By Sophie Taylor
The halfway point of the Suncorp Super Netball season has arrived, and with it a flurry of ladder changes and strong individual performances.
These are the five things we learned from round seven.
FIRST NATIONS ROUND DELIGHTS
The first edition of First Nations Round was complete over the weekend, with four huge clashes playing out and outstanding artwork on display.
Koorrin Alinta Edwards-Wanganeen’s ‘Join in the Journey’ artwork was prominent throughout on the centre circles and match balls, while all eight clubs showcased beautiful designs telling the story of their clubs and traditional lands.
The four home sides also shone a light on First Nations peoples with live Welcome to Country performed, and celebrations of Country with performances from First Nations dance groups, First Nations music at breaks and after goals, and a celebration of indigenous youth in netball.
The Battle of the Bruce between the Sunshine Coast Lightning and Queensland Firebirds opened the round on Kabi Kabi country, highlighting the league’s two current First Nations players in Noongar woman Donnell Wallam and Wakka Wakka woman Leesa Mi Mi.
Playing for opposing teams, the former teammates both shone in their own right.
Wallam was the main contributor on the Firebirds scoresheet with 46 goals (five Suncorp Super Shots), also picking off a gain and six rebounds in an important role for the away side.
Mi Mi had just two turnovers to her name from her 60 minutes in centre, sitting second for goal assists with 19 from 36 feeds, eight second phase receives and two pickups.
Donnell Wallam had a tight battle with Ash Ervin.EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
While the first six rounds of the season made the ladder appear locked, round seven of SSN action reminded us all that the competition is never that simple.
Undefeated heading into the round, West Coast Fever suffered their first loss of the season to the Melbourne Vixens.
It was a formidable second quarter that set the tone for the Vixens, heading into half time at RAC Arena with a six-goal lead and not relinquishing the lead from there.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds thundered past the NSW Swifts in impressive fashion. Looking like a potential match of the round, the grand final rematch was anything but the showstopper of last year's decider, as the Thunderbirds dominated in all areas.
The biggest impact of this match was the huge percentage decrease for the Swifts, who were bumped down to fifth after the Sunshine Coast Lightning’s superb 11-goal victory over the Queensland Firebirds.
The Lightning will be thoroughly happy with the last few weeks after a disappointing start to the season, while thew GIANTS also got their second win on the board away from home with a victory over the Melbourne Mavericks.
STILL BREAKING RECORDS
Attendance records have been broken more than once this season, and the records keep coming – though not always for the best reasons.
Two records made headlines off one result over the weekend.
The Thunderbirds’ 25-goal victory resulted in a club record (largest SSN winning margin) and a league record, keeping the Swifts to a record low of just 33 points.
The Swifts have lacked some consistency this season and struggled greatly against the Thunderbirds’ dominant defensive unit.
Latanya Wilson was outstanding in her 50th SSN appearance, picking off four intercepts while also combining with Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Matilda Garrett for 21 gains between them.
Kept to single digit scores after a 13-goal opener, the Swifts struggled in attack despite strong defensive efforts at the other end.
That being said, Georgie Horjus was almost unstoppable in the second half, cutting through the Swifts defence in style and showcasing just how potent she can be.
Despite 40 feeds between them, Paige Hadley and Lili Gorman-Brown combined for just 18 goal assists while Maddy Turner and Sarah Klau accounted for 42 penalties of the Swifts’ 80 at full time.
The GIANTS got an important second win on the board.MILESTONES APLENTY
It was a week of milestones within the sport, with four different milestones hit across four different categories.
Wilson claimed a strong win in her 50th outing for the Thunderbirds, while Swifts head coach Briony Akle made her 100th coaching appearance with the club in the same match.
Wilson has averaged four intercepts and 6.5 gains across the opening six rounds, playing across all three defensive positions.
Akle’s 100 games at the helm include two premiership victories from three appearances over 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Akle’s Swifts sit with a 3-4 record after the first half of the season.
Kiera Austin marked her 1000th Suncorp Super Netball goal during Round 7 against the West Coast Fever.
The Origin Diamonds goal attack was influential, finishing with 25 goals (four Suncorp Super Shots), 16 goal assists and an intercept.
Meanwhile, umpire Bronwen Adams marked her 100th appearance in Sunday’s matchup between the Melbourne Mavericks and GIANTS.
STATS WRAP
Another Lightning win on the books keeps wing attack Liz Watson atop the midcourt tallies, topping the league for goal assists (182) and centre pass receives (174), while Fever wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld sits second in both categories after a consistent start to the season.
The Jamaican circle dominance has continued, with Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Romelda Aiken-George and Wilson all holding top spot in a category apiece.
Wilson has stolen the intercepts mantle from Sterling-Humphrey this week, sitting on 24 to Sterling Humphrey’s 23, while Sterling Humphrey’s 48 deflections is being chased down rapidly by second-year Lightning star Ash Ervin (47).
Aiken-George maintains top spot for offensive rebounds with 32 to her name – closely followed by Origin Diamonds Sophie Garbin (30) and Cara Koenen (28), while Sterling-Humphrey leads the way on the defensive leaderboard (15).
Fowler-Nembhard leads all comers for Nissan Net Points with 786, and with 398 goals from 410 attempts, has almost 100 more goals to her name than Wallam in second (299 from 353).
Despite falling short of a win on the weekend, Swifts goal attack Helen Housby retains top spot for the Suncorp Super Shot tallies, with 41 from 61 attempts.
