By Paddy Regester
Super Netball is back! That feels really good to say.
And, starting with the GIANTS vs Thunderbirds on Saturday and finishing with the Vixens and Lightning on Wednesday night, we’re about to have eight games in five days! That’s a lot of netball.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We have four weekend games to get through before this whirlwind of a season starts getting into midweek matches.
Saturday 08/08 – GIANTS Netball vs Adelaide Thunderbirds, Nissan Arena, 1pm AEST
Two teams who looked impressive at times in Round 1 but just couldn’t come away with the goods, this 1pm game between the GIANTS and Thunderbirds is very intriguing.
Whether she likes the rule or not, there’s no doubt that GIANTS shooter Jo Harten is deadly during the Rebel Power 5 and Thunderbirds Head Coach Tania Obst will be scrambling to come up with a plan to shutdown Harten, who hit 9 of her 13 Suncorp Super Shots against the Swifts.
That won’t be Obst’s only worry coming into this match, after her defence allowed the Fever to score 74 points in Round 1. With star Goal Defence Layla Guscoth still sidelined, it’s going to be up to Kate Shimmin and Shadine Van Der Merwe to stem the flow alongside Goal Keeper Shamera Sterling.
Thunderbirds fans will be thrilled with what they saw from new recruit Lenize Potgieter at Goal Shooter, her shooting mate Samantha Gooden and promising midcourter Maisie Nankivell, who all looked great in Round 1.
If those three can get some help from the likes of Chelsea Pitman, Hannah Petty and Sterling, who were all a little off against the Fever, this one could be a ripper.
Saturday 08/08 – Queensland Firebirds vs Melbourne Vixens, Nissan Arena, 3pm AEST
It was a tale of two halves for the Firebirds in Round 1, who scored 30 goals in the opening two quarters but could only manage 18 in the third and fourth in their 18 point loss to the Lightning.
They’ll have to find a way to string together four strong quarters if they want to overcome a Vixens team who looked unstoppable at times against the Magpies on Sunday night.
But the Vixens didn’t have it all their way in Round 1. In fact, at times the Magpies thoroughly out played them, particularly in defence, where Geva Mentor and Jodi-Ann Ward were able to put the breaks on the Melbourne shooters.
Firebirds defenders Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe will both come into this game feeling confident that they can have their way with a shooting circle that looked a little rusty in game one.
One place where the Vixens clearly haven’t missed a beat is through the midcourt, where Captain Kate Moloney and Vice-captain Liz Watson amassed over 40 goal assists between them and looked to be combining well with new recruit Kate Eddy at Wing Defence.
The Vixens will come into this one as the heavy favourite, and rightfully so. But, if the Firebirds shooters can get hot and put some scoreboard pressure on Melbourne, then don’t be surprised if we see our first upset of the season.
Sunday 09/08 – Sunshine Coast Lightning vs Collingwood Magpies, USC Stadium, 1pm AEST
The two teams affected most by the new Super Shot rule in Round 1, both in very different ways, clash in the 1pm Sunday match at USC Stadium.
We all knew Steph Wood was a dead-eye shooter, but 10 straight Super Shots? Look out! And, in a game where the Lightning won by 18 points after the scores were tied going into the final quarter, that was the difference.
On the other hand, the Magpies really struggled in the final five minutes of each quarter, and not just with their ability to hit the two-point shots.
Too often Collingwood would find themselves in a good position to score a one point goal, only to turn the ball over looking for two. Considering they only managed an equal league low of 6 two pointers, those kinks need to be ironed out quick.
They also let the Vixens slip away in the late stages of each quarter, allowing the Vixens to make 10 Super Shots from a league high 20 attempts. If Steph Wood and Cara Koenen get 20 Super Shot attempts, this one could get ugly.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for the Magpies, who will be thrilled from what they saw from the returns of Madi Browne and Kelsey Browne and will be keen to see what those two can do with Shimona Nelson at Goal Shooter.
Can the return of one of the league’s best shooters lift the Magpies over the Lightning?
Sunday 09/08 – NSW Swifts vs West Coast Fever, USC Stadium, 3.30pm AEST
The only match of the round where both teams are coming off a week one win, Round 2 finishes with a beauty between the Swifts and Fever.
The Fever looked dangerous in their 12-goal win over the Thunderbirds last week and will be hoping this is a sign they are back to their winning ways of 2018.
Player of the Match Alice Teague-Neeld looked a completely different player to the one who struggled for much of the 2019 season, which is great news for Jhaniele Fowler, who scored 54 points in Round 1, including two Super Shots.
But they’ll come up against a NSW Swifts outfit who somehow look even stronger than the one that won the 2019 Grand Final.
Head Coach Briony Akle has an embarrassingly deep list, particularly in the midcourt where she was able to rotate stars Paige Hadley, Nat Haythornthwaite, Sophie Craig and returning Captain Maddy Proud to great effect.
Expect plenty of scoring in this one, with two of the best attacking ends going head to head to close out the Round.
