Coming into Round 3, we knew just how much was on the line this weekend.
The Magpies and Thunderbirds were both winless and desperately trying to get their season off life support, the Fever and Lightning were both perfect coming into their Saturday night clash, the Vixens were hoping a Sydney road trip might help them get their first win of 2021 and all eyes would be on the Sunday late game between the unbeaten GIANTS and super-talented Firebirds.
Did a round that promised so much deliver? Let’s take a look in our Round 3 Wrap.
Magpies snap losing streak
With both teams coming into this round without a win next to their name, it was always going to be a scrappy affair, but sometimes that makes for the most exciting games; and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Both teams went goal-goal for majority of the match, with momentum swinging quicker than a Jodi-Ann Ward intercept attempt.
Shimona Nelson carried over her amazing second-half form from last round into this encounter, as the Magpies’ GS came out firing to set the tone for her team. Nelson was too much to handle for fellow Jamaican star Shamera Sterling, finishing with a game high 95% shooting accuracy.
It was a see-sawing affair, with both teams locked together for the entire game. With only five minutes left to play, the Thunderbirds took complete control of the game, scoring 6 of the last 7 points to not only take a 2-point lead, but also to claim full momentum of the match.
However, it was the inspirational efforts of Kelsey Browne who intercepted an errant pass that broke up the Thunderbirds’ command on the match. Trailing by 2-points, Gabrielle Sinclair took possession of the ball from Super Shot territory and drilled a long-dagger to tie up the scores; and more importantly turn the game on its head.
The Magpies then went on to score the final 4 points of the match and came away with their first win of the season.
Jodi-Ann Ward continued her amazing start to the season, ending up as the Nissan Player of the Match. Ward was everywhere, disrupting the Thunderbirds’ attack at every possible opportunity. Ward had an incredible game high 8-gains and 4-interceptions to end proceedings.
Despite not getting the win, Matilda Garrett’s defensive efforts were exceptional for the Thunderbirds against her old team – finishing with 4 interceptions, 5 gains and 2 deflections.
By Philip Jurkovsky
Fever erase penalty debt
Perhaps the biggest news out of Round 3 was the Fever climbing out of a 12-Premiership Point hole after just three matches.
For Fever fans, players, coaches and staff, this is massive. Erasing three games worth of penalties in just three weeks would have been goal number one for the club and to do it against the Vixens, Swifts and Lightning would have been the cherry on top.
Where it leaves them now is just one win out of the top four with a game against the 0-3 Thunderbirds in Adelaide upcoming, a league-best 123.1 percentage points and all three of the other teams who shared the top four with them in 2020 dealt with until round eight.
Reactions of the Fever’s early success from the rest of the league has been mixed, to say the least, with questions whether the team’s penalty for breaching the salary cap was harsh enough.
Lightning Head Coach Kylee Byrne shared her thoughts in an interview with The Courier Mail over the weekend, suggesting that the Fever got off lightly.
“I think now that this playing group still have a real crack at finals, I still think it should have been harsher.” Byrne said.
Elsewhere, many fans are admiring the steel that the penalty appears to have injected into the Fever playing group. And the fans' verdict on the severity of the penalty is pretty close to 50-50'
Beyond the penalty, Byrne would no doubt be concerned with how poorly this great Lightning team has played against the Fever in the last 12-months. Saturday’s 14-point loss was the fourth straight time the Sunshine Coast have gone down to West Coast by double-digits, including two by more than 20!
To put that in perspective, prior to this four game run by the Fever, the Lightning had lost just five games by 10 or more, the Fever had beaten the Lightning just two times in their seven meetings, the Vixens had the best record against the Lightning with three wins and seven losses and three teams had beaten the Lightning one or less times.
Teams don’t beat the Sunshine Coast often, it’s been more than two years since the Firebirds or GIANTS have knocked them off, and rarely by this much. There’s clearly a gameplan or personnel matchup that the Fever are taking advantage of, and Byrne and the Lightning need to identify it before they meet again in Round 10.
By Paddy Regester
Swifts light up The Rose
616 days after the NSW Swifts played their last home match in Sydney, where they dispatched the Melbourne Vixens in the 2019 Preliminary Final, the Swifts were back playing in-front of their beloved fans on Sunday.
And they treated them to a show.
When the Swifts and Vixens last met in NSW it was at the charming but aging Quaycentre. But this time they would go head-to-head on the newest court in the competition; Ken Rosewall Arena. And what a venue this is proving to be.
It’s loud, it’s bright and it’s easy on the eyes, particularly when filled to the COVID-safe brim with netball fans. Truly a site to behold.
But it was different venue, same result for the Swifts, who dealt the Vixens their third straight loss to start the season.
NSW hit them early, jumping out to a 10-point lead at quarter time, stretching it to 13 at the main break, withstanding a Mwai Kumwenda led charge in the third, before icing the match in the fourth and celebrating a 12-point win to move to 2-1 on the season.
It was a tough day for the Vixens, who struggled to move the ball against a disciplined Swifts team that held Melbourne to their lowest ever Super Netball score of just 43 points. It’s a Vixens attack end that is, at times, painful to watch.
Kumwenda is a star, and she really showed it on Sunday, particularly in the third quarter when she almost single-handedly dragged Melbourne back into the contest. But behind her, there are some serious issues in the goal circle. Ruby Barkmeyer is showing promise but the expectations put on the 20-year-old might just be too high. And off-season recruit Kaylia Stanton continues to struggle when playing away from GS, the position most would consider her best.
Of course, it’s not all on the shooters. This defensive end will continue to keep them within striking distance of their opposition, but they are lacking that x-factor through the middle which they lost when Liz Watson announced she’d miss the season. Totally fair, but who steps up. The answer surely can’t be to move Kate Moloney to WA, which we saw on Sunday.
The Swifts will head north to the Sunshine Coast and try to get back-to-back wins while the Vixens return home to face the undefeated GIANTS on Sunday.
By Paddy Regester
There’s a big, big sound
Let’s get this out of the way at the top: How good is Jo Harten?
Five minutes into the second quarter of this match, which many had tipped to be the match of the round, the Firebirds had their noses in front, and everyone was settling in for a thriller.
Eight minutes later, Harten hit a Super Shot which put the GIANTS up by 10, essentially putting the game out of reach for the Firebirds. She scored 20 of her 47-points in that incredible second quarter.
Sure, Queensland fought hard through the second half, even cutting the GIANTS lead to just four in the third quarter, but every time it seemed the Firebirds were mounting a run, Harten was there to beat them back.
But all the praise shouldn’t go entirely to the Nissan Player of the Match, we’re finding out that beating the Firebirds this year is going to take a full team effort, which is exactly what Julie Fitzgerald got out of her squad last night.
Sophie Dwyer’s 20-points, 19-feeds and 14-goal assists were enough to earn her a spot in the Nissan Net Points Team of the Week. Jamie-Lee Price has developed into one of the best feeders in the league and leads all players with 64 assists through three weeks. April Brandley might be playing career best netball at GD and would be stiff to lose her starting spot when Kristiana Manu’a returns from injury. And the rest!
But don’t dwell too long on this one, Firebirds fans. Subtract that rough second quarter and get that shooting percentage up from 73% and your team is right in this one.
Kim Ravaillion is flying at the moment and clearly enjoying being back in the Sunshine State. Her statistics speak for themselves (33-feeds 16-assists, 85.5 Nissan Net Points) but it’s so much more than the numbers. Her fitness is elite, which has always been the case with Rav, and her calming presence with ball in hand opens up so many options when this team is on the attack. It’s great to see her back and killing it.
Look for them to bounce back hard against the Magpies next Saturday in Tasmania.
By Paddy Regester
