RESULTS
Giants Netball 75 beat West Coast Fever 68 (17-20, 22-15, 19-17, 17-16)
Collingwood Magpies 58 beat Queensland Firebirds 54 (14-17, 14-15, 15-13, 15-9)
NSW Swifts 66 beat Adelaide Thunderbirds 51 (18-10, 17-13, 12-12, 19,16)
Melbourne Vixens 63 beat Sunshine Coast Lightning 51 (16-11, 18-8, 15-19, 14-13)
LADDER AFTER ROUND THREE
- Vixens . 12 . 133.33%
- Swifts . 12 . 109.78%
- Lightning . 8 . 106.33%
- Fever. 4 . 101.9%
- Giants . 4 . 98.42%
- Magpies . 4 . 93.45%
- Thunderbirds . 4 . 90.05%
- Firebirds . 4 . 75.25%
INJURIES
Courtney Bruce (Fever) – lower back injury
Maddy Turner (Swifts) – ankle
RETURNS
Layla Guscoth (Thunderbirds) – back in side recovered from Achilles injury
Sasha Glasgow (Thunderbirds) – in the side recovered from ACL injury
Hannah Petty (Thunderbirds) – recovered from illness
MILESTONE GAMES
Congratulations to Caitlin Bassett (200th), April Brandley (100th), Paige Hadley (100th) and Kate Moloney (100th) who all played milestone national league games this round.
Jo Harten and Jamie-Lee Price also played their 50th Australian national netball games.
ROOKIE OF THE ROUND
While it was a toss up between Sunday Aryang (Fever) and Molly Jovic (who won MVP for the Magpies), our chocolates went to the former. On court for 51 minutes, Aryang rotated between goal defence and goal keeper in an undersized unit. While it was a tough ask for the youngster to play against the experience of Jo Harten and Caitlin Bassett, she came away with four gains (three intercepts and one rebound), for just five penalties.
PLAY OF THE ROUND
A Jo Weston shoulder pass from the centre third into Caitlin Thwaites under the post headed straight towards the goal post. Thwaites let the ball go past as the defenders leapt at it and then caught it as it rebounded off the post.
An honourable mention goes to Chelsea Pitman, who sprinted for a ball thrown deep into the pocket. With a defender bearing down on her, she didn’t turn, but threw a backwards bounce pass that connected with Lenize Potgeiter under the post. Has to be seen, to be believed.
TEAM OF THE ROUND
We couldn’t go past the Melbourne Vixens whose clinical performance made premiership contenders Sunshine Coast Lightning, look distinctly ordinary at times. In her 100th national league performance, Kate Moloney was more than a match for Laura Langman, while the defensive end formed a wall that Lightning found difficult to penetrate. The three shooters combined seamlessly for the most part, with rapid-fire drives into the circle by Tegan Phillip a highlight.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Having superior Nissan Net Points does not automatically mean your team wins – as the Queensland Firebirds found out this Round. Their superior points (376 to Collingwood Magpies’ 288) was thanks to some sublime defensive efforts. However, those pick-ups were not rewarded with goals, which is all that matters at the end of the day. The old adage of ‘defence wins matches’ isn’t always true.
Jo Harten had an outstanding game statistically and scored our highest Netball Scoop fantasy points so far this season. Not only was she ruthless in attack for the Giants, but she also picked up three defensive gains. Not a bad outing for a goal attack.
Kim Jenner had a strong defensive game for the Firebirds, coming away with five intercepts and five deflections, for a total of seven gains (see the below stats for how five and five equals seven).
TALKING POINTS OF THE ROUND
Interestingly, despite giving Jhaniele Fowler a torrid time, goal keeper Sam Poolman picked up just six penalties (four contact, two obstruction). At one point, Fowler hit the deck after a fairly decent shove that went completely unnoticed by the umpires. It begs the question – are contacts on the stronger goal shooters treated in same way as contacts on the slighter ones – or are they expected to get on with it because they can stand their ground better.
Despite the discussion of the quick turnaround between matches and the assumption that athletes would be load managed, many teams opted to keep some of their stars on for the full 60 minutes.
The Vixens midcourt trio of Liz Watson, Kate Moloney and Kate Eddy saw out the full match, despite the team carrying a strong lead into the final quarter. In the same match, the Lightning’s ‘Lauras’ did the same. Six of the Firebirds and six of the Giants also ran a full match. Fever bookend, Jhaniele Fowler has also not seen the bench so far this season. How will this load impact the athletes moving into Round 4?
TWEET OF THE WEEK
STAND OUT STATISTICS
Gains
Shamera Sterling (Thunderbirds) – 9 (1 intercept, 5 deflections with a gain, 3 rebounds)
Amy Parmenter (Giants) – 7 (4 intercepts, 3 deflections with a gain)
Kim Jenner (Firebirds) – 7 (5 intercepts, 1 deflection with a gain, 1 rebound)
Emily Mannix (Vixens) – 7 (3 intercepts, 3 deflections with a gain, 1 rebound)
Goal Assists
Kiera Austin (Giants) – 30
Liz Watson (Vixens) – 26
Alice Teague-Neeld (Fever) – 22
Mahalia Cassidy (Firebirds) – 21
Overall Goals
Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) – 58/66 87.9%
Caitlin Bassett (Giants) – 47/53 89%
Shimona Nelson (Magpies) – 42/45 93%
Overall Super Shots
Sasha Glasgow – 7/10
Jo Harten (Giants) – 6/7
Gabby Sinclair (Magpies) – 5/6
Helen Housby (Swifts) – 5/7
Penalties (total)
Geva Mentor (Magpies) – 23
Jo Weston (Vixens) – 17
Kim Jenner (Firebirds) – 14
Phumza Maweni (Lightning) – 14
Nissan Net Points (Individual)
Jo Harten (Giants) – 113.5
Mahalia Cassidy (Firebirds) – 100
Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) – 98
Jo Weston (Vixens) – 88.5
Kim Jenner (Firebirds) – 85
Nissan Net Points (Team)
NSW Swifts – 428
Giants Netball – 427
Melbourne Vixens – 410
Queensland Firebirds – 381
West Coast Fever – 375
Collingwood Magpies – 303
Adelaide Thunderbirds – 268
Sunshine Coast Lightning – 237
MATCHES
Giants Netball 75 defeated West Coast Fever 68
By: Andrew Kennedy
In a season-defining game for both teams, the opening was too easy for both attack lines. The grind gave fruit for Giants, who made only one change in the entire game, and managed to frustrate the normally spontaneous Fever attack. As captain Courtney Bruce watched on yet again, Fever were edged out by better patience and feeding from the Sydneysiders.
WHO dominated?
GIANTS’ coach Julie Fitzgerald was the MVP. She has made the Giants front line function streets better in just a few days. Jo Harten received MVP, and she was exceptional in this match. She radically cut down on her turnovers and shot at 88%. The key was that she let Kiera Austin dominate the feeding, and that made the whole front line work as a unit. Harten also had two deflections and grabbed two intercepts.
WHAT worked?
Harten put much less effort into feeding and allowed Austin to dominate. That won the match. For Fever, it was great to see the trap used where Parmenter at wing defence took a throw-in, but was intimidated by Fowler’s amazing reach, twice scoring possession. Also, Alice Teague-Neeld can dominate the feeding for Fever but the whole front line needs to maintain confidence.
WHAT needs improvement?
This week it was not so good from Kiera Austin – she gave away the ball eight times, an unusually high rate for any midcourter. It’s a balancing act between exceptional circle edge position and great feeds, versus taking too much risk at the wrong time. It’s clear Austin will play a lot at wing attack this year, so the Giants will work hard on her ball security. Giants feeding is hot and cold, and fixing this single thing will make them premiership contenders.
But in contrast, it was the wing defence position for Fever that was a problem – Francis committed too much to the hands over defence, not ready to adjust and follow the next lead, so Austin could run around her mark to circle edge.
WHERE was it won?
Simply, Jo Harten. So cunning, so reliable, and has grown into her captaincy role since the first two rounds. Fever lack a decisive goal attack, who can land the long bombs and also transition quickly into defence. Otherwise, the Giants coaching decision was key – only one switch in the entire match, giving the stability that allowed the Giants to gel. Caitlin Bassett was able to get into her groove and gain confidence against the youngster, Olivia Lewis.
WHERE was it lost?
Fever have the promise of Lewis at goal keeper, but for now she is nowhere near as intimidating as Courtney Bruce, and they desperately need her back on the court. Also, Verity Charles gave away the ball much more than in the past two rounds and Fever don’t have enough secure feeding options off the bench to replace her or Ingrid Colyer if their main two aren’t firing. It remains to be seen whether Charles combines better with Jess Anstiss or Colyer this season, or whether coach Stacey Marinkovich can pick the timing for each combination.
WHEN was the game won and lost?
It was a steady grind for Giants, with not too many decisive moments. The Sydney team simply found a higher proportion of direct feeds, while their midcourt defenders were able to frustrate the Fever, and once the flow was interrupted, it fed back and became easier to slow the West Coast down even more.
HOW did she do that?!
Jhaniele Fowler missed a 2-pt attempt, but Alice Teague-Neeld snuck around the post and got back onto court to retrieve the ball and score – good play but also good umpiring to notice that the ball hadn’t actually gone out.
MVP: Jo Harten (Giants)
Collingwood Magpies 58 beat Queensland Firebirds 54
By Katrina Nissen
WHO dominated?
Gabi Simpson and Kim Jenner! The kilometres covered by both defenders during the match created opportunities for their side. Simpson’s body work on Kelsey Browne shut down the Magpies’ formerly strong drives to the top of the circle. But her ability to read when to leave her player and go for the intercept was weighted perfectly this week. Jenner’s tenacity in defence saw her take 5 intercepts and get 8 gains for the match.
WHAT worked?
As they’ve done in the first two rounds, the Firebirds employed early full court defence. This type of pressure cooker caused errors from the Magpies who were rushing to find solutions and created opportunities for the Firebirds to take spectacular intercepts or get deflections. For a team who ride adrenaline and emotion, this was just what they needed to get their tails up going into half-time.
The Firebirds defenders have done a lot of adjustment in the off-season and it showed early in the match in the form of reduced penalties. By coming off the body they are drawing less whistle, and were able to stay in the contest. Unfortunately, they didn’t sustain the discipline and tripled their penalty count in the last half.
The Magpies double defending on Romelda Aiken worked a treat. While she withstood the barrage early on in the match, the eventual fatigue caused from the continual hard blows took its toll on her movement and accuracy. This paid dividends in the final quarter for the Pies where they capitalised on the Firebirds’ attacking mistakes.
WHAT needs improvement?
Just take the shot! Firebirds shooters coughed-up possession far too much by wasting time passing the ball around the circle. To paraphrase Cath Cox, “If you are wearing a shooter’s bib, you should be able to shoot from anywhere in the circle.” With the rebounder like Romelda Aiken under the post, just put it up!
At times the Magpies were too rushed in attack. Their transition play was slick but once the ball passed the transverse line, they got a rush of blood and tried to force the ball into the circle. The result was a smorgasbord of fumbles, sprays, bad hands or just awkward takes. When they slowed, as they did in the final quarter, they were able to work the ball nicely to the circle edge and place the beautiful feeds.
WHERE was it won?
The Magpies calculated, and ultimately better, use of the new rules, combined with the depth on their bench were the difference. Sinclair’s Super Shot accuracy kept the Pies within touch of the Firebirds at half time which allowed them to utilise fresh legs and put their foot down in the back end of the match. The reliable introduction of athletes like Nyah Allen, Molly Jovic and Matilda Garrett gave the seasoned Pies’ athletes the needed rest and analysis time, which allowed them to make strong impacts when reintroduced.
WHERE was it lost?
When the momentum shifted in the third quarter the Firebirds lost their confidence. This coupled with fatigue did no favours for the home side as desperation and self-doubt crept in. The result was passages of ill-disciplined play which equated to more penalties and turnovers.
WHEN was the game won and lost?
As clichéd as it is to say the third quarter is the championship quarter and is exactly where the game started to turn. The Magpies went on a scoring spree midway through the third quarter to level the score. That momentum shift was all that was needed to set them up for a 15-9 fourth quarter.
HOW did she do that?!
Jodi Ann Ward hoisting Geva Mentor. The hoist was used by both defenders during the match, but it was amazing to see the smaller defender lift the seasoned veteran, and then get up for the double hands-over effort. The unique move caused doubt in the mind of Romelda Aiken and ultimately won a held ball in favour of the Pies.
MVP: Molly Jovic (Magpies)
NSW Swifts 66 defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds 51
By Jenny Sinclair
WHO dominated?
All the Swifts players were on-point, combining superbly in a strong team performance. All twelve players took to the court, and at one point the Swifts had the luxury of having Paige Hadley, Maddy Proud and Helen Housby all on the bench at once. It shows why many believe that the NSW team have the deepest roster in the competition.
For the Thunderbirds, Chelsea Pitman was tireless, providing the drive and connection in the forward line that the Thunderbirds so badly needed.
WHAT worked?
The Swifts set up some superb passages of play around the circle, swinging the ball from Haythornthwaite at goal attack, often deep in the pocket, across the circle and then under the goal post. The Swifts shooters are one of the most mobile combinations in the league, and their movement, combined with flat passes into them, allowed Shamera Sterling little opportunity to hunt the ball.
At the opposite end of the court, Sarah Klau is starting to spend more time outside the circle hunting the ball, particularly when she’s used at goal defence. Tactically it’s clever: with her height, arm length and speed, it substantially cuts down on attacking space in the goal third.
For the Thunderbirds, the return of Sasha Glasgow (ACL) and Layla Gusgoth (Achilles) was a welcome sight. While they looked a little rusty on court, their return will strengthen the line.
WHAT needs improvement?
The Thunderbirds attacking combinations struggled for most of the night, and never quite looked comfortable. It was understandable given that three of the four are new to the setup, and once they sort out their positioning, should provide formidable options.
WHERE was it won?
The Swifts were far more hungry for the ball, with seven different players coming up with a total of 13 pickups. The midcourters were particularly effective in this respect – Hadley with a total of five pickups – and were able to send loose balls zooming straight back into attack.
WHERE was it lost?
The Thunderbirds struggled with the speed of the Swifts players and passes, and while their hands-over pressure was good, they had limited impact on the first ball contest. Far too often the 3H Club – Haythornthwaite, Hadley and Housby – were allowed to do as they pleased.
Kate Shimmin left the court in the second quarter and didn’t return. It’s hard to understand why, unless she was injured, as her attack on the ball would have been invaluable in slowing down the Swifts offensive moves.
WHEN was the game won and lost?
It’s unusual that a game is won in the first quarter, but the Swifts managed it. They forced the Thunderbirds into a number of attacking errors, turned over the ball and were able to convert, producing an 18-10 goal quarter that took the wind out of the Thunderbirds’ sails. While the Swifts won a total of three quarters, and drew the other, their first was by far the most dominant.
HOW did she do that?
In the first quarter, Chelsea Pitman took an awkward ball while running deep into a pocket. Without turning, she produced a magnificent backwards bounce pass, that hit Lenize Potgeiter right under the post. Perfect!
MVP: Paige Hadley
Melbourne Vixens 63 defeated Sunshine Coast Lightning 51
By Cara Gledhill
WHO dominated?
Kate Moloney had a blinder on Laura Langman leading to a positional switch in the second half.
The work of the Vixens defence on the three Lightning shooters in the first half was impressive. With Jo Weston bearing down on her, Steph Wood did not look comfortable throughout the game. Weston and Emily Mannix’s interplay in the circle was instrumental in setting up the Vixens’ lead.
WHAT worked?
For the Vixens, their exceptional through court play was a highlight. Countless shoulder passes were executed to perfection and helped the Vixens to open up the court and find their attackers with ease. The Lightning, always slow to get into games, were blown away by the Vixens’ skills over the course of the first half.
Vixens wing defence Kate Eddy was key for the Vixens in this endeavour using a significant height advantage over Laura Scherian to block her path into the circle. Much of the feeding responsibility went onto Laura Langman, who struggled to keep up with Moloney successfully as a result.
Key to the Lightning’s ascendancy in the second half was a midcourt switch with Langman going to wing defence and Maddy McAuliffe into centre. McAuliffe, despite limited time at this level in centre, fed her shooters well and the increased defensive pressure from Langman was certainly a factor in the Lightning making a few runs at the Vixens.
WHAT needs improvement?
The Lightning will be cursing their inability to start games. Over the first three rounds, they have not only dropped opening halves, but done it by a significant number of goals. Against the Magpies and the Firebirds, they were able to come back. Yet with the Vixens, they were completely blown away in the first half and the Vixens were too consistent a team to let them come back.
WHERE was it won?
The Lightning stayed in step with the Vixens for much of the third quarter with both teams scoring off their centre pass. Despite a couple of small runs by the Lightning, they were unable to make significant inroads in the score to make it a more achievable deficit in the last quarter.
The Vixens always knew the Lightning were coming back and managed to stick to their structures enough to keep the scoreboard ticking over as the Lightning made several runs at them.
WHERE was it lost?
The game got to the point for the Lightning where the only way they could win the game was by using the supershot period to their full advantage. Steph Wood was having an inaccurate day in the post, although did sink a couple of supershots during the game.
WHEN was the game won and lost?
Looking back at the game, it was clear that the Lightning lost it for themselves, going into halftime down by 15 goals. While the Lightning are comeback queens, they simply left themselves too great a task in the second half.
HOW did she do that?!
In a remarkable feat, goal defence Jo Weston threw in a perfectly aimed shoulder pass feed to shooter Caitlin Thwaites. Thwaites, on seeing it was going to hit the post let it go past and caught it as it bounced off the post before shooting the goal.
MVP: Kate Moloney (Vixens)
WHAT’S NEXT
Round Four
Saturday 15 August 1pm Magpies v Fever Nissan Arena Channel 9 / Netball Live
Saturday 15 August 3pm Firebirds v Giants Nissan Arena Channel 9 / Netball Live
Sunday 16 August 1pm Lightning v Swifts USC Stadium Channel 9 / Netball Live
Sunday 16 August 3:30pm Vixens v Thunderbirds USC Stadium Telstra TV / Netball Live
NETBALL SCOOP PODCAST
Please tune into the Netball Scoop Podcast on Mondays and Thursdays throughout the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball Season. Co-hosts Alexia Mitchell and Phoebe Doyle cover the latest Suncorp Super Netball news, including post-match discussions and analysis, coach and player interviews, and has a special focus on the rookies of the competition. Just like the netball, the episodes are short and sharp – perfect for listeners on the go!
NETBALL SCOOP PHOTOGRAPHERS
We didn’t receive photos of Round 2’s clash between Lightning and the Magpies until after our last newsletter had closed. However, here is a small selection of Marcela Massey’s shots of the game.