SSN 2023 Round 13 – Netball Scoop

Cover photo: Hannah Howard/On the Ball Media

 

Contributors: Jenny Sinclair, Georgia Doyle, Ian Harkin

Photographers: Hannah Howard, Clinton Bradbury, Simon Leonard, Aliesha Vicars

 

Match Results

Sunshine Coast Lightning 56 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 54 (15-12, 14-12, 17-10, 10-20)

West Coast Fever 72 def GIANTS Netball 61 (19-16, 18-17, 21-15, 14-13)

NSW Swifts 78 def Queensland Firebirds 65 (17-17, 21-16, 24-16, 16-16)

Melbourne Vixens 64 def Collingwood Magpies 55 (10-14, 16-18, 20-13, 18-10)

 

Let’s Talk

Speculation is rising as the Australian team to contest the 2023 Netball World Cup will be named this week. Who of the 19 person squad has made it?

 

The NSW Swifts have sealed the 2023 SSN Minor Premiership with a week to spare, and will host the major semi final in two weeks time. They defeated the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane, to take an unbeatable six point lead on top of the ladder, going into the final round. It’s easy to forget that just two months ago, Swifts sat in sixth position with just six points. Since that time, they’ve gone on a run of nine straight victories to climb the ladder and take out the top spot.

Swifts were helped by the defeat of former competition leaders, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who fell to their third loss in four matches, at the hands of Sunshine Coast Lightning. This is certainly a bad time to hit a form slump, and now the Thunderbirds have not only lost top spot, but second as well. West Coast Fever took over second spot on the ladder with a comfortable win over GIANTS Netball. 

Thunderbirds could possibly drop all the way back to fourth next week, thanks to the win of Melbourne Vixens over Collingwood Magpies. In what was the last ever Melbourne Derby between these teams, Collingwood started well, but Vixens gradually got on top in the second half. The Magpies have just one game to go in Super Netball, and due to a quirk of scheduling, it will be a home game in Launceston. 

 

 

A feature of the last few weeks has been the excellent crowds packing out arenas for Suncorp Super Netball. While the competition has been hit by some bad news in recent times, the fans are certainly turning out in big numbers. 11,013 people attended RAC Arena, breaking Fever’s regular season record they had set just the week before. Meanwhile, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Nissan Arena, and John Cain Arena all had crowds close to capacity. Well over 30,000 spectators turned up to watch round 13.

 

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Stats Leaders

Most goals – 61/62 Jhaniele Fowler (Fever v GIANTS)

Most supershots – 8/15 Helen Housby (Firebirds v Swifts)

Most goal assists – 29 Verity Simmons (Fever v GIANTS)

Most feeds – 44 Mahalia Cassidy (Thunderbirds v Lightning)

Most gains – 9 Courtney Bruce (Fever v GIANTS)

Most intercepts – 4 Shamera Sterling (Thunderbirds v Lightning) & Ash Ervin (Thunderbirds v Lightning)

Most deflections – 10 Sarah Klau (Firebirds v Swifts)

Most turnovers – 8 Mwai Kumwenda (Vixens v Magpies)

Most penalties – 23 Geva Mentor (Vixens v Magpies)

 

 

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Milestones

Jamie-Lee Price (GIANTS) played her 150th National League game. Having reached this milestone at the age of just 27, she has the opportunity to notch up many more. 

 

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Injuries

Molly Jovic (Magpies) went down one minute into the final quarter. She appeared to roll her ankle, but was also holding her wrist. Everyone will be hoping for a speedy recovery so she can play out Collingwood’s final game next week. 

 

Kiera Austin (Vixens) left the court in the final minutes of the third quarter. It was initially not clear what the injury was, but she returned to the court three minutes into the final quarter. Post match she said she was cleared on her SCAT (a courtside concussion assessment) and that she was just winded. 

 

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Break out performance of the round

Ava Black (Lightning) was only playing game number seven in the match against the Thunderbirds, but she displayed all the composure of a seasoned veteran. It was clearly her best game so far. She finished the match with one gain, three deflections and four pickups from wing defence. 

 

Ash Ervin (Lightning) is improving with every match. Against Thunderbirds, she had five gains, four intercepts, and three deflections. Both Black and Ervin have just turned 20, and look like they have big futures in the game. Lightning must surely be looking very hard at both players for their team for next year.

 

 

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LIGHTNING 56 def THUNDERBIRDS 54

by Georgia Doyle

 

Lightning were out for redemption, suffering their biggest loss of the season when they first faced Thunderbirds back in Round Three, with a 24-goal thrashing. And it was sweet revenge, with a two goal victory despite a flurry of Thunderbirds super shots in the final five minutes that almost saw them clinch a win.

 Thunderbirds never seemed able to get out of second gear, behind for the whole match. Their demeanour was flat, and as a result the 9000 strong crowd wasn’t able to inject themselves in as the eighth player they so often are for the home side. It was only in the last seven or so minutes that the whole arena lifted, but it was a case of too little too late as Lightning had already pushed out to a 13 goal lead and the six super shots from Eleanor Cardwell and Lucy Austin were not enough to drag the side over the line as they face two tough losses ahead of their first finals appearance on 10 years.

 

What worked?

With the Australian Diamonds squad being announced on Thursday, Steph Wood and Cara Koenen showed why they are bound to be at the top of Stacey Marinkovich’s list. Their shooter to shooter connection was sublime, as Koenen well and truly had the better of Shamera Sterling for the majority of the match. Koenen’s ability to reposition on her hold, dodge along the baseline and pop forward for the front ball meant Sterling was continually stuck behind her, and while Sterling is known for her ability to contest from behind the ball was sent in hard and flat by the feeders meaning if Sterling wanted to get close she ended up with a penalty. This showed on the stat sheet, with the game being equal highest for Sterling’s penalties with 10 contact calls and two obstructions.

 Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst made a raft of substitutions across the game, throwing everything out on court in an attempt to slow Lightning down. While most of the changes didn’t have the desired impact, the injection of Lucy Austin to goal shooter, pushing Eleanor Cardwell out to goal attack in the final quarter was when Thunderbirds started to edge closer. This combination continues to perform under pressure, often being used in final quarters when Thunderbirds have come back for the win – notably in their two matches against West Coast Fever. This line up was preferred at the start of the year, but wasn’t yielding results for the full 60 minutes. Obst will take some confidence from their ability to perform under pressure, especially Austin, who nailed all three of her super shot attempts as they tried desperately to regain the lead.

 

Where the match was won and lost?

Thunderbirds had an uncharacteristically poor game when it came to accuracy, with Cardwell in particular struggling to find the ring at critical moments. She finished the game 24/30 in one-point range, and 4/6 super shots – but this opened the door for Lightning to nab some rebounds, picking up six in the defensive end across the match. There were also some accuracy woes at the other end of the court, but the difference was Lightning reeled in the rebound or if it was a Thunderbird hand that got to the ball first, it was only one so it either ended up out of court or was deflected back to Lightning hands. Thunderbirds failed to pick up a single defensive rebound, from Lightning’s eight missed shots.

 Tippah Dwan was also unusually quiet, struggling with confidence to post and an unusually high turnover count. On several occasions she was set up nicely to go to post, and while it was from range she is known to be comfortable to shoot long. She would more often than not balk on the shot, but this didn’t fool Lightning defenders so she then had to offload at the last second, making a poor pass or forcing a shot she wasn’t comfortable taking.

 

Which players/combinations stood out?

Laura Scherian was a force to be reckoned with in the Lightning mid-court, up against Latanya Wilson who has been dismantling wing attacks at will for much of the season, Scherian used her speed and deception to find circle edge with ease. Combining with MVP Mahalia Cassidy, the two shared the feeding load for much of the match, Cassidy finishing with 20 goal assists from 44 feeds and Scherian with 13 from 28 – all with only five turnovers between them. Thunderbirds tried a raft of wing defences and centres to try and break the connection, but were unsuccessful in all their attempts. This included a stint from Maisie Nankivell at wing defence, a position we haven’t seen her in for some time. And while she better matched Scherian for speed, she was heavily penalised with 10 in just 30 minutes on court.

 Hannah Petty continued to be one of the league’s best impact players, despite it being a role not often played by a captain. Normally not injected until the final quarter, this time she came in mid-way through the second quarter as Thunderbirds were unable to gain any ascendency. In her first seven minutes on court she had two intercepts, straight out of Lightning’s transition defence as they were slack with their outlet passing after some rebounds. It was the most minutes Petty has played in some weeks, and while her numbers weren’t as high as you’d expect to see from a centre, she filled the gaps and allowed Georgie Horjus to work her magic to find the shooters.

 

Shooting statistics 

Thunderbirds

Eleanor Cardwell 28/36 (78%)

Tippah Dwan 8/11 (73%)

Lucy Austin 11/13 (85%)

 

Lightning

Cara Koenen 33/38 (87%)

Steph Wood 22/25 (88%)

 

MVP – Mahalia Cassidy (Lightning)

 

 

 

 

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West Coast Fever 72 defeated Giants Netball 61

By Jenny Sinclair

 

West Coast Fever brought some sloppy passing under control to record an 11 goal win over the Giants. Halving their error count in the second half and a dominant defensive display scored them the victory and second place on the Super Netball ladder, following Thunderbirds shock loss yesterday. 

Played in front of a record home and away crowd of 11 013, Fever have now set themselves up nicely for a double crack at the finals. 

The early stages of the match were a see-sawing affair. Fever created plenty of defensive stops, but on many occasions wayward passing turned the ball into Giants hands.

Jhaniele Fowler’s 14 centimetre height advantage over Lauren Moore made the shooter an easy target, but far too often Fever hoiked the pass rather than working it into her. However, when Fowler did get her hands on the ball she was deadly, dominating the circle with 61 goals from 64 attempts. 

Fever clung to their lead in the first half, but whenever they looked to extend it, errors allowed the Giants to claw it back. Fever coach Dan Ryan was clearly unhappy, issuing stern instructions about moving the ball to the edge of the circle. 

“It’s not okay, be willing to work and work and work!” he ordered during a time out.

With a history of spicy encounters between the teams, physicality slipped out of control at times. Some heavy challenges from April Brandley sent Sasha Glasgow crashing to the floor, while the match up between the two captains, Courtney Bruce and Jo Harten, got mouthy.

Bruce said the pair just exchanged opinions over returning the ball for the centre pass, while rating the win among her side’s best of the season. 

“We said before the game, lets just have some fun. When we do, we put out performances like that.”

Bruce went on to earn MVP honours after pulling in three intercepts, three rebounds and nine deflections for a total of nine gains. Managing a knee injury, Harten subbed out during the third quarter after shooting 22 from 29.  

Sunday Aryang had her best game of the season with a controlled display that included four gains and five deflections.

Jamie-Lee Price was the Giants’ best by some margin, as she dominated the midcourt. Chasing World Cup selection after missing out on last year’s Commonwealth Games, Price was in imperious form. Playing in her 150th national league match, she finished with 39 feeds and an intercept.

Despite taking a seat on the bench in the final quarter, Amy Parmenter did her national selection chances little harm, finishing with three gains and five deflections.

Giants also dominated the supershot count, with 11 compared to Fever’s four. 

PRICE PONDERY

After missing out on the Commonwealth Games, Jamie-Lee Price has upped her tempo in a bid to make this year’s Netball World Cup team. The Giant has been locked in a fierce selection battle with several other midcourters, pulling in a number of intercepts and feeding the circle beautifully. However, she can also be expensive with the ball in hand, coughing up 50 turnovers compared to just 21 by Kate Moloney, her main rival for the centre bib.

HEALTHY HOUSE

Fever fans have turned out in droves this year, including the two biggest netball crowds this season. Almost 11 000 watched their favourites last week, while today’s attendance hit 11 013 – a league record for minor round games this season. Fever have also passed the 5000 member mark. 

 

Shooting statistics

Fever

Fowler 61/64 (95%)

Glasgow 7/8 (87%)

 

Giants

Harten 22/29 (76%)

Dwyer 16/25 (64%)

Letherbarrow 12/16 (75%)

 

MVP: Courtney Bruce

 

 

 

 

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SWIFTS 78 def FIREBIRDS 65

By Ian Harkin

NSW Swifts wrapped up the minor premiership with a comfortable 78-65 win over the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane. Firebirds were able to stick with the Swifts for most of the first half, but the competition leaders put their foot down in the third quarter, and the home team was unable to match them. 

This was the Swifts’ ninth win in a row, in a run that has seen them climb from sixth to first on the ladder, and they will be hosting the major semi-final in two weeks. It was a good reality check for Firebirds to show where they’re at. There are some very promising signs for them for the future, but Swifts are a class above currently.

What worked?

What worked for Swifts in this game was simply what has worked for them throughout this run of nine victories. Teamwork. Coach Briony Akle has got the Swifts line up performing like a well-oiled machine. Most of this team has been together for seven seasons now, and there’s no sign of them getting stale with each other or with Akle’s coaching. Each player knows their role and plays it to perfection. It’s hard to think of a single situation that will trouble them right now.

The Firebirds attack end, and in particular Donnell Wallam has starred in recent matches for Firebirds, so this was where teamwork came in. After so many games together, Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner know each other’s games inside out. While Klau was given the task of keeping Wallam quiet, and she did it brilliantly, she would not have been as effective without the tough defensive work of Turner both inside and outside the circle. The pair combined for 12 possession gains and 15 deflections and regularly forced the Firebirds into error.

The duo of Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley controlled the midcourt as they have done so many times before. Meanwhile, wing defence Tayla Fraser didn’t come up with the stats but still did her job defensively. And in the shooting circle, the combination of Helen Housby and Romelda Aiken-George goes from strength to strength. The recruiting of Aiken-George as a training partner will surely go down as the signing of the year. It was a masterstroke.

Where was the match won and lost?

With just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the score was level at 29 goals apiece. In the next nine minutes, Swifts went on a run of 18 goals to six to really blow the game wide open. If you’re going to beat a team like the Swifts, you must be on your game for 60 minutes. You can’t afford a lapse, and during this period, that’s just what Firebirds did. And Swifts were relentless in punishing them.

Housby landed four super shots before halftime to make the score 38-33. Then after the break, it was Turner who came up with two terrific touches and forced an error out of Wallam on another occasion. Seemingly out of nowhere, Swifts now had a lead of 12 goals and there was no coming back from that. Bec Bulley made some changes in the hope of turning things around, but the damage was done.

Which players/combinations stood out?

We’re running out of superlatives for Housby at this point. It’s hard to imagine a player having a more impressive string of games than the English Rose is currently on. She seems to be almost impossible to shut down. After being part of a very inexperienced shooting circle last year, Housby is relishing having Aiken-George in the team this year. It takes a lot of the pressure off her. Her direct opponent, Ruby Bakewell-Doran had almost no influence over the game for the first three quarters.  

Klau was outstanding in unsettling Wallam. She got on top in the first quarter, picking up five gains. Wallam showed character in finishing the game strongly, but Klau had already won that battle. After scoring 65 goals in round 12, Wallam was restricted to just 40 this week. As mentioned, Turner was a great support in defence, especially in the second half. Meanwhile, after a couple of quiet games (for her) in recent weeks, Maddy Proud was back to her dominating best; 20 assists, three gains, and five deflections.

Leesa Mi Mi was playing just her fourth game at this level. Despite this, she was Firebirds’ most impressive player in the first half at centre. She wasn’t quite as effective in the second half when moved to wing attack. But even so, the future is surely very bright for her. It was a slightly puzzling decision by Bulley to bench goal attack Emily Moore. It seemed a reaction to the Firebirds’ poor start to the third quarter. She had in fact been one of Firebirds’ best to that point, without a single general play turnover against her name.

 

Shooting stats

Firebirds

Donnell Wallam 40/51 (78%)

Emily Moore 9/12 (75%)

Mia Stower 6/9 (67%)

Swifts

Romelda Aiken-George 43/50 (86%)

Helen Housby 25/33 (76%)

Sophie Fawns 1/2 (50%)

MVP – Donnell Wallam   

 

 

 

 

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VIXENS 64 def MAGPIES 55

By Georgia Doyle (Originally Published for Fox Netball)

 

The Vixens reigned supreme in their final derby against the Collingwood Magpies, taking a nine goal win over their cross town rivals. After trailing for much of the match, Vixens managed a massive 18 goal turnaround to show why they deserve their finals berth. 

The victory highlighted the true dominance of the Vixens in Melbourne, taking a 10 to five winning record against Collingwood over their seven years in Super Netball. 

Speaking after the game, the importance of the match wasn’t lost on Vixens head coach Simone McKinnis.

“It’s a significant game, our last one against Magpies, and as we know that’s a big rivalry. We knew they were going to come out strong. We weathered the storm in the first half, and then stepped it up a level in the second” she said. 

The game was scrappy from the get go, with bodies flying all over the court. 

Jodi-Ann Ward and Geva Mentor were a menacing presence for Collingwood. Ward in particular wasn’t afraid to leave her opponent unattended and hunt for ball, reeling in four gains, alongside Mentor’s seven as Collingwood jumped out to a nine goal lead.

Vixens were in chase mode for much of the match, forcing them to contest hard in an effort to get themselves back in the game. This resulted in an unusually high penalty count of 41 in the first half, compared to their season average of 58 for an entire game.

Head coach Simone McKinnis recognised the game was creeping out of reach. With the score blowing out in the second quarter, she shuffled her mid court and gave stern instructions about body control.

“Let’s stay in play, there’s too many of those little penalties” she said. 

The switch up re-invigorated the side, with Hannah Mundy’s strong drives and four super shots drawing the deficit back to six at half-time.

MVP Kiera Austin was forced from the court following a heavy clash with Ward, moments after she’d leveled the game with one of her four super shots in the third quarter.

After 16 turnovers in the first half, Vixens cleaned up their act with just eight in the second half, to fight their way back into the game and seal the win.

The comeback from Vixens, currently sitting fourth on the ladder, will be a big boost as they approach finals. Regardless, the grand final will be played at John Cain Arena, where they have only lost one match this year, a confidence boost should they progress all the way to the grand final. 

While McKinnis was impressed with the overall result, she is aware that improvements will need to be made come finals. 

“We want to put out four quarters, a stronger start than we had today. But our composure today was important, and we want to carry that through [to finals]” she said post match. 

Sophie Garbin’s season is one she’d like to forget, but she put out a solid performance when it counted with 10 goals and only three turnovers. She is fighting not only for Diamonds selection, but also for a contract in 2024. 

CONTRACT CONUNDRUM

All 80 athletes are off contract at season end, but the uncertainty regarding their future would be tenfold for Collingwood’s players. Shimona Nelson, Jodi-Ann Ward and Kelsey Browne are likely to find new homes, but fringe players will be worried. Garbin’s drop in form could make teams unwilling to sign her as a goal attack, and it seems unlikely a goal shooter spot will open up. 

KATE’S FATE
With the Diamonds’ World Cup team announced on Thursday, Moloney has history on her side, winning gold at last year’s Commonwealth Games. However, Jamie-Lee Price is hot on her heels. Price leads most statistics between the pair but Moloney’s safety with ball in hand, giving away 29 less turnovers than Price, will likely be a key deciding factor. 

 

Shooting Statistics 

Vixens 

Mwai Kumwenda 37/41 (90%)

Kiera Austin 19/20 (91%)

Kim Borger 1/1 (100%)

 

Magpies

Shimona Nelson 43/45 (96%)

Sophie Garbin 10/14 (71%)

Kelly Singleton 0/1 (0%)

 

MVP – Kiera Austin (Vixens)

 

 

 

 

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Quotes Corner

Tania Obst, Adelaide Thunderbirds Head Coach

On the inability to perform for 60 minutes in recent weeks

“This is a young team, and we’ve given ourselves the opportunity to play finals with what we’ve done earlier in the year. I don’t know that I’m worried, a little frustrated maybe around the fact that we can do that in one quarter, when we know we’ve got it in us to do it for longer. We just need to be a little more consistent, put some processes in place at training to then be able to come out and win more than a quarter”

 

On dropping two consecutive games ahead of Finals

“Magpies had nothing to lose last week, it was an emotional month for them and that was their last home game. We didn’t respond quickly enough to that. And tonight Lightning have said they’re looking to finish off their season really strong and came out with nothing to lose. There’s something about that freedom. With us I was wanting a bit more energy amongst the group”

 

On the switch up of Dwan to WA and Nankivell to WD

“We’ve been throwing that around a little bit at training. Maisie has played wing defence, not for about three years but we were happy with what Hannah was doing in centre and didn’t want to move her.  We were happy with how Maisie brought the ball through court, we just need to tweak a few things, and take the learnings. We’ve got a versatile team, so we have the luxury of doing that”

 

Belinda Reynolds, Sunshine Coast Lightning Head Coach

Overall thoughts on the game

“I thought we were really clinical today, especially in attack. We know that we’re a team that can really use ball speed, and I think we were really good in that area tonight. Defensively we just had a crack, and really took the game on early. It was out most consistent performance, and the girls really stuck to the game plan. We’ve had a lot of injuries throughout the season, and we’re only just starting to consolidate some of our line ups now so I do wish we had more games ahead of us”

 

On the final five minutes

“I was very nervous, I thought we really played too safe too early. We don’t want the next game to be like that but we’ll go back and look at how we can adjust”

 

On Ash Ervin’s performance

“Ash is a great size, she’s getting better each week and that’s what opportunity does. It allows the players to learn their craft against the best in the world and I can’t wait to see her in the future”

 

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Ladder

(Team . Pts . %)

 

Swifts . 42 . 106.04%

Fever . 36 . 111.62%

Thunderbirds . 34 . 107.25%

Vixens . 32 . 103.51%

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Lightning . 20 . 99.13%

GIANTS . 16 . 95.30%

Firebirds . 16 . 91.04% 

Magpies . 12 . 88.93%

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Next Round

All matches will be shown live on Fox Sport and Kayo Sports. Sunday matches will be available on Kayo Freebies for those who don’t have a subscription

 

Sat, Jun 17 – 5pm – Swifts v Thunderbirds

Sat, Jun 17 – 7pm – Magpies v Fever

Sun, Jun 18 – 2pm – Lightning v Firebirds

Sun, Jun 18 – 4pm – GIANTS v Vixens