Netball Scoop Newsletter – Suncorp Super Netball – Round 6, 2020

Netball Scoop – Suncorp Super Netball – Round 6, 2020

As always, our photographers have captured netball in all its athleticism, strength, emotion and gob-smacking moments of brilliance. Even if you don’t have time to read the match reports, please trawl through to the end for some of the best images this week had to offer.  

 

RESULTS

NSW Swifts 60 defeated Collingwood Magpies 58 (14-16, 15-13, 15-15, 16-14)

Queensland Firebirds 58 defeated West Coast Fever 57 (14-16, 19-9, 17-18, 18-14)

Melbourne Vixens 63 defeated Giants Netball 58 (15-14, 11-17, 24-17, 13-10)

Sunshine Coast Lightning 53 defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds 45 (16-9, 11-13, 12-16, 14-7)

 

LADDER AFTER ROUND SIX

Position Points Percentage

1. Vixens.  20.  117.9%
2. Lightning.  20.  108.18% 
3. Swifts.  20.  105.49%
4. Thunderbirds. 12.  96.5%
5. Fever.  8.  96.32% 
6. Giants.  6.  97.58% 
7. Firebirds.  6.  88.02% 
8. Magpies. 4.  93.73%

 

INJURIES

Maddy Turner (Swifts) – didn’t take the court due to a calf injury

Molly Jovic (Magpies) and Hannah Petty (Thunderbirds) clashed heads in Round 5, and both sat out Round 6 with concussion.

Jemma MiMi (Firebirds) – rolled her ankle a few minutes before the end of the match and did not return to the court.  

 

 

MILESTONE GAMES

Jess Anstiss and Maddy McAuliffe played their 50th national league matches 

Umpire Justin Barnes of Victoria made his Super Netball debut. 

 

ROOKIE OF THE ROUND

Mel Bragg had an exceptional game at wing defence for the Magpies. She did her job defensively, coming up with three intercepts and five deflections (four gains), and providing a strong drive into attack. She also provided good protection for her circle defenders, plugging holes at the top of the circle, and making the Swifts feeders work hard for their position on the circle edge.

Tippah Dwan was another rookie who had a strong game, shooting 20/24 at 83% accuracy. Her form didn’t allow the Fever defenders to get comfortable double-teaming Romelda Aiken. She added 10 centre passes, 17 feeds and two deflections to her strong all-round game. 

An honorable mention goes to Tayla Williams, who in her very first game had the unenviable job of taking on Laura Langman. With Hannah Petty out with concussion, Williams was thrown into centre for half the game, and didn’t look out of place. She finished with 3 deflections (1 gain), 1 pickup, and 11 circle feeds. 

 

 

PLAY OF THE ROUND

How incredibly good was a passage of play by Madi Browne (Collingwood). As a ball was about to sail out of court, she managed to gather it on the fly, precisely throwing it back to one of her teammates with her left hand. A pass later, Browne was back on court and into the action again.

Not to be outdone, Laura Langman pulled off a similar piece of wizardry in her match for the Lightning. This time she stretched for the ball, passing off to a teammate in mid-flight. She followed it up by whizzing around the court, taking every second pass on the route to goals. 

 

TEAM OF THE ROUND

The Firebirds looked a completely different team in Round 6 than they did in Round 1. This performance was a more mature and complete 60 minutes. In defence the side kept themselves in play far better than they have all season, only conceding 45 penalties. Their transition was slower and well-measured. In attack the movement coming from Romelda Aiken looked natural. In all Roselee Jencke would be very happy with her charges and will expect this from them every match. 

 

 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Lenize Potgieter got agonisingly close to scoring a perfect 100 goals in a row. However she missed her 99th and admitted post-match that the miss hurt her emotionally a little bit. We bet the current record holder, Gretel Bueta, will be sitting at home with a Cheshire Cat grin knowing her record is safe – for now. 

The Lightning won their match without sinking a 2 point Super Shot. In fact, they only attempted one Super Shot, while their opponents, Thunderbirds, only sunk three of their attempted 12 super shots. It just goes to show that traditional netball isn’t dead yet. 

 

TALKING POINT OF THE ROUND

Kristiana Manu’a’s ejection from the court on Wednesday night continues to cause chatter. On Friday, Julie Fitzgerald gave her perspective on The Inner Circle podcast, while Suncorp Super Netball released a statement about the umpiring on the same day. 

From the statement, it would appear that the umpires did what they could to keep athletes in the game, chatting to both Manu’a and her team captain, Jo Harten, at half time during the match, and making them aware of the consequences that could follow.

There’s been questions around whether umpires will allow less physical play in the wake of the saga, and if so, perhaps this isn’t a bad thing. With athletes competing twice per week, they receive double the number of bumps and bruises than usual, with half the amount of time to recover. With players tiring from the increased games, there is also the potential that physical challenges could become clumsier than normal. 

Player welfare is at the heart of the matter, and umpiring control is just one of a range of measures that could help reduce serious injuries that may result from the condensed season. Certainly in round 6, there were more warnings handed out for a range of offences from defenders and attackers alike. 

 

After receiving just 15 minutes of court time in Round 5, Caitlin Bassett was confined to the bench for the whole of the Giants’ narrow loss to the Vixens in Round 6. While the Giants’ attacking end looked more connected with Kiera Austin and Jo Harten in goals, it’s an ominous sign for the Diamonds if their starting goal shooter can’t force their way onto court. 

 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

There were two tweets in the past week that we just couldn’t go past.

 

 

 

 

 

STAND OUT STATISTICS

 

INDIVIDUAL

Gains

Jodi Ann Ward (Magpies) – 7 (4 intercepts, 2 deflections with gain, 1 rebound)

Tara Hinchliffe (Firebirds) – 7 (1 intercepts, 1 deflection with gain, 5 rebounds)

Karla Pretorius (Lightning) 6 (3 intercepts, 1 deflection with gain, 2 rebounds)

Sarah Klau (Swifts) – 6 (3 intercepts, 2 deflection with gain, 2 rebounds)

 

Goal Assists 

Liz Watson (Vixens) – 26 

Mahalia Cassidy (Firebirds) – 23

Laura Langman (Lightning) – 20

 

Turnovers 

Maddy Proud (Swifts) – 8

Mahalia Cassidy (Firebirds) – 7

Tegan Philip (Vixens) – 6

Maddie Hay (Giants) – 6

Georgie Horjus (Thunderbirds) – 6

 

Super Shots

Kiera Austin (Giants)  8/9  89%

Gabi Sinclair (Magpies) 5/7  71% 

 

 

TEAM STATISTICS

Super Shots

Giants – 11

Vixens – 6 

 

Turnovers

Highest – Magpies – 30 

Lowest – Vixens – 16 

 

NSW Swifts 60 defeated Collingwood Magpies 58

By Andrew Kennedy

With recent rounds revealing unpredictable results and any team able to run with and upset a more-fancied opponent, the third-ranked Swifts knew there would be a fight all over the court to fend off the seventh-placed Magpies. Tactics and pressure swung throughout the match, seeing a sizeable Collingwood lead in the third quarter eradicated in only seven minutes. In the end it was the tenacity and experience playing together for several years that got the NSW team their fifth win and a temporary spot atop the Super Netball ladder.

WHO dominated?

It was a race for defensive supremacy between Jodi Ann Ward and eventual MVP Sarah Klau. Ward could have been miffed to miss out on the award, as she actually had the most intercepts and gains. However, Ward lost possession five times, and while Klau not only earned the ball nine times for the match, she did not give it away a single time. Her intimidating influence made it hard work for both her opposing goal shooters to be sighted.

WHAT worked?

Each part of each quarter saw very different players coming to the fore and different strategies being used. Probably the greatest success was the Browne sisters, Madi and Kelsey, playing together almost every minute of the game. Given their very different goal shooting targets during the match, they took the responsibility to work the ball to circle edge and give extremely accurate feeds. Gabi Sinclair was also handy in goal assists, and the three working together were unpredictably lethal. 

Rob Wright would also have to be pleased with the haul of Mel Bragg at wing defence and Jodi Ann Ward at goal defence. Bragg had 4 gains and 3 intercepts, and only lost possession twice, playing the full sixty minutes, a very strong output for her position in Super Netball.

For Swifts, there was a pivotal movement when during a tactical timeout Paige Hadley was moved to wing defence and Sophie Craig to goal defence. This was a much better match for speed on the zippy Collingwood front line, and saw Hadley change 180 degrees from a poor first quarter. She had spilt possession six times in the first 15 minutes, but became a defensive dynamo, redeeming herself with three gains, three intercepts, and only 2 possession losses in the next 45.

WHAT needs improvement?

There were a stunning 36 positional changes for Swifts, compared to 14 for Magpies. NSW do seem to be fairly adaptable, but earlier and fewer changes would be prudent rather than searching for combinations or being reactionary. Housby was a problem at goal attack in the first quarter, targeted by the opposing defensive unit, keeping her up court and causing congestion which nullified the feeders and attacking drive from the Swifts defenders. This was reflected in the frustrating 11 total possession losses by Hadley and Haythornthwaite in the first quarter alone. Proud had an equally poor second quarter, giving away two intercepted passes and four turnovers. Later in the match, Housby cleared her space a lot more sharply.

For Collingwood, a lot more work is needed on their two strike shooters. Nelson’s hands are too soft, and her holds are on unusual angles, whereas Ryde has a brilliant hold but moves little and essentially can’t jump. Very concerted effort into those two players would make Collingwood competitive with the best.

WHERE was it won?

Briony Akle’s positional changes in the third quarter to match speed for speed were the catalyst to quickly rein in the 8-goal deficit and have the teams level 29-all before the last quarter. It was another good move to pull Housby back into goal shooter, where she shot 10/10 in the final quarter. The defending champions took fewer risks and went back to their classic structures, keeping possession and playing directly. And in the end it was some magic mix of experience as a unit, controlled fire, pluck, and luck that got the Swifts over the line by a whisker.

WHERE was it lost?

The Magpies’ good defensive first half wasn’t continued in the second. They forced 28 possession losses by NSW in the first half but only 8 in the second – all of those were turnovers and there were no intercepts. Collingwood simply couldn’t get their noses in front and were beaten by the clock. They also suffered somewhat without Jovic as an option in centre, as she was cautiously ruled out after a head clash in round five.

WHEN was the game won and lost?

This was a game where it was almost a crime to declare a winner and loser, but it was simply the class of the premiership team from NSW that pushed them slightly ahead with minutes to spare.

HOW did she do that?!

Early in the first quarter a feed from Madi Browne was fumbled high by Nelson, directly onto Sarah Klau’s…. HEAD! In fact, it bounced very neatly into the hands of Lauren Moore who began the transition into attack. Add one “falcon” to the stats sheet for Klau!

MVP Sarah Klau 

 

 

 

Queensland Firebirds 68 defeated West Coast Fever 57

By: Janine Monneron

It was a well-earned victory for the Queensland Firebirds – not only their first win on their new home-court, but their first victory in one and half seasons. 

The Fever’s performance was lacklustre, and lacked synergy across all four quarters. Their frustrated coach, Stacey Marinkovich, played various combinations and demanded more from her team. 

WHO dominated?  

Jemma Mi Mi, Firebirds wing attack, was dominant across the game. Her centre-pass receives trumped the rest with a total of 29 for the match. Equally, her feeds lead the tally at 37, just in front of her centre partner, Mahalia Cassidy, who had 36 feeds.  Both these athletes teamed up to create a robust attacking force which connected superbly with their reliable shooters, especially Romelda Aiken – the MVP of the match. 

Both Aiken and Tippah Dwan were in good touch in the circle, with the latter’s 20/24 goals not allowing the Fever defence to double team Aiken.  

WHAT worked?  

When a team comes up against Fever, the question on every coaches mind is how to shut-down leading goal scorer and Nissan Net Points winner, Jhaniele Fowler.  Roselee Jencke, Firebirds head-coach, gave the challenging task to Tara Hinchliffe, who contained the potency of the strong shooter. Hinchliffe played a clever, off-the-body game, and found those rebounds and deflections alike.  We have witnessed Fowler scoring in the high 50’s to 60’s this season, but today she was reduced significantly with 46 single points. A huge win for Firebirds in their position.

For the Fever, Captain Courtney Bruce stepped up with an enthusiastic game, despite her challenge on Aiken. Bruce fired up on court after a lower-back injury to gain four intercepts and a huge 11-deflections. This match-up was working, but unfortunately they were unable to convert these to score.

WHAT needs improvement?

Various issues were prevalent for the Fever side. While Fowler was relatively contained, goal attacks, Alice Teague-Neeld and Kalia Stanton were simply off-form tonight with low scoring percentages. Coach Stacey Marinkovich even rolled the dice and tried to spark the team with the introduction of elevated training partner, Emma Cosh.

The circle work can only be impactful if the work is done before hitting circle edge. Unfortunately, the attacking power, as noted by Marinkovich, was not up to standard that she requires of them. The brand of netball they like – in the cuts and drives – was missing, which affected their momentum-gaining confidence. 

WHERE was it won?

Without doubt, Fever did not put their best foot forward. Firebirds were able to leverage their home crowd with the tenacity they brought to the game.  The match was won by the Firebirds with each segment addressing their game-day instructions accordingly.  The Aiken and Tippah Dwan combination worked all game, and coupled beautifully with the attacking force of Mi Mi and Cassidy. In defence, Hinchliffe, Kim Jenner and captain, Gabi Simpson were consistent in gaining ball for the team.  Minimal change-ups gave the Firebirds the time to gain momentum and connect very nicely.

WHERE was it lost? 

Despite a strong start by Fever leading early 10-4, it was short lived.  Firebirds took more accountability of the ball, and each upheld their responsibilities on the court.  Fever were unable to do this. Marinkovich could not find a solution to switch this around. At one timeout Marinkovich stated, “Talk about brand, well at the moment we are way off it, and I’m demanding more from each and every one of you to take on your own player and take these cuts and drives.’

WHEN was the game won and lost?  

With the super-shot in play, even a 10 point lead in the dying minutes could have changed the game. Fever trailed by 10 points midway through the last quarter and kept themselves around this distance just before the horn sounded for the two-point shot. By this stage, the Firebirds had come too far to let the match go.. Their intensity went up a level and it proved too strong for the Fever. Many cautions were given throughout this game, and Stacey Francis in goal defence copped one in the last, which bruised her confidence.   

HOW did she do that?!  

No one picked it, but Aiken, up against the immense pressure of Bruce, surprised fans and spectators with a long-range goal – so rarely seen by this player. She deserved the recognition and was revelling in her position. 

“I think Courtney is such a great defender and I’m just enjoying playing on her again”

Romelda Aiken

MVP: Romelda Aiken (Queensland Firebirds)

 

 

 

Melbourne Vixens 63 defeated Giants Netball 58

By Jane Edwards

WHO dominated?

When Caitlin Thwaites retired from international netball, her many fans might have been content to see a few cameo performances from the Vixens bench as she played out her twilight years. Back off, oh ye of little faith – Thwaites is the dominator. Her tireless footwork got her cleanly around the obdurate Sam Poolman at GK throughout the first half, then she went on to play a full half at GA, picking up the slack where Tegan Philip had wilted against a determined Kristiana Manu’a at GD. She nullified Manua’s physical play, and occupied her sufficiently to reduce her long-range intercept options. Thwaites had impressive statistics: 100% shooting accuracy in general play, one supershot from five attempts, eight centre pass receives, eight goal assists, and two rebounds. 

Much of Thwaites’ work doesn’t clock up statistics: the screening for her shooting partner, the nimble dodging on the baseline, the perfect timing of pop-out options at the post, the centre-corridor leads that provide a last-second passing option for feeders under pressure. She’s ageing like those most intelligent of players – the ones who wordlessly think the ball around the court and thrive on a game plan of complexity and intellect. Don’t miss watching her play. 

WHAT worked?

The Giants had a brilliant plan to clog the Vixens’ attacking third: clog the central corridor space, obscure the trajectory to the shooters, pressure Philip’s shot on goal. It was very effective for the first two quarters, although relied on a significant number of physical contacts to disrupt the flow of play: the quarter that the Giants won 17-11 was accompanied by a game high 17 contacts

WHAT needs improvement? 

Both teams showed signs of fatigue with the Vixens taking a low-scoring final quarter 13-10. Kiera Austin and Jo Harten played the whole game in the shooting positions for the Giants, which raises the question – why has Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett been left on the bench for two games in this demanding season? It was the same story in the defensive end: Sam Poolman and Kristiana Manu’a played the majority of the game, with only a short rest of 7 minutes. More planned player rotations could provide greater strategic initiatives over the course of the Giants’ matches.

WHERE was it won and WHERE was it lost?

It’s the Vixens’ midcourt that continues to deliver quality feeds to the shooters, and where opponents need a full-match strategy in order to secure victory. Liz Watson is leading the goal assists with a stunning 141 after six rounds, nearly 40 ahead of Mahalia Cassidy from the Firebirds who have only just scored their first win. WD Amy Parmenter ran with Watson persistently, but Watson’s average number of goal assists coming into Round 6 was 26, and she had 26 goal assists spread evenly across the four quarters in this game. Kate Moloney had 14 goal assists, her highest game total so far this season.

Meanwhile, the Giants midcourt suffered a feeding asphyxiation. Kate Eddy continues to quietly prove her worth as the new recruit at WD for the Vixens, limiting Maddie Hay to four goal assists in each of the first three quarters. The regular and fascinating position swap of Jo Weston and Eddy in the final quarter paid dividends again: Hay had no goal assists, while Austin’s shooting accuracy plummeted from 100% to 60% as she fatigued against a fresher opponent.

WHEN was the game won and lost?

Four minutes into the third quarter, the Vixens were trailing by four goals at 31-35, and the Giants had been comprehensively confusing space for the feeders in the centre of the goal third. Mwai Kumwenda, entering the game in the second half for Tegan Philip, started to combine beautifully with Thwaites, and suddenly the avenues to goal began to open up. Over the next fifteen minutes to the five minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Vixens dominated the scoring with 24 scoring shots to 12, taking an unassailable six goal lead through to the end of the match, and recording a game-high score of 24-17 in the third quarter.

HOW did she do that?!

In the third quarter power play, Kiera Austin sank four two-point shots in a row, combining with one from Jo Harten to advance the Giants’ score by ten and reduce their four-point deficit to two. Even more impressively, Austin had not been rested in the match, demonstrating that her strength and stamina are equal to a starting position on court at this level.

MVP Kate Moloney Melbourne Vixens

 

 

 

 

 

Sunshine Coast Lightning 53 defeated Adelaide Thunderbirds 45

By Andrew Kennedy

The final clash of round six had a decidedly international flavour, with eight imports taking the court including four South Africans. The Thunderbirds were in fourth spot – they had won back-to-back for the first time in a few seasons and were figuring out their starting seven and structural rhythms. They rode a crest of confidence into this clash with the former champion Queensland side, who enjoyed second place on the ladder.. Even though the Adelaide team strung together promising passages, it was the class of marquee Sunshine Coast players that made the difference in the final quarter.

WHO dominated?

Three players for Lightning featured, led by the dazzling Cara Koenen. Her economical and well-timed moves neutralised the highest-ranked goal keeper in the league, Shamera Sterling. Koenen shot 32 goals at 89% while handing over only two turnovers. Meanwhile, Sterling had a disappointing night with only one intercept and three gains, far shy of her normal numbers. There were also brilliant showings from Karla Pretorius at goal defence, winning possession nine times, and captain Laura Langman, leading with 20 goal assists and showing admirable composure in pass selection. 

WHAT worked? 

The Thunderbirds won the second and third quarters by a total of six goals. The third was particularly good, due to more commitment on leads and aggression on the take in attack, and scrapping for loose balls. It allowed them to get as close as 38-39 at the final break.

Koenen was a gem for the Sunshine Coast, as despite her height her natural game is to take a step forward at the right moment, or to dodge on the baseline. The Wood, Scherian and Langman are used to sharp, short, incisive moves and resets within the goal third to craft the ball. This was the right formula to confuse the normally potent Adelaide defenders. 

WHAT needs improvement?

Steph Wood has been good on supershots, and in this game she appeared to warm up with long range goals even before the power play. However, during the last five minutes of her three shooting quarters she took just one 2-pointer attempt. Success from here would be an asset, and now is the time to gain confidence with this tactic.

For Thunderbirds, Sterling may be amazing at aerial and running out intercepts, but knowing when to work the ground to stop the smart dodges of a player like Koenen will be important if she is to keep dominating. Maisie Nankivell also received a warning for contact, and was expensive with her 12 penalties the equal highest for the Thunderbirds. 

WHERE was it won?

Many measures of the game were similar, but it was the Lightning defence of McAuliffe, Pretorius, and Maweni that made a clear difference, taking nine intercepts and 13 gains. The trio gave away only one turnover and no intercepted passes, and Pretorius was excellent coming through in attack. Also, the Lightning were more composed in attack in the final quarter when it counted. 

WHERE was it lost?

Adelaide traditionally have snapped up a busload of intercepts – but in this match they got only three, and all in the first half. They also were way off their usual percentage for supershots at 3/12. Their form here is patchy, with their best being 72% and their worst 17%. If they had been more composed for 2-point attempts in the final quarter, they might have tipped the balance.

The lower stats at both ends of the court for Thunderbirds are due to the Sunshine Coast’s constant application of a smart game plan. Adelaide also had problems managing their midcourt without their co-captain Hannah Petty who was sidelined as a precaution after a head clash in the previous match.

WHEN was the game won and lost?

In the first quarter the Thunderbirds simply threw away too many balls in attack that were not even attempted feeds. Risk was taken and placement errors were made, far away from getting a circle edge position. They lost the first quarter by seven goals, almost mirroring the final margin.

HOW did she do that?!

In the third quarter there was a spectacular feed from Laura Scherian. She took a quick pass from Langman, and her feet didn’t even touch the ground before she had flicked it on to Koenen under the post. Later it was also great to see two South Africans having a laugh with each other, after Pretorius took a rebound over Potgieter and they both tumbled to the ground but got up unscathed.

MVP Cara Koenen, Sunshine Coast Lightning

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT’S NEXT 

Tuesday 25 August 5pm  Fever v Magpies Nissan Arena  Telstra TV / Netball Live 

Tuesday 25 August 7:30pm  Giants v Firebirds Nissan Arena  Telstra TV / Netball Live 

Wednesday 26 August 5pm Swifts v Lightning Nissan Arena Telstra TV / Netball Live 

Wednesday 26 August 7:30pm Thunderbirds v Vixens Nissan Arena 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 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!

 

AND BECAUSE WE LOVE GOOD ATHLETICISM…..