It's hard to believe there are just six weeks left of the 2021 Super Netball season. Every win is crucial and every loss devastating.
So, how did it all go down in Round 9? Let's find out.
Sunshine Coast Lightning vs Melbourne Vixens
It was first vs last in a game no one expected the Vixens to win. And with the Lightning leading by seven with six-minutes to go in the last quarter, it was certainly going to script.
The Vixens then went on to score 11 of the last 13-points to steal victory away from the Lightning.
In what was an unprecedented build-up to Round 9, the Lightning lost their home game privileges and were forced to play the Vixens in Melbourne due to the coronavirus situation.
Now, typically this would be a disaster for a team having to play their scheduled home game in the opposition’s hometown, however, before this round the Lightning had a 100%-win record in away games; and the Vixens had a 100%-loss record in home games. In fact, the Vixens had an average losing margin of 9.75 in all home games this season.
Despite a scrappy first half, the Lightning held a comfortable seven-point lead at half time. This came as no surprise to anyone considering the Vixens have only led at half time in one game for the entire season.
A vital change was made in the second half when Hannah Mundy and Kate Moloney swapped bibs. Mundy had an immediate impact at the Centre position and led the way in Nissan Net Points for the second half with 53. The young gun rose to the occasion and provided outstanding energy across the entire court.
The big story of the match was Kaylia Stanton, who got the start at GA. Stanton had been battling for a starting role over the past month and was finally given the opportunity on Saturday. Stanton was playing with extreme levels of confidence; and you get the feeling she was wanting to repay her coach for believing in her abilities. Stanton finished the game with 20-points along with a clutch Super Goal to give her team the lead with only four minutes remaining in the match.
Another major takeaway from the game was the injury to Lightning GK Phumza Maweni. Maweni was forced to come off during the early stages of the last quarter. At the time of her injury, the Lightning were up by seven and looked certain to coast to victory. The Vixens then went on a scoring tear, taking advantage of Maweni’s absence in defence.
The Lightning looked to be out on their feet in the final quarter, with the Vixens leading all key statistics across the court. This could be put down to the Lightning’s grueling Extra Time match against the Magpies last weekend, compared to the Vixens who had not played in two weeks. It was fresh legs against heavy legs and the Lightning were not able to stop a rampaging Vixens press in the final moments.
As a result of this loss, the Lightning drop from first to second on the ladder and go up against the Fever in Round 10 who will be looking to make amends after their first loss of the season.
NSW Swifts vs West Coast Fever
This match had all the makings of being a classic and it certainly did not disappoint. The Swifts managed to hold off a late flurry from the Fever to help Maddy Proud celebrate her 100th national league game.
The Swifts only made the two substitutions for the game, one of them changing the entire complex of the match. Sophie Garbin took the GS bib from Sam Wallace five-minutes into the second quarter, with the Swifts trailing by three.
Wallace was having an uncharacteristically “off” shooting night inside the circle, shooting at only 74% in the first 20 minutes of play. The Swifts were forcing turnovers in defence however, they were failing to convert that into scoreboard pressure. The move was made to replace Wallace with Garbin and the latter took her opportunities with both hands.
Garbin scored seven straight goals for the Swifts in only 3-minutes and started to reward her team’s exceptional defence. The key to Garbin’s influence was her ability to match Courtney Bruce in strength and physicality. Garbin was able to hold her position, allowing her teammates to find the easy feed into the circle. The Housby and Garbin connection up front was working wonders for the Swifts; and it will be interesting to see how they line up in the future.
In a desperate attempt to win the game, the Fever took Fowler off the court in a surprising move, electing to go with a Glasgow and Teague-Neeld attack. The move almost paid off, with the Fever scoring four Super Shot's in a row to bring the margin to just one with a minute remaining on the clock.
It was a battle of two distinct game styles, with the Swifts happy to take a more controlled and high possession approach to goal, compared to the Fever who prefer to go direct and get the feed into Fowler as quick as possible. The Swifts were in possession of the ball for an extraordinary seven extra minutes than the Fever for the match. This was helped by the fact that the Swifts played keep away from the Fever for the entire last minute of the match to halt any chance of an inspired comeback.
The Fever were handed their first loss in 2021 and are now two games out of the top two position due to the three-game penalty to start the season. The Swifts are now sitting on top of the ladder thanks to a healthy percentage and take on the Vixens in Round 10 in which they can further boost their stance on top.
Adelaide Thunderbirds vs Collingwood Magpies
This was the only game that wasn’t played in Melbourne this weekend, much to the disappointment of the Magpies who are yet to win an away game this season and are now 0-5 away from Melbourne.
There was a lot to play for in this game with the Thunderbirds jumping the Magpies on the ladder with a win. Since the inauguration season in 2017, no team who has lost six or more games have gone on to play finals. Currently, the Thunderbirds, Magpies and Firebirds are all sitting on six defeats with five Rounds remaining. Historically speaking, none of these teams will be playing finals.
The Thunderbirds have won three of their past four games and are building some momentum into the business end of the season.
Shamera Sterling put together one of the best performances of the season with an outrageous 122 Nissan Net Points. Sterling sits in second spot on total Nissan Net Points on the season with 659, behind Jhaniele Fowler who is on 754. Sterling was everywhere in defence for the Thunderbirds, finishing the game with an extraordinary 13 gains (five more than the entire Magpies team), eight interceptions, six deflections and two rebounds.
Maisie Nankivell was also solid for the Thunderbirds, with 47 feeds and 31 goal assists to her name. This is an intriguing story to watch for the remainder of the season, with Nankivell, Elle McDonald and Hannah Petty all viable Centre options for the Thunderbirds. Petty was given the start this weekend, however she was replaced by McDonald six-minutes into the second quarter due to a corked thigh.
The argument can be made that Nankivell provides a more all-round option with her ability to impact the court at both ends, especially considering Maisie played predominately WD last year.
Thunderbird’s coach Tania Obst stated, “We weren’t sure whether we swing Maisie into centre or not, but she was actually controlling that area of the court, so we were pretty loath to take her out of that.” I guess the issue is that the Thunderbirds don’t have three of her out there.
The Magpies tried hard all game, with Geva Mentor putting together a brave performance in defence. However, the Thunderbirds’ turnover game was the difference in the end, with the home team collecting nine more interceptions than their opposition.
The Thunderbirds have the chance to tie with the Fever in fourth spot if results go their way next Round, while the Magpies will go up against the GIANTS in a must win game.
Queensland Firebirds vs GIANTS Netball
It seems like isolation has started to take its toll on teams, especially the GIANTS who have had to quarantine in three separate states this season. The GIANTS just looked depleted and drained of energy for the entire game; and to the Firebirds credit, they took advantage of that in their 11-point win.
If not for some sharp shooting from Sophie Dwyer in the final stages of the match, who finished with seven Super Shots, the margin could have been much greater. The Firebirds were playing with an unrivaled sense of urgency and intent that the GIANTS just simply could not match.
Kim Jenner set the tone for her side early, helping herself to every errant feed that entered the GIANTS goal circle. Jenner finished the game with six deflections, four gains, two interceptions and two rebounds.
The Firebirds demolished the GIANTS in total team Nissan Net Points, accumulating 368 to the GIANTS’ 127, showcasing their total dominance throughout the entire match. The GIANTS shooters were finding it difficult to convert forward attacks into goals, finishing with a shooting percentage of only 71% compared to the Firebirds 89%.
The Firebirds were playing with a sense of freedom, continuously driving the ball out of their defence which made it easy for their attackers to find space. The GIANTS were stuck between zone and 1-on-1 defensive structures, which was creating confusion and allowed the Firebirds to feed the ball to Romelda Aiken with ease. Aiken finished the game with 39-points on 89% shooting accuracy.
The GIANTS are desperately in need of a third shooter who can come of the bench when things aren’t going their way. Both Harten and Dwyer were having an off-shooting night, however they did not have anyone to slot in and pick-up the slack. Players eventually have an off-night where things just can’t seem to click, so having the ability to inject another shooter into the game could just well be the difference come finals. Hopefully we see more of Matisse Letherbarrow in the coming weeks.
After winning their opening four games to the season, the GIANTS have now lost four of their past five encounters and are swiftly sliding down the ladder. The GIANTS have not looked the same since their one-point defeat at the hands of the Fever back in Round 5, most likely due to the ongoing isolation requirements and uncertainty of ongoing fixtures.
However, the Swifts have been in similar circumstances and managed to knock off the undefeated Fever on Sunday. The Swifts put it mostly down to team culture and made mention of a mental strength workshop to help cope with the current challenges. The GIANTS season will come down to how quickly they can adapt to the changes in the season. They certainly have the experience and leadership within their side, so I have full confidence we will see the GIANTS bounce back against the Magpies next week.
