Five things we learned: SSN Round 5

By Sophie Taylor

Five rounds down, nine to go.

The 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season is flying, and with it are more and more exciting matchups as we fast approach the mid-point of the season.

From undefeated sides, to new stars and an extra time thriller, the weekend of netball had it all.

These are the five things we learned across the fifth round of Suncorp Super Netball action.

TWO SIDES REMAIN UNDEFEATED – AND IT MAY STAY THAT WAY

Five games down, and both the West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens remain undefeated with no signs of stopping their remarkable form.

Take the Vixens, for example.

With changes across their attack, particularly the loss of Liz Watson, there were undeniable questions regarding the potency of the Vixens midcourt and ability to get the ball into the goal circle.

But it has proved a non-issue, with Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin hard to stop, and the combination of Kate Moloney and Hannah Mundy as potent as ever.

Factor in the form of Jo Weston and Emily Mannix, and head coach Simone McKinnis has crafted a team that will keep forging ahead.

Realistically, the only thing stopping the Vixens from taking top spot now is the Fever’s goal percentage and ability to blast past their opposition.

With another high-scoring win on the board the Fever are well and truly atop the ladder with a whopping 134.33 goal percentage.

With only one single-digit margin blemishing their record in 2024, the Fever are looking like the team to beat.

Despite losing several key players over the off-season and crafting brand new connections on court, the Fever are well-drilled and look tougher than ever to overcome.

With these two teams yet to play one another – and won’t until round seven – there is a very good chance both will stay put at the top of the ladder for a few more weeks.

FRESH CHANCES FOR INCOMING PLAYERS

Two fresh faces earned an opportunity to showcase their skill overt the weekend, with eleventh players Ruth Aryang (Fever) and Grace Whyte (Swifts) both taking the court for their respective sides.

While not the first time we’ve seen eleventh players utilised this season, it was ultimately the first time a club has used it as a tactical opportunity, with the Fever resting midcourter Kelsey Browne for the talented young gun.

Sister to Origin Diamond Sunday, Ruth Aryang took the court for her debut with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, eventually playing out 22 minutes of the match and picking off three gains for the Fever in their 36-goal victory over the Queensland Firebirds.

Whyte’s opportunity came at the cost of Swifts’ co-captain Maddy Proud, who is nursing a knee concern.

Whyte got her chance in the final term against the Vixens, and was quick to inject herself into the action to finish with six goal assists, 13 centre pass receives and two deflections.

But that wasn’t all in a blockbuster weekend of action.

Former Origin Diamond Nat Butler returned to the court in dramatic fashion, named as a last-minute injury replacement for Mavericks’ Eleanor Cardwell following an ankle scare against the Lightning in round four.

While it was a match to forget for the Mavericks, falling to the Thunderbirds by 22 goals, Butler’s 16-minute return to the SSN court proved that talent and skill doesn’t go anywhere after retirement.

Butler finished with four goal, three feeds and five centre pass receives across her 16 minutes.

DIFFERENT LADDER ORDER, SAME TEAMS UP TOP

While the 2024 SSN season feels so different to the 2023 season, a comparative look at the ladder actually shows something completely different.

The same four teams sit first through fourth on the ladder, with the Fever going 5-0 in the first five rounds of 2023, too.

This time last year, it was the Thunderbirds in second, with three wins and a draw, and then Vixens (3-2) and Swifts in fourth.

With the Fever and Swifts sitting in the same positions as 2023, it’s just the Vixens and Thunderbirds that have swapped spots this year.

The bottom half of the ladder looked drastically different last year, with three teams sitting on two wins apiece and still within reaching distance of the top four, and the Firebirds sitting winless from five matches.

The GIANTS escaped that fate over the weekend, and are only a small percentage behind the Mavericks, Firebirds and Lightning on the ladder now with all four teams sitting on one win apiece.

With the Firebirds and Mavericks set to go head-to-head this week, as well as a blockbuster matchup between Fever and reigning premiers Thunderbirds, we may see some big ladder shuffling in the coming weeks.

GIANTS IN EXTRA TIME

A dramatic end to the clash between the GIANTS and Lightning resulted in a much-needed victory for the GIANTS, following an enormous 10 minutes from goal shooter Matisse Letherbarrow.

Despite not playing any of the regulation minutes during the match, Letherbarrow came on and starred in a 10-minute blitz with seven straight goals and three Suncorp Super Shots from five attempts.

While other factors may have also kept the Lightning at an arm’s length throughout the extra time period, the injection of Letherbarrow was a smart decision from head coach Julie Fitzgerald.

While the second half of extra time was more even, it was the beginning of the extra time period that really allowed the GIANTS to take control.

Letherbarrow’s fresh legs wreaked havoc against a tired Lightning defensive unit, creatively splitting Tara Hinchliffe and Ash Ervin to take prime position in the circle and make the most of the full extra 10 minutes of Suncorp Super Shot time.

STATS WRAP

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard sits on a whopping 623 Nissan Net Points after five rounds, while also leading goals scored with 305 from 312 attempts.

Teammate Alice Teague-Neeld tops the goal assists category with 139 from her five games (averaging 28 assists per match), and sits second on the leaderboard for centre pass receives behind Lightning’s Liz Watson (119).

Jamaican and English players compile the remainder of the category leaders, with Romelda Aiken-George atop the offensive rebounds tally once more (26) and Fran Williams leading the defenders with 12.

Shamera Sterling-Humphrey leads the two major defensive stats, with 18 intercepts and 35 deflections to her name after earning another eight gains over the weekend.

At the other end of the court, Helen Housby has taken top spot for Suncorp Super Shot attempts (42) and successful shots (32) after hitting 10 of 13 attempts against the Vixens.