mavericks have made changes to their team since then – namely bringing in 11th player Shimona Jok and injury replacement Kristiana Manua – so could be up for an entirely different challenge.