Toughness is often spoken about in sport but there’s nothing to quantify the significance of the blood trickling from Helen Housby’s nose in Sunday’s top of the table win against the Melbourne Vixens.
The NSW Swift’s intent to compete under the post amid a scramble of forearms and elbows was an act of sacrifice that was not recorded on any scoresheet.
Her teammate, Sarah Klau, had a barnstorming game, and she finished with some impressive numbers.
There is no recorded number, however, for the shots her opponent didn’t take for fear of an outstretched hand swatting the ball away.
You could see the doubt her albatross-like wingspan created for Caitlin Thwaites as the Vixens goal shooter conceded a held ball at the start of the fourth quarter.
It’s not just defenders who build pressure with plays that are difficult to gauge. Try quantifying the confidence it took for Abigail Latu-Meafou – the Queensland Firebirds’ third-choice goal shooter – to launch the looping bomb on the stroke of halftime to give her injury-ravaged team hope against the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
There is no percentage or formula that can accurately describe how plays such as these can affect body language or energy levels.
Wing defence Maddy McAuliffe’s Nissan Net Points tally doesn’t compare well against that of her Sunshine Coast Lightning teammate Karla Pretorius.
That fails to recognise how she and Laura Langman continually chased and pressured the Giants’ midcourt in the Lightning’s 11-goal win on Saturday night.
It took two quarters for the harassment to work, and eventually Langman and Pretorius were rewarded with hard-won ball as the team climbed into second place on the ladder.
“The thing for me is, when I know I’ve put in a strong game, I can see it in the performances of the goal defence and goal keeper,” McAuliffe said. “If their statistics look good then I’m happy.
“But, in saying that, one of the things I’ve been working on this year is getting my hands on the ball more often.”
As for the performances that can be quantified, the Swifts’ ascent to the top of the ladder was the standout of a compelling Round 5.
Stung by last week’s loss to the Lightning, their deconstruction of the previously undefeated Melbourne Vixens proved they are ready to deliver on the big stage.
Throughout the pre-season they changed their language to reflect an attitude that being competitive wouldn’t satisfy the group.
Their actions against the Vixens reinforced that mindset. The Vixens hesitated in the face of the close one-on-one attention from Klau and her defence line.
That was all Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud needed to seize control of the game.
