When: Sunday 22 July, 12.30pm (Local time)Where: Priceline Stadium, AdelaideTickets: Purchase here Broadcast: Telstra TV and the Netball Live app, Live on Channel 9 (South Australia only),
Last time they met in Round 5:
Sunshine Coast Lightning (60) defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds (51)
Match Ups
Lightning
Thunderbirds
Mins in possession
29
30
Gain
15
13
Intercepts
7
8
Deflections
24
13
Goal shooting %
89
85
The Thunderbirds made drastic improvements in their performance during this game, they may not have grabbed any bonus points but they kept Lightning honest throughout.
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Game talking points: .
Every point counts now for Lightning, so they will not want to drop a single quarter in this game. Their experience from winning last year’s Suncorp Super Netball title will be vital at this stage of the season.
Cat Tuivaiti’s return from injury will continue this weekend when she takes to the court for the Thunderbirds. She has already had a big impact on the team and last weekend notched 28/29, and will continue to improve week-by-week as she grows stronger.
Lightning have a decent run of fixtures, as they only have to play one team from the current top four in their remaining three matches.
If Thunderbirds want to win…
The Thunderbirds should be playing fearlessly now, as they have nothing to lose – whereas the Lightning have a second Suncorp Super Netball title to think about. The Adelaide team could use this to their advantage if they manage to get a few goals on the board early, which might rattle Lightning into a couple of nervy mistakes. Thunderbirds’ goaler Cat Tuivaiti will have to look out for Lightning goalkeeper Geva Mentor, as the powerhouse is sure to come down hard to snub out any dangers the Thunderbirds pose.
If Lightning want to win…
A couple of early goals in each quarter will go a long way to settling any nervous energy Lightning might have in their final push to defend their title. They have built their entire season on strong defense, with the Giants Netball being the only team that have conceded less than them this season, but likewise they sit only above the Thunderbirds when it comes to goals scored. So they will be confident they can stop goals being scored in their hoop, it’s more the question as to how well they put the ball away themselves. They will be looking to their main attacking threat in Caitlin Bassett to have a strong end to the season.
Key match ups:
Sunshine Coast Lightning will not be underestimating the defensive process that the Thunderbirds have, despite their struggles this season they have plenty of experience and are capable of shutting the circle down. If they can stop the ball getting to Bassett in good scoring positions, then they might have a chance at grabbing a maiden win here.
