NS Scoreboard: SSN 2024 - Preliminary Final

The Queensland Firebirds sent shockwaves through the netball world this week, as a further three players will join captain Kim Ravaillion in exiting the club. The Firebirds confirmed that star goaler Donnell Wallam, defender Remi Kamo and 11th player Ali Miller won’t be returning to the club in 2025, not being offered contracts by the Queensland club.

In a statement released by the Firebirds on Friday, Netball Queensland CEO Kate Davies said the following.

“There is no doubt Donnell is a quality player and her Diamonds selection for 2024 supports that. This is simply a recruitment decision based on game style and strategy into the future and I know Donnell will continue to shine wherever her future lies.”

“Remi has grown in her second year of SSN and been impactful on the court. The Firebirds are seeking to reset their defensive strategy over the coming seasons and this decision is a part of that reset.” Davies said.

The following statement was released from national coach Stacey Marinkovich.

“Donnell’s presence on court epitomises the Suncorp Super Netball competition with her flair and energy. She’s not a cookie cutter shooter, she provides an entertainment element to her game which fans have gravitated towards.”

“Donnell made her Suncorp Super Netball debut just three seasons ago in 2022. I don’t believe she has reached her ceiling and she’s continued to show incredible variation and growth in her game this year.”

“She’s had a strong Suncorp Super Netball season – she’s ranked second in the competition for goals scored and offensive rebounds. We can’t wait to see what excitement and flair Donnell can bring the Origin Australian Diamonds 2024-25 squad.”

“We have made a commitment to Donnell, like we do with all our Diamonds, to provide the support and resources to ensure she reaches her potential and maximises selection opportunities.”

Donnell Wallam putting in the layup to win the game for Australia. Image May Bailey l Clusterpix

Free agency, training partner and 11th player signing windows

While clubs can currently sign their own athletes, the window for free agency signing occurs from Monday 5 August to Friday 23 August, by which time each team must have their group of 10 organised. Players can be signed on one or two year contracts only.

Training partners and Nominated Athletes can be signed from Monday 25 August up until four weeks before the first game of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season, but only on a one-year contract.

Eleventh player regulations have been tightened – any of the four Nominated athletes can be signed as their club’s eleventh player, but must be eligible to represent Australia AND not have represented another country in any international event in the last four years. They must also be 26 or younger, or have played in five or less SSN or ANZ matches.

Netball Australia will introduce a pilot First Nations Tournament this September to provide accelerated and equitable opportunities for First Nations participants in netball. The pilot will feature under-23 aged teams from every state and territory as they compete across three days of competition. The inaugural tournament will take place in Melbourne from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 September at the State Netball Centre. 

Match summary

In an intriguing match, Vixens won just one quarter, but went on to triumph by one point, despite leading by 12 with just three minutes to go in the game. Their game was built on low errors – just 13 to the Fever’s creditable 15, strong attacking connections, and a defensive line that hassled Fever’s shooters into error.

In an opening quarter which Fever won by one point, they looked to have the upper hand, taking a five point lead early on and silencing the crowd. Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was performing strongly despite being double teamed, while at the other end, Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin were sharing shooting duties evenly.

Matters continued in much the same fashion in the second term, until Kate Eddy hauled in an intercept that saw the Vixens hit the front. Meanwhile the Vixens shooters continued to grow in confidence with the Fever defenders having limited impact against them.

Fever, who’ve outperformed in their third quarters across the season, chose the worst possible game of the year in which to drop their bundle. Midway through the term, Vixens went on a 12 to 3 point scoring streak, as four crucial errors by Fever were converted at the opposite end.

Early in the fourth quarter, Vixens hit a 12 point lead, and looked like they’d run away with the match. However, whether they tried to protect their lead too early, or simply went into their shells, Fever were able to reduce the margin to just one point by the time the final siren went, an 11 point turnaround in the matter of just 5 minutes.

Both teams were heavily whistled, with Vixens finishing the game on 70 and Fever on 66.

The devastation shows for Fever. Image Aliesha Vicars

Diamonds watch

With Diamonds studded across the Vixens line, one shone brighter than all the rest. MVP Kiera Austin, who is sometimes criticised for inconsistency, has had one of her best domestic seasons to date. In this game she was simply outstanding.

Her shooting figures of 29/32 at 90.6% were exceptional for a goal attack, while she also led Vixens for centre pass receives (21), and fed Sophie Garbin a handy 25 times. Austin made it look easy too, with neither Fever goal defender able to have much impact against her. Austin did give up a costly four errors – almost one third of the Vixens 13 – which is perhaps the only area she could have improved on.

Kiera Austin was a well deserved MVP. Image Aliesha Vicars

The shooting circle

After last week’s dismal outing, MVP Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin were on fire. Their shooter to shooter connection was immaculate, and Fever weren’t able to break it. Austin finished with 29/32 at 91%, including 4 supershots. Garbin’s 38/40 (95%) included two supershots. But it was their ability to find each other in the circle that proved impossible to stop. The shooting duo gave up six errors, four less than the three players Fever used in the circle.

Alice Teague-Neeld almost got Fever across the line after they were 12 points down with just 5 minutes to go. She shifted into goal attack at three quarter time, and went confidently to the post, putting up 5/6 including three supershots. That was more in 15 minutes than Shanice Beckford (3/4) managed in 45.

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard once again put up the big numbers – 56/61, including 4 supershots, but she gave up five general play turnovers (the most for her team) while Beckford had four. Four of Fowler-Nembhard’s turnovers came in the second half which allowed Vixens to take control. She looked rattled early on under intense double-teaming, and was seen speaking mid-match to the umpires about the frequent bumping of the goal post.

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was double-teamed for much of the game. Image Aliesha Vicars

The midcourt

The Vixens midcourt was quite simply outstanding in attack, using speed and angles to move the ball into the circle. Kiera Austin (25), Hannah Mundy (36) and Kate Moloney (32) split the feeding relatively evenly between them, keeping Fever’s defenders heads spinning. That was a substantial contrast to Fever, who used two main avenues to goal – Alice Teague-Neeld and Shanice Beckford. With just two real sources, Vixens were able to focus their attempts on getting arms up over those two, and having a far better idea of where the feed was coming from, allowing time for a defensive set up.

For Fever, Teague-Neeld was a standout, with 28 feeds and 27 centre pass receives, and she had a great battle with Kate Eddy. Eddy was crucial to the Vixens’ win as she picked off three gains. The wing defence has missed much of the season with a fibula fracture, but stood up in this game when it counted. Her most important intercept turned the tide in the Vixens favour as she picked Teague-Neeld’s pocket to send the ball into attack and the momentum swung Vixens’ way.

Jordan Cransberg provided a direct line of attack in her 6 minutes out on court, while Kelsey Browne provided speed but was perhaps guilty of going too laterally in an attempt to keep the ball safe. Neither Anstiss nor Aryang really got to grips with Mundy, who led all comers in feeding the circle.

The Vixens had so many different angles of attack that it was hard to counter. Image Aliesha Vicars

Alice Teague-Neeld made the move from wing attack into goal attack, and helped narrow the gap from 12 points to just one. Image Aliesha Vicars

The defenders

Fever outmuscled the Vixens, 10 gains to 7, with Kadie-Ann Dehaney the best performing defender on five. Her work in the circle kept Fever in the match when Vixens were pressing, but other Fever defenders struggled for impact. Neither Fran Williams (1 gain) nor Sunday Aryang (0 gains) were able to limit Kiera Austin’s impact, leaving it up to Jess Anstiss (2 gains), Alice Teague-Neeld and Shanice Beckford (1 gain apiece) to add midcourt support.

The Vixens defenders gave their side even less opportunities, with Emily Mannix (2 gains), Rudi Ellis (1 gain) and Jo Weston (0 gains) combining for just three. Where the Vixens did excel however, was the pressure they applied to the Fever shooters to rattle them, with Fowler-Nembhard making some uncharacteristic errors. The move of Simone McKinnis to replace Ellis with Mannix halfway through the third quarter was certainly an effective one as Vixens were trailing by four at the time.

Neither side were able to haul in any defensive rebounds. The lack of gains and defensive rebounds are an area the Vixens will need to focus on against the Thunderbirds, with Shamera Sterling-Humphrey regularly exceeding that tally all on her own.

Big arms over pressure from Jo Weston. Image Aliesha Vicars

Kadie-Ann Dehaney comes through for the intercept. Image Aliesha Vicars

Tactics

Vixens were able to hold on and withstand Fever’s super shot onslaught. But only just. Leading by 12 with just four minutes left, Vixens suddenly began to play more defensively, seemingly trying to use up time and protect their lead. They went right away from the confident attacking style of play that had given them that 12 goal lead. This defensive tactic from Vixens almost backfired spectacularly as a series of turnovers resulted, and Fever’s sharp shooting saw the final margin reduced to just one goal.

In terms of super shots, it was Fever’s most accurate outing of the season at 61%, with six of them coming in the last quarter when they were chasing that large deficit. But they also – once again – struggled to contain the Vixens shooters as they put up seven long range attempts of their own. Of all teams bar the Mavericks, Fever had the greatest player turnover during a vastly shortened preseason, so super shot strategies will undoubtedly form part of their preparation for 2025.

Vixens brains trust. Image Aliesha Vicars

Stats of the week

Sophie Garbin had an excellent return of 38/40. But another statistic could have been even more important. Garbin had 10 goal assists and 16 feeds for the game. Those are the highest numbers she has recorded all season for both. That is proof of the much better connection and interplay in this game between the two Diamonds shooters in the Vixens’ circle. As a comparison, in the round 13 match between these teams, Garbin didn’t have a single feed or assist, while she had just two of each in last week’s disappointing loss to the Thunderbirds. In this match, Garbin also picked up four rebounds, an intercept, and a deflection for a fine all round game.

While Vixens had just seven gains to Fever’s 10, they were far thriftier with unforced turnovers. Fever gave away nine, compared to the Vixens four. And with most other numbers relatively even, that proved to be the ultimate ball game. Perhaps surprisingly, Vixens have had less unforced turnovers than Fever in all three clashes this season. Ahead of the grand final, it’s interesting to note that they’ve also had less unforced turnovers than Thunderbirds in all three games this year.

Vixens fans celebrate. Image Aliesha Vicars

Keep an eye out for Netball Scoop’s grand final preview.

Next week

GRAND FINAL:

Adelaide Thunderbirds v Melbourne Vixens

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Saturday, August 3, 7pm AEST (6:30pm local time)