Netball Scoop Newsletter – Suncorp Super Netball – Round 12, 2020

Netball Scoop – Suncorp Super Netball – Round 12, 2020

 

RESULTS

West Coast Fever 80 defeated NSW Swifts 71 (23-15, 16-16, 22-20, 19-20)

Melbourne Vixens 61 defeated Collingwood Magpies 53 (12-17, 18-9, 16-13, 15-14)

Sunshine Coast Lightning 75 defeated Queensland Firebirds 67 (13-20,19-17, 23-15, 20-15)

GIANTS Netball 64 defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds 54 (10-13, 18-10, 20-13, 16-18)

 

LADDER AFTER ROUND TWELVE

Position . Points . Percentage

1. Vixens  . 42  . 115.8% 
2. Lightning  . 32  . 98.7%
3. Fever  . 30  . 108.2%
4. Swifts  . 28  . 101.3% 
5. Giants  .  22  .  99.9%
6. Firebirds  . 18 . 93.5%
7. Thunderbirds .  16  .  96.2%
8. Magpies . 4  . 87.9%

 

INJURIES

Liz Watson sat out this week’s game with an ankle injury sustained during the Vixens’ midweek win over the Swifts. 

Ingrid Colyer (Fever) will sit out the remainder of the season with a ruptured ACL.

Madi Browne (retirement) and Kelsey Browne (ACL strain) will both miss the rest of the season.

Helen Housby sat out Saturday’s game with a concussion sustained during the round 11 game against the Vixens.  

Chelsea Pitman was rested from Sunday’s game against the Giants with load management the primary concern. 

Jamie-Lee Price (Giants) and Tippah Dwan (Firebirds) both left the court in their respective games for shoulder treatment, before returning to the match. 

 

 

MILESTONE GAMES

Congratulations to Karla Pretorius on playing 100 national league games. Widely known as the world’s best goal defence, Australians have been privileged to watch Pretorius in action since she arrived on Australian shores.

 

 

ROOKIE OF THE ROUND

Emma Cosh was a strong contributor for the Fever with 23 feeds and 29 centre pass receives. Despite her limited court time before Colyer’s injury, Cosh manages to balance the court with Verity Charles, leaving the centre corridor for Alice Teague-Neeld to drive into. That maturity and calm head sees her once again pop up in our rookie of the round list.

Jodi-Ann Ward was half of an impressive defensive combination for the Mapgies, picking up 3 intercepts, 5 deflections and 2 rebounds as she frustrated the Vixens’ forward line into multiple errors in attack. 

With the turnover rate climbing in the Vixens’ attack, Elle McDonald was brought on at wing attack midway through the third quarter to help steady things down. It was a smooth transition, with her contributing 14 feeds and 6 centre pass receives. 

Maisie Nankivell had an impressive game for the Thunderbirds, playing across centre and wing attack. Nankivell was by far the most prolific feeder on court for either team. In the move to wing attack, she cemented her connection with Lenize Potgieter. She ended the game on 22 goal assists, two gains, a deflection, 11 centre pass receives and just three turnovers. 

 

 

PLAY OF THE ROUND

Having shaved her head last year for the Kids’ Cancer Project, Lauren Moore continued to put her money where her mouth, or rather foot, was. On Crazy Hair and Socks Day, in support of the charity, Moore rocked the most unusual socks ever to grace a netball court. 

 

 

Spotted on social media channels wearing purple bras were West Coast Fever players and the Channel 9 commentators. The IGA Purple Bra day is to help West Australians with breast cancer receive specialist nursing, counselling and financial support. 

 

 

TEAM OF THE ROUND

The Sunshine Coast Lighting again had a slow start, but with Steph Wood on court kicked up a gear to win the Queensland Derby 75 – 67. It was an impressive performance from Lightning, who have been below par in recent weeks. Lightning have moved up to second on the ladder, and sent a reminder of just why they are to be feared in the upcoming finals campaign. If they’d lost, Lightning would have dropped to fourth, and been an outside chance of missing finals for the first time since Suncorp Super Netball began. 

 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Jhaniele Fowler topped her own record for the amount of goals in a game on Saturday, scoring an incredible 69 goals in one game, including a supershot. Fowler finished the game on 131 Nissan Netpoints owing to the huge volume of shots, coupled with five offensive rebounds and a pickup. 

While Fowler scores the vast majority of the Fever’s goals, goal attack Alice Teague-Neeld is holding her starting spot over Kaylia Stanton with an impressive amount of work done out front. Teague-Neeld is currently third in the league for goal assists and fifth for centre pass receives. She is also the only shooter who features in the top five for goal assists. 

As we head towards the end of the season, the Swifts will be concerned with their increasing turnover count. In their loss to the Fever on Saturday, the Swifts coughed up the ball 27 times and four of the players who took the court recorded five turnovers each. The team who were so low on this stat last year will need to find a solution if they want to be in with a chance to play finals. 

In the absence of Liz Watson, Vixens’ captain Kate Moloney took over some of her role in attack. With 22 assists, 35 feeds, 3 gains including 2 intercepts, and an incredible 10 pickups, Moloney has now set a new record NS Fantasy score of 205!

 

TALKING POINTS OF THE ROUND

In an ugly episode West Coast Fever midcourter Verity Charles was on her way to dinner, when she was confronted by four Queensland Firebirds supporters. As reported by Sue Gaudion on her Facebook Live page, they spat at Charles’ feet, and called her “disgraceful.” One of the nicest players in the game, Charles was left distressed by the incident. 

While the personal attack was terrible, the supporters gave no thought to the potential shut down of the season if Covid becomes an issue.

The Queensland Firebirds were quick to respond, and will both support Charles and investigate the matter further. The full statement can be read here.

Those involved should be ashamed of themselves. The person wearing a Firebirds shirt should hand it back. You clearly do not share our values. You are not welcome at our Club. Queensland Firebirds

 

 

The Vixens will be crowned minor premiers after their fight-back win over the Magpies. The win sees them sitting 10 points clear of their next closest rival, Lightning. With only two rounds to go and their finals’ spot secure, will the Vixens choose to rest more of their players for the next two rounds, to ensure fresh legs for finals? With Mannix and Watson on the recent injury list, and others like Weston, Eddy and Phillip heavily strapped, the Vixens will appreciate the end of the condensed rounds. 

 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

 

STAND OUT STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL

Nissan Net Points

Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) – 127.5

Kate Moloney (Vixens) – 126.5

Romelda Aiken (Firebirds) – 114 

 

Shooting

Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) – 69/72   95.8% (1/1 super shot)

Romelda Aiken (Firebirds) – 47/52  90.4%  (1/1 super shot)

Shimona Nelson (Magpies) – 43/45 95.6% 

Cara Koenen (Lightning) – 41/41 100%

Lenize Potgieter (Thunderbirds) 41/47 87.2% (0/1 super shot)

 

Goal Assists

Laura Langman (Lightning) – 27

Gabi Sinclair (Magpies) – 25 

Verity Charles (Fever) – 24

Steph Wood (Lightning) – 24

 

Centre Pass Receives

Kelly Altmann (Magpies) – 36 

Maddy Proud (Swifts) – 30

Emma Cosh (Fever) – 29 

 

Gains

Shamera Sterling (Thunderbirds) – 8 (2 intercepts, 1 deflection with gain, 5 rebounds)

Courtney Bruce (Fever) – 7 (4 intercepts, 2 deflections with gain, 1 rebound)

Geva Mentor (Magpies) – 6 (2 intercepts, 1 deflection with gain, 3 rebounds)

Karla Pretorius (Lightning) – 6 (3 intercepts, 2 deflections with gain, 1 rebound)

Jodi Ann Ward (Magpies) – 6 (3 intercepts, 1 deflection with gain, 2 rebounds)

 

Penalties

Courtney Bruce (Fever) – 17 

Phumza Maweni (Lightning) – 16 

Sam Poolman (Giants) – 14

Maddy Turner (Swifts) – 14 

 

Turnovers

Tayla Honey (Vixens) – 8

Gabrielle Sinclair (Magpies) – 8 

Shimona Nelson (Magpies) – 7 

Georgie Horjus (Thunderbirds) – 7 

 

TEAM 

Sunshine Coast Lightning (Nissan Net Points 502, goals 70/76  92.1%,  Gains 15, Intercept 9, Deflections 18, Penalties 34, Turnovers 16)

 

 

West Coast Fever 80 defeated NSW Swifts 71.

By Janine Monneron

West Coast Fever defeated the NSW Swifts in a display of shooting inspiration and broken records. The last time the two teams met was in round two; Fever were missing Courtney Bruce through injury and the Swifts took the victory by one goal.  The Fever built a 17 goal lead at one point through carefully crafted play, only to have it hauled back by the Swifts who sunk 15 supershots (30 points) to the Fever’s 5 (10 points). Sam Wallace broke the super-shot record with 10 successful scores, while Jhaniele Fowler (Fever) set a new record for the most goals scored (70).

WHO dominated?  

Once again, Fowler popped up on the statistics card with a massive 127.5 Net-Points which deservingly gave her the MVP title. She was well fed by her attackers, but also played a magnificent aerial game to pull in even the most unlikely of balls.

Fowler was well supported by her midcourt, with Emma Cosh a strong contributor with 29 centre pass receives and 23 feeds during her time on court.

Courtney Bruce was mobile from the outset, and given the protection of her midcourt in slowing the circle feeds down, was able to attack any slightly wayward balls. She finished with 9 gains, including three intercepts and eight deflections.

For the Swifts Maddy Proud was particularly influential. She constantly attacked the circle edge, repositioning to provide better angles to feed the ball in. Proud finished with 38 feeds and 29 centre pass receives, along with two crucial intercepts.

WHAT worked?

In the first quarter Fever took advantage of the Swifts’ unusual decision to start Lauren Moore back at goal keeper. She gave away a 14 cm height advantage to Fowler, and Fever lapped it up, whistling balls over her head. Klau was swung back there in the second quarter, but by that point the damage was done, with Fever opening up an eight goal lead. This was despite the Swifts pulling in five intercepts in the opening term; unfortunately their attacking line was wasteful with nine turnovers in attack.

Throughout the match, the Fever defence were crucial to bringing the ball down court, allowing the attackers to start their moves closer to the goal third. They were able to run in direct lines to the ball rather than sideways, limiting the ability of the Swifts to hunt for intercepts. Jess Anstiss and Verity Charles also worked overtime to keep their opponents away from preferred feeding position on the circle edge.  

Unusually for them, the Swifts had to rely heavily on sinking two point shots to bring themselves back into the match; without this tactic the margin would have been closer to 20 goals.

WHAT needs improvement?

It was hard not to be intimidated by the confidence and current momentum of Fever, but the game could have been more favourable for the Swifts had they valued their time in possession – particularly in the first half. However, the Swifts gave up a costly 27 turnovers, and almost doubled the Fever’s penalty count 60-37. Their inability to stay in play hurt them, alleviating pressure against a fast moving Fever offence.

After three successive defeats, and a mathematical chance of dropping out of the finals race, Swifts will need some rapid improvement if they are to take out the title this season. While Sophie Craig and Paige Hadley have both been used in wing defence, the Swifts’ loss of Kate Eddy and Katrina Rore from last season has hurt their ability to shut down attacking forays against them.

If Fever are to be competitive across the finals, they need to address two areas of concern. Firstly, there is more work to be done in reducing opponents ability to receive a pass in Super Shot zones. Clogging up that area might leave a shooter unprotected under the post, but it’s a sacrifice worth making. Secondly, both the Vixens (Round 10) and the Swifts, they let a healthy margin slip. While in both cases the Super Shot had a big impact against the Fever, they also stopped driving onto the ball in attack. It’s understandable from Cosh, as nothing can truly replicate the pressure of the game, but the rest of the team need to find a work around these final quarter fadeouts.

“It’s just really frustrating. We get the ball back and don’t really treasure it”

Briony Akle – Head Coach, Swifts

WHERE was it won?

Simply, the number of feeds being directed to the post in Fowler was converted to score, as she finished the game with an incredible 96% accuracy. The attacking players worked hard to balance the court, with Cosh and Charles leaving the centre corridor free for Teague-Neeld to drive into. It gave the Fever plenty of time and space to attack the circle.

Fever also worked hard to maintain possession of the ball, converting a high 79% of their centre passes, and giving away just 20 turnovers for the game. For a game in which there were 131 attempts at post, that is impressive.

The defence, led by Courtney Bruce with 9 gains, did their best to nullify the Swifts attacking line. Charles and Jess Anstiss worked overtime to keep their opponents from prime feeding position at the edges of the circle, while Stacey Francis and Sunday Aryang didn’t allow any easy balls into the circle.

“The girls did feed a lot of balls in and I had to shoot them” Jhaniele Fowler

WHERE was it lost? 

The Swifts are used to playing a possession game, so it was unfamiliar to see them to hand over so much possession. Wallace, Sophie Garbin, Nat Haythornthwaite and Paige Hadley each gave away five turnovers, and the Fever were able to capitalise. They converted 87% of their gains, compared to a more miserable 54% by the Swifts.

It could be said that the dilemma for the Swifts circle defence was the distraction of Fowler at the post. This provided Teague-Neeld more opportunity to hang-out in the white paint, as she was too often left undefended.

WHEN was the game won and lost? 

With Fever out to a 17 goal lead in the third quarter, it should have been game over right there. However, such was the Swifts’ ability to nail supershots, the game tightened up again and the margin was cut to just four in the final term.

With the bench looking on anxiously Teague-Neeld rose to the challenge, dropping three consecutive super shots of her own, and putting the game beyond reach.  

HOW did she do that?!  

Wallace sinking a record 10 super-shots under the immense pressure of Australian Diamonds goal keeper, Courtney Bruce.

MVP: Jhaniele Fowler (Fever)

 

 

 

 

 

Melbourne Vixens 61 def Collingwood Magpies 53

By Bethany Slaughter

WHO dominated?

Kate Moloney had a standout game for the Vixens. In the absence of Liz Watson,  Moloney showed her leadership and proved her versatility on both defence and attack. She collected 10 pickups and two intercepts, working with the defenders to gather loose balls, while also leading the Vixens for goal assists (22). The Vixens have the luxury of rotating their goal circle, and it was the injection of Tegan Philip into goal attack which proved effective on Saturday. Philip scored 22 goals from 26 attempts, and in a match where the Collingwood defenders were up and about, she worked the circle edge and was confident to go to the post from mid-range.

In the Vixens’ defensive end, Jo Weston (one intercept, eight deflections) was a quiet achiever, forcing Gabby Sinclair (six goals from eight attempts) to play more of a feeding role and keeping her to only two super shots. In a season where an eight-goal margin is the new four-goal margin, this prevented the Magpies from quickly clawing back goals, especially in the closing five minutes of the match.

For the Magpies, Geva Mentor finished with two intercepts, six deflections, and three rebounds, while Jodi-Ann Ward had three intercepts, three deflections, and two rebounds.

WHAT worked?

Vixens coach Simone McKinnis read the game well and made some smart tactical changes in the right moments. The goal circle change-up, switching Philip into goal attack for Caitlin Thwaites, was key to their second quarter fightback. Bringing Elle McDonald into wing attack midway through the third quarter rejuvenated the Vixens’ attacking end and forced them to refocus with a new player driving the ball forward.

Tactically, the Magpies’ use of the box defence caused the Vixens to reset the ball and slowed their approach to goal. Defending the space meant that Mentor and Ward had the freedom to go hunting for ball, and on several occasions Collingwood’s teamvdefence smothered all of the Vixens’ lead options, forcing their attackers to reoffer. However, the Vixens were patient and content to put shots up from the mid-range circle area.

WHAT needs improvement?

The Vixens had a horror start to the game, with the Magpies scoring the first eight goals. Whether it was a result of a great defensive effort from the Magpies, uncharacteristic misses, teething problems with the new attacking combination or simply an aberration from the top team, the Vixens are bound to review it closely. This game was a great example of how little separates each team on the ladder, and with the Minor Premiership sewn up, the Vixens will not want to be caught napping again in the lead up to the finals series.

Collingwood will be gutted that they let their early lead slip. A potential area of concern is their defence of the super shot. The Vixens utilised the new rule to perfection in the first quarter, scoring three super shots which allowed them to tally seven consecutive goals. The Magpies will also need to sharpen their centre passes as they close out the season. The Vixens were able to pick their pockets on several centre passes, which is the last place you want to be losing the ball (and certainly not at crucial moments). However, across the entirety of the game, it was general play turnovers that hobbled the Magpies.

WHERE was it won?

When there was ball to be intercepted, deflected, scrapped or won, the Vixens got their hands to it; they won the pickup count 22 to four.

WHERE was it lost?

In a match where the team skipped out to a solid, early lead and had defenders winning plenty of ball, Collingwood’s general play turnovers hurt them. Collingwood like to bring the ball down the court with long, lob passes and utilise Shimona Nelson’s athleticism on the take to their advantage. When it works, it is a nightmare for the opposition’s defence.

However, with new combinations on court this year, the connection is not consistently there for the Magpies yet.

WHEN was the game won and lost?

The turning point was midway through the second quarter. After Collingwood’s hot start, the Vixens pegged them back to a margin of five at the quarter time break. The Vixens came out firing in the second term, pouncing on Collingwood’s errors and patiently chiselling down their lead. Once they drew level with Collingwood, thanks to a super shot by Kumwenda, the Vixens put their foot down and never let the Magpies back in.

They won the second quarter 18 to 9, and the second half 31 to 27.

MVP: Kate Moloney (Vixens)

 

 

 

 

Sunshine Coast Lightning 75 defeated Queensland Firebirds 67

By Andrew Kennedy

WHO dominated?

Karla Pretorius opened her bag of tricks and got her hand into every attacking play from the Firebirds. Despite Aiken’s height advantage, the South African continually disrupted and deflected balls that should have been an assumed goal. The combination with Maweni was a delight, as they worked for each other, subtly tapping the ball to spaces where they could follow for the pickup. The duo managed to nullify Tippah Dwan, who has been dominating in the past few rounds. Their dogged tagging kept her to only 6 goals and 6 goal assists for three-quarters of netball. 

Steph Wood was the other solid winner for Lightning, taking the front entry to the circle and casually sighting her shooting partner or the post with the kind of calm that inspires a team and fans.

WHAT worked?

Lara Dunkley started at wing attack for Firebirds, and gave away possession zero times in her 22 minutes on court. She is a solid rather than flashy player and probably could have kept Queensland in the game more than the other midcourt feeders who squandered the ball.

WHAT needs improvement? 

The finals series is looming, and Lightning need to address their slack starts. The group have to analyse where their fire comes from in the second quarter and why it is absent in the beginning of the match – from here, they could be the unstoppable force of previous seasons.

The Firebirds are now officially out for 2020. It has been amazing to see Romelda Aiken come back to form after a few patchy years. They can channel the cut-throat attitude of Jenner all over the court, and that will help them return to the winner’s circle.

WHERE was it won?

The control of Lightning after the first quarter, with only seven turnovers in 45 minutes, was a display of perfect netball. The vision, timing, and variety, and especially the electric connection of Wood and Langman were unstoppable.

WHERE was it lost? 

Queensland’s midcourt was out of control at times – with an amazing target like Aiken, they still lost possession 16 times. And Dunkley being benched was a disappointment because she didn’t lose the ball once. Dunkley was a far better opponent against an athlete like Maddy McAuliffe. However, when Dunkley was benched McAuliffe was able to come into the game and disrupt the Firebirds usually fluid transition play. 

WHEN was the game won and lost?

Firebirds had an excellent first quarter, simply because of the placement of the ball. Lightning slowly graft themselves into the game, and use determination, class and experience to be over the line at the end.

HOW did she do that?!

The highlights reel was all South African, particularly Pretorius, leaping into orbit and defying Aiken who took possession for granted. The Lightning goal defence came out of nowhere and put a tiny touch on the ball which time after time fell into her teammate’s hands.

MVP: Karla Pretorius (Lightning)

 

 

 

 

GIANTS Netball 64 defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds 54

By Cara Gledhill

WHO dominated?

Amy Parmenter played an impressive game for the Giants, with a surprise swing out to centre and then wing attack working well for the Giants. Parmenter defended strongly on Georgie Horjus across the first half, eventually forcing a change. When she was then shifted to centre and then wing attack, despite limited time playing in either position at this level, was easily able to find the Giants shooting line. Her versatility is just one of the reasons she is considered a frontrunner for the Diamonds wing defence bib. Parmenter finished the game on 12 goal assists, four centre pass receives, two intercepts, three deflections, five pickups and just one turnover.

Kiera Austin continues to put her hand up for Australian selection with a strong game at goal attack. Austin sunk four supershots and was able to cover Jo Harten well when she had an off patch at the beginning of the match. More crucially, she was able to drop her higher turnover rate for previous games, ending the game on 30 goals including four supershots, nine goal assists and two gains.

Maisie Nankivell was one of the most consistent players for the Thunderbirds playing across both centre and wing attack and outplaying her direct opponent in Jamie-Lee Price across the first half.

WHAT worked?

Both teams employed smothering arms over defence in the midcourt. This was particularly the case for the Giants who had defensive gains from every player who took the court, including two apiece by Harten, Austin, Parmenter and Price.

Julie Fitzgerald rang the changes for the Giants a few minutes before halftime switching Amy Parmenter into centre and moving Kristiana Manu’a forward and April Brandley into goal defence. This change made before the supershot period allowed the defence a few minutes to settle and the arms over pressure from the back three was impressive in the supershot period. 

The Thunderbirds looked more comfortable in attack when Hannah Petty entered the game at centre and Nankivell moved to wing attack. Petty combined well with the shooting circle of Lenize Potgieter and Georgie Horjus and had a strong defensive role for the Thunderbirds as well. Nankivell found the shooters with ease 

WHAT needs improvement? 

The Thunderbirds defence and midcourt will be disappointed that they were unable to convert turnovers when they got them. The Thunderbirds converted just 27% of the Giants’ turnover ball for the match.

The Thunderbirds also lacked drive in attack with the connection between Potgieter and Sasha Glasgow still not quite there. This eventually forced a change with Horjus re-entering the game.

With Austin and Jo Harten now seemingly the preferred lineup for the Giants, it was interesting to see Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett on the bench for the duration of the game. With the Giants still in with a chance to make finals and with Harten struggling across the first quarter, the decision to play out the shooting combination was an interesting one and the lack of game time for Bassett will be a concern heading into finals.

WHERE was it won?

The Giants ran away with the game in a strong third quarter after which the Thunderbirds simply could not bridge the gap. The fullcourt defence from the Giants across the game was a highlight and Julie Fitzgerald was able to test a range of players in different positions. 

WHERE was it lost? 

The Thunderbirds finished the game on 34 turnovers, simply too much playing at this level and against the firepower of the Giants frontline. This included ten in the final quarter, where they were unable to capitalize and bridge the gap. The Giants were able to press their advantage with limited use of the supershot, while the Thunderbirds struggled without Horjus shooting across the first half.

WHEN was the game won and lost?

While the Thunderbirds were still a mathematical chance to come back into the game in the fourth quarter with the supershot in play, they were simply too ill disciplined in the midcourt and missed the calming influence of co-captain Pitman.

HOW did she do that?!

Jo Harten delighted Julie Fitzgerald on the sideline nailing a layup shot during the final quarter.

Those of us who have spent time on the sidelines are thankful for the coordination of the players when they come bounding over the sideline. Shamera Sterling did some hurdling over the barriers and was able to successfully avoid the courtside staff going for a ball. 

MVP: Kiera Austin (Giants)

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT’S NEXT 

Wednesday 16 September 7:30pm Magpies v Lightning Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre, Telstra TV / Netball Live 

Saturday 19 September 1pm Fever v Giants Cairns Pop Up Arena  Channel 9/Netball Live 

Saturday 19 September 3pm Thunderbird v Swifts Cairns Pop Up Arenda Channel 9 / Netball Live

Sunday 20 September 1pm Vixens v Firebirds Cairns Pop Up Arena Channel 9 / 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 have 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!