By Rosie Gale
The Adelaide Thunderbirds dismantled ladder leaders Sunshine Coast Lightning at UniSC Arena, notching a commanding 24-point win over the home side.
The match was highly-anticipated, especially given that both teams finished as cellar-dwellers in the previous season. However, it quickly turned into a Thunderbirds defensive masterclass as they outshone their opponents in nearly every area on the court.
The visiting side had a fast start, they scored 35 goals to 22 in the first half, ending hopes of a comeback for the home team.
The Lightning were stunned by the performance of Shamera Sterling, who was close to player of the match with three intercepts, three rebounds, eight deflections, and 93.5 Nissan Net Points.
Latanya Wilson and Laura Scherian tussle for the ball.But it was a collective effort; with co-captain and most valuable player Eleanor Cardwell scoring 51/54 goals, Tippah Dwan starting the game exceptionally well and doing a mountain of work out front, (she finished with 11/12 goals, 8 goal assists and 11 feeds), while Tayla Williams (19 goal assists and 34 feeds) was also excellent.
It marked their second win of the season, following last week's draw with the NSW Swifts.
For the Lightning, the experience of defensive pairing Karla Pretorius and Kadie-Ann Dehaney was not enough to hold down the fort and shift momentum. While the Thunderbirds strong full-court pressure proved effective in thwarting the attacking efforts of Mahalia Cassidy and Laura Scherian.
Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst said that seeing her team not only win, but also win well in such dominant fashion was extremely pleasing.
“I knew that we'd been playing some pretty good netball and we obviously only had the half game last week and we were pretty eager to come out and have our game plan and do it for the full 60 minutes which I think we did beautifully tonight," she said.
Eleanor Cardwell shone in attack for the Thunderbirds.During the first quarter, Steph Wood was cautioned for attempting to slow the ball during a penalty and despite having momentum on their side, Lightning were unable to disrupt the flow of the Thunderbirds.
Shannon Eagland, who made her debut in Lightning colours, failed to make an impact, and the Thunderbirds powered out to a 13-goal lead by half-time, including a nine-goal run. It was all one way traffic from for the team in pink.
The second quarter saw Lightning struggle to find fluidity in attack, with their centre pass to goal rate dropping to less than 50 per cent. Jamaican goal keeper Shamera Sterling's exceptional performance shutting down Australian shooter Cara Koenen was key.
Despite multiple substitutions, Lightning continued to unravel, while the Thunderbirds maintained their dominance.
15 goals in the third quarter stretched the score to 50-33, eclipsing Lightning’s chance at a comeback.
That blew out to 66 points in a breezy final term in front of Lightning’s home crowd resulting in a 24-point win.
The Lightning will take on the Melbourne Vixens next round in Melbourne while the Thunderbirds will face the GIANTS next Sunday in front of a home crowd.
