NS SCOREBOARD: SSN 2023 Round 3

NS SCOREBOARD: SSN 2023 Round 3

 

Contributors: Tash Rudd, Georgia Doyle, Esther Nelson, Jenny Sinclair, Ariane Virgona, Katrina Nissen, Ian Harkin

Photographers: Danny Dalton, Marcela Massey, Aliesha Vicars, Martin Poole/Speedlite Photos

 

 

 

Match Results

NSW Swifts 74 defeated Queensland Firebirds 71 (20-20, 17-20, 20-18, 17-13)

Adelaide Thunderbirds 66 defeated Sunshine Coast Lightning 42 (12-16, 10-19, 11-15, 9-16)

West Coast Fever 80 defeated Collingwood Magpies 53 (18-13, 19-11, 21-14, 22-15)

Melbournes Vixens 62 defeated GIANTS Netball 57 (15-12, 15-17, 17-18, 15-10)

 

Let’s Talk

Romelda Aiken-George celebrated national league game number 200 with a win, as NSW Swifts came from behind to defeat QLD Firebirds 74-71 in Sydney. There have been many highlights in a career which has now spanned 15 seasons, including 15 finals matches, and three ANZ Championship titles. She was quite overcome with emotion after the game, and it was a special moment when her former captain, Gabi Simpson of the Firebirds made a presentation to her. Congratulations, Romelda. 

 

Collingwood’s co-captain Ash Brazill announced that she will be hanging up her netty shoes at the end of the season. Fans will be hoping she can cap off a stellar career with a gold medal at the Netball World Cup.  

 

Coach Nicole Richardson settling a frustrated Ash Brazill down. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

Donnell Wallam put on a tremendous display for the Firebirds. For the first three quarters, she was on track to challenge Jhaniele Fowler’s record of most goals in a game. She scored 20 goals in the first quarter, 19 in the second, and 16 in the third. Included in that was a seemingly impossible shot over her head while falling out of court. However, she only managed five goals in the final quarter as the tide turned in Swifts’ favour, and Firebirds went looking for super shots late in the game. It was actually Helen Housby’s use of the super shot which got Swifts over the line. Both teams had identical shooting stats (68/80), but it was Swifts’ six 2-pointers to Firebirds’ three which proved the difference on the scoreboard.

 

Another technical glitch plagued the NSW Swifts and QLD Firebirds game at Ken Rosewall arena with no scoreboard visible for a significant part of the game, leaving fans wondering what the score was and how much time was left in the quarters. At one point the Swifts resorted to using a physical score counter on the sideline. 

 

Whilst the Adelaide Thunderbirds have long been considered a scarily defensive team to come up against, this season they have taken it to a new level. In 2022 we got used to seeing the Jamaican duo of Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson spearheading the defensive circle, but this year the growth of underrated Australian defender Matilda Garrett has been beautiful to witness. It’s a real credit to Garrett’s work in the offseason that we are seeing her play some of her best netball ever at the beginning of 2023.

 

Tilly Garrett has formed an essential part of the Thunderbirds backline. Image Marcela Massey

 

With captain Hannah Petty reaggravating an ankle injury, Wilson is covering the wing defence position, and that opens up more court time for Garrett at goal defence. Thunderbirds don’t lose anything in the defensive circle but they add something with Wilson getting her hand to the ball regularly before it even makes it to the circle. Add in the dynamic Tayla Williams at centre and you have a back four that has combined for an incredible 41 possession gains already in just two and a half completed games. 

West Coast Fever had a dominant win over Collingwood Magpies. One of the highlights of the win was Sasha Glasgow’s 10 super shots. She now joins the list of shooters who together hold the record for most super shots scored in a game. 

 

10/11 – Steph Wood, Jo Harten

10/13 – Jo Harten

10/14 – Rahni Samason

10/15 – Sam Wallace

10/16 – Helen Housby, Sasha Glasgow

 

Sasha Glasgow setting the screen for Fowler. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

In other Fever news from the game, Jhaniele Fowler had her first missed attempt of the year. In the process, she fell just one goal short of scoring 200 straight Super Netball goals without a miss since the first quarter of last year’s grand final. In all, she went for three hours and 23 minutes of game time without missing. 

In the final game of the round, Melbourne Vixens survived a tight tussle to defeat GIANTS Netball. Heading into the final power 5 period, the scores were level at 57 apiece. But the teams took very different approaches. GIANTS stuck true to their usual game plan of going for the super shot, while Vixens were happy to play possession netball and look for the one pointers. Vixens proceeded to put on five goals, while GIANTS didn’t add to their score at all in the five minutes. Vixens played with greater composure in this period, and that proved the difference.  

 


Stats Leaders

Most goals – 60/66 Donnell Wallam (Swifts v Firebirds)

Most supershots – 10/16 Sasha Glasgow (Fever v Magpies)

Most feeds – 45 Georgie Horjus (Lightning v Thunderbirds)

Most assists – 30 Georgie Horjus (Lightning v Thunderbirds)

Most gains – 10 Courtney Bruce (Fever v Magpies) 

Most intercepts – 4 Kadie-Ann Dehaney (Lightning v Thunderbirds) & Matilda Garrett (Lightning v Thunderbirds

Most deflections – 9 Karla Pretorius (Lightning v Thunderbirds)

Most penalties – 26 Remi Kamo (Swifts v Firebirds

Most turnovers – 7 Sophie Garbin (Fever v Magpies)


 

Injuries

Adelaide Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty missed her side’s emphatic win against Sunshine Coast Lightning as she continues to rehabilitate a pre-season ankle injury that was re-aggravated in Round 2. 


 

Milestones and debuts

Romelda Aiken-George played her 200th national league game, becoming just the 12th player to do so.

Shannon Eagland (Lightning) made her club debut as a temporary replacement player for Tara Hinchliffe, being recruited across the Nullabor from WA by her former Fever assistant coach, and new Lightning head coach Belinda Reynolds. In a post match interview, Reynolds was coy about whether Eagland has done enough to secure a contract saying they will be analysing her game but singing her praises as a good fit, culturally, with the team. 

Kelly Singleton (Magpies) made her club debut as a temporary replacement player for Nyah Allen, after being dropped by the NSW Swifts at the end of 2022.

Maddie Hinchliffe (Magpies) made her club debut, after moving south from Sunshine Coast Lightning.

 

Shannon Eagland debuted for the Lightning. Image Marcela Massey


 

Break out performances of the round

She’s been around for a while, but break out performer of the season so far goes to Alice Teague-Neeld. Always brimming with promise, it’s her move to wing attack that has elevated Teague-Neeld’s game to new levels. 

In the season to date, she is averaging 35 feeds and 24 centre pass receives, while she’s also come up with three gains – a handy stat for an attacking player. 

But it’s her cool head under pressure, and safe pair of hands, that is impeccable. She’s coughed up just six turnovers for the season – an average of two per game – doing so under the immense pressure of the first two rounds narrow victories. 

 

Alice Teague-Neeld has built on last season to become one of the best wing attacks in the league. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

And our other award this week goes to Jhaniele Fowler. The goal shooter is usually steely faced, but has been keeping fans entertained this season with a wide range of facials.

 

Jhaniele Fowler amused by the height difference. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

Fans have been loving Jhaniele Fowler’s game day facials. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo


 

Match Reports

 

SWIFTS 74 def FIREBIRDS 71

 By Esther Nelson

 

After an eventful game in Adelaide the Swifts returned to Ken Rosewall Arena to celebrate Romelda Aiken-George’s 200th national league game. There was also recognition of Maddy Proud’s support work with What Ability, as she accepted the ball from a What Ability participant for the first centre pass of the game.

In the opening half the Firebirds looked to be in control with Donnell Wallam dominating the goal circle. By the end of the third quarter the momentum had swung back to the Swifts, who kept control of the proceedings until the final Power 5 of the match. Firebird goal attack Mia Stower shot three super shots in the last few minutes narrowing the deficit to just three goals to end the game. 

 

What worked?

Both teams had strong attacking ends and scored quickly off their centre pass. Swifts coach Briony Akle injected impact player Tayla Fraser on a number of occasions to give the Firebirds something else to think about in the midcourt while allowing Maddy Proud in the second quarter and Paige Hadley in the third to get some pointers from Akle. 

This paid dividends as both players brought a disciplined approach back on the court and adjusted their feeding into the shooting end.

 

Where was the match won and lost?

For most of the game Wallam looked almost unstoppable. But the positional shift in the Swifts’ defensive end during the second quarter, with Teigan O’Shannassy coming on at goal keeper and Sarah Klau moving to goal defence, proved a successful countermeasure for the Swifts. The combination’s continued pressure on Wallam finally paid off in the fourth quarter. The momentum swung back towards the Swifts, following three deflections from the Swifts’ defence and an offensive contact by Wallam against O’Shannassy. 

While it looked like the Firebirds were in control for much of the match, the Swifts used the Power 5 to keep the scores close. Helen Housby scored three supershots in the second quarter to ensure that the Swifts were only down by three goals going into half time. After a short break, Proud came back into the centre position to dominate, finishing with 39 feeds and 120.5 NNP.

 

Which players/combinations stood out?

Wallam was a standout for most of the game and scored the lion’s share of the goals (60/66). There was an unbelievable take by Wallam early in the third quarter where she managed to not only keep in a wayward ball in but actually scored an impossible goal as she fell over the baseline. Wallam’s performance showed her raw talent and natural flair for the game. Watching her skills in bringing in many difficult balls and then scoring suggests she could be the x-factor that the Diamonds need heading into a World Cup without its superstar and fellow Firebird, Gretel Bueta.

It took some time for Aiken-George and Housby to build their combination. Aiken-George missed a couple of easy shots under the post early in the game which led to Sophie Fawns coming on at goal shooter in the second quarter to try and settle things within the Swifts. Aiken-George lifted in the third quarter with Housby coming into the game finishing with a 90% shooting accuracy, including just three misses from long range.

The Firebirds defensive end worked hard but goal keeper and newcomer Remi Kamo finished with 26 penalties compared to goal defence, Ruby Bakewell-Doran’s disciplined three. Both managed deflections but no intercepts, so it seems like this combination needs a bit more time to build. Further work also needs to be done in front of the pair, to slow down the play and give them more time to look at the ball.

 

Shooting stats

Swifts

Romelda Aiken-George 39/48 (81%)

Helen Housby 28/31 (90%)

Sophie Fawns 1/1 (100%)

Firebirds

Donnell Wallam 60/66 (91%)

Mia Stower 8/14 (57%)

MVP – Maddy Proud

“A great game but disappointing that we slipped. There was a patch there in the fourth quarter that probably cost us the game.” (Bec Bulley, head coach, Queensland Firebirds)

 

Helen Housby bracing for impact. Image Danny Dalton.

 

Teigan O’Shannassy pulls in a ball. Image Danny Dalton.

 

Lara Dunkley had the ball on a string. Image Danny Dalton.

 

Donnell Wallam copping some close attention. Image Danny Dalton.


 

THUNDERBIRDS 66 def LIGHTNING 42

By Katrina Nissen – Originally published for Newswire/Fox Netball

The Adelaide Thunderbirds have sent shockwaves through Super Netball as they dished up a 24 goal hiding to ladder leaders Sunshine Coast Lightning.

The match between last year’s two cellar-dwellers was one of the most anticipated of Round 3, but quickly turned into a Thunderbird defensive masterclass as they outshone their opponents in nearly every area on court. 

Thunderbirds opted for a mobile and defensive starting line, while Lightning featured the wile of a Karla Pretorius and Kadie-Ann Dehaney defence at the other end. The result was a fast and furious encounter from the first whistle, as the two best defensive sides in the league went head-to-head. 

With the game moving at frenetic speed, an attempt by Steph Wood to slow the ball during a penalty earned her a caution before the first quarter break.

With momentum on the side of the visitors, Lightning turned to their newest squad member, Shannon Eagland, in the hopes her height could win ball at wing defence. But her debut did little to disrupt Adelaide’s flow as they powered out to a 13 goal lead by the half time break, including a 9 out of 10 goal run. 

Eagland was brought into the side as a potential injury replacement player for Lightning vice captain, Tara Hinchliffe. While no official decision has been made on whether she has cemented that contract, Lightning coach Belinda Reynolds had positive things to say of Eagland and her debut. 

“Shannon has been great for us. She, culturally, has fit in really well and she is a tall wing defender for us so I can also throw her into the circle. I am sure she will be in goal defence in games moving forward. We are still looking at Tara’s injury replacement so it was good to get a look at Shannon tonight, analyse that and make a decision moving forward.”

During the main break, Thunderbird centre Tayla Williams credited a change in focus to her side’s blistering start. “There was a focus on coming out strong, sticking to what we know right from the start, rather than waiting to half time to get our s*** together.” 

Lightning’s woes continued in the second half as they struggled to find fluidity in attack. Their centre pass to goal rate dropped to less than 50 per cent, as the Thunderbirds continued to push out their lead. Reynolds attributes that poor statistic to the slow start. 

“We were playing catchup netball so we shot more 2’s than we would like to so our starts need to be better so we aren’t shooting under pressure.”

Jamaican goal keeper Shamera Sterling’s ability to shut down Australian shooter Cara Koenen will be a cause for concern for Australia’s head coach, Stacey Marinkovich, who was watching from the stands. 

Lightning feeders, including fellow national team member Steph Wood, struggled to get the ball past Sterling who snaffled any misplaced passes. Across a multitude of substitutions, Lightning continued to unravel, while the Thunderbirds monstered on.

English import and match MVP, Eleanor Cardwell, or ‘The Claw’ as she is affectionately known by fans, had another impressive outing shooting 51 from 54 including 4 super shots as her side won every quarter.

Thunderbirds are facing Giants Netball next week who are renowned for their supershot comebacks so, they will be hoping to replicate a similar performance. 

Goal attack Tippah Dwan says, “Giants have been really good these past few weeks. So we need to be really focused on getting those turnovers and scoring off them as well.”

CLOSE CONTESTS? NO THANKS

Heading into this match, and setting aside last week’s draw debacle, both Lightning and Thunderbirds were the only two sides to register double digit wins this season. This stat bodes well for the competition and these likely finals’ contenders. 

THE CARDWELL CONNECTION

There’s a fresh new vibe in the Thunderbirds this year with Eleanor Cardwell adding joy as well as precision and experience to the Adelaide front end. The English import has made no secret of her love for the supershot but it’s her ‘silly’ prematch games which she says have helped the Thunderbirds connect before each match. 

Shooting Stats

Lightning

Cara Koenen 28/28 (100%)

Steph Wood 9/16 (56%)

Charlie Bell 5/7 (71%)

Thunderbirds

Eleanor Cardwell 51/54 (94%)

Tippah Dwan 11/12 (92%)

MVP – Eleanor Cardwell

 

Georgie Horjus has transitioned to wing attack successfully this season. Image Marcela Massey

 

Tracey Neville chatting to the Thunderbirds imports. Image Marcela Massey

 

Tippah Dwan on the drive. Image Marcela Massey

 

A Jamaican catch up – from left, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Shamera Sterling, Latty Wilson. The Sunshine Girls are going to be dangerous at the Netball World Cup. Image Marcela Massey


 

FEVER 80 def MAGPIES 53 

By Jenny Sinclair (originally published for Newswire/Fox Netball)

 

West Coast Fever maintained their perfect start to the 2023 Super Netball season, with a 27 point takedown of Collingwood. Falling just two goals short of the all time highest score in a match, Fever have rocketed straight to the top of the league table. 

The thumping dished out by last year’s premiers has sent a ‘catch me if you can’ message to the rest of the competition. Banking their third win was also critical, as Fever face a horror stretch on the road, playing at home just once in the next five rounds. 

In contrast, the Magpies struggled to get into top gear against Fever’s experienced campaigners, and a game plan that limited Shimona Nelson’s scoring ability. 

With Courtney Bruce and Sunday Aryang boxing in Nelson, opportunities were limited for the Jamaican star. 

Sitting on an unusually low output, Nelson was benched for half the game, in the hope that a more mobile shooting circle might outfox the Fever.

However, scoring off just 50 per cent of their centre passes, the game started to slip past the Magpies during the second quarter. They shuffled their line, and started searching for supershot success, but a 72 per cent accuracy rate was costly.

At the opposite end of the court, the brilliant Jhaniele Fowler reigned in the air, setting a new league record for consecutive goals scored. Sent to the bench for a rest in the late stages of the game, she finished with 51 points, recording just her first miss of the season in the third quarter. 

Two of the most entertaining coaches in the league, Dan Ryan and Nic Richardson, were out of their seats for much of the match, imploring their troops to push on. Richardson gave Ash Brazill a spell on the bench, who with ten penalties against her by half time, was frustrated by some of the umpiring calls.

With both teams experiencing final quarter fadeouts over the past two rounds, Ryan instructed Fever to have an ‘aggressive mindset’ as they looked to close the game out. And push on they did, despite resting a number of their stars ahead of a hectic travel schedule. 

In the 27 point thumping, Fever’s wing defence Jess Anstiss kept the influential Kelsey Browne relatively quiet, and eventually sent her to the bench. Courtney Bruce was influential with 10 gains, while Verity Simmons was awarded MVP for her hard-running role in centre. 

Speaking after the match, Richardson denied that last week’s umpiring issues had any impact on the Magpies’ performance today. She said of the match, “(We were) Outclassed, outplayed, back to the drawing board and hopefully we can put in a better performance against the Firebirds (next round).” 

 

TRAVEL TRAVESTY

With just one home game in the next five rounds, Fever will traverse the length and breadth of the country. For a team that already logs more frequent flyer points than any other Super Netball team, it’s an area of the fixtures that needs addressing in future. 

SIMPLY THE BEST

It took until the third quarter of Round 3 for Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler to record her first miss of the season. The league’s leading goal scorer has scored 165 points at 99 per cent, having sunk 146 consecutive shots.  

 

Shooting Stats

Fever

Jhaniele Fowler 51/52 (98%)

Sasha Glasgow 16/25 (64%)

Emma Cosh 3/6 (50%)

Magpies

Sophie Garbin 21/34 (62%)

Shimona Nelson 20/20 (100%)

Kelly Singleton 4/8 (50%)

MVP – Verity Simmons

 

Courtney Bruce came away with 10 gains, and had Shimona Nelson benched. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

Verity Simmons was MVP. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo

 

It’s a bird, It’s a plane. Verity Simmons and Ash Brazill. Image Martin Poole/SpeedLite Photo


 

Vixens 62 def Giants 57

By Ariane Virgona

Round 3 concluded with a rematch of the preliminary final between the Melbourne Vixens and GIANTS netball, where the Vixens came out on top by one goal in a thrilling final minute to scrape into the 2022 grand final. 

With Jo Harten and Maddy Hay back in the mix, the GIANTS were looking for redemption and the four points to meet the Vixens on the ladder. The return of Jo Weston to full throttle was essential for the Vixens who aimed to shut down Sophie Dwyer and disrupt the play-making abilities of Jo Harten in the goal circle. 

The GIANTS looked to slow down the ball speed of the Vixens and push them wide, isolating key players Kiera Austin and Liz Watson, and putting doubt in the mind of the feeders.  Both teams retained the starting seven on court, with the exception of two changes in the defence end of Lauren Moore and Matilda McDonell. It was good to see Moore given some court time and she came away with 1 gain, 1 deflection and 1 intercept.

Simone McKinnis also celebrated her 150th game as coach with a home crowd at John Cain Arena, who were loud and passionate supporters of the Vixens.

The supershot

The supershot was a central feature of this game, as players, coaches and fans alike expected, given that Dwyer sits at equal top of the SSN leader board for super shots (16). Across the board it seemed that the Vixens should have been winning for much of the game, with the exception of the third quarter, with lower general play turnovers, possession changes and turnovers from missed goals. 

The Vixens shot only 5 super shots from 8 attempts, compared to the 8 from 13 attempts of the GIANTS, predominantly falling from the hands of Dwyer. Having both shooters on court as moving targets (Harten is also in the top 5 for supershot attempts) makes it difficult to isolate the ball carrier or double team a player, however, as Watson said after the match, the aim of the game was to execute during the first 10 minutes of each quarter and reduce access of the ball during the supershot period in the last 5 minutes.

Key match ups

Jamie Lee Price and Moloney were fierce competitors, also seen to be battling it out for a position on the plane to the World Cup. Moloney had a cleaner game with only 2 general play turnovers, compared to Prices’ 5. However, Price was dominant on the circle with a captain’s performance of 41 feeds and 17 goal assists, compared to Moloney’s 8 goal assists and 21 feeds. Although Moloney did take Price out of the contest, allowing the space for Watson to drive through and deliver, Price topped the Nissen Net Points and the feeds ladder, perhaps outmuscling Moloney in this contest.

The battle between Watson and Parmenter was any midcourters’ dream to watch, as Finishing with 17 penalties – the highest of any player on court – Parmenter put her body on the line to confuse the space for Watson and make her work hard to create space for the ball. Parmenter finished with just 2 deflections, highlighting how clinical Watson was by keeping Parmenter away from the ball to starve her of the gains and intercepts she is known for.  Overall, the high penalty count of 71 for the Vixens and 66 for the GIANTS further emphasises the physicality of this preliminary final rematch across the board.

Where the game was won and lost

The Vixens were looking for a strong start and they came out firing to win the first quarter, however, they lost the 2nd and 3rd in the transition from gains to goals and turnovers/ possession changes, as the shooting was 100% in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, with only one supershot miss. 

When they were on, the Vixens looked fluent down the court, utilizing the edge of the circle with Watson dominating the feeds statistic for the team (39 feeds). In the post-match interview, Watson spoke about working with Austin, due to the tight defensive pressure from Parmenter, and that she did, sharing the centre pass receives with 24 for Austin and 23 for Watson.  

The high amount of depth on the second phase for the Vixens allowed vision into the ring and for a one-on-one contest between Kumwenda and McDonell or Moore, with a tight connection between circle feeders and shooters on display. Defensive pressure was seen not only over the ball carrier but by positioning in front of GIANTS players to reduce the vision into the circle and pushing the them wide, forcing several passes, or held balls, with 5 unforced turnovers, 5 general play turnovers, and 6 changes in possession in the first quarter alone.

The movement of Dwyer and Harten and shooter to shooter connection seemed ruptured at times, which saw missed shots and rebounds, and turnover balls. The centre pass to goal rate was quite low in the first half at 55% but the GIANTS rallied to clean up their game, reducing these errors, increasing their centre pass to goal rate, and punishing the Vixens with the supershot across the second and third quarters. 

The GIANTS were able to take depth in their transition down the court and more fluidity in the connection in their attacking end, finding Hay and Price on the circle and working with Dwyer to get her into the circle. This was brought about by stronger drives and greater confidence in giving the ball.  In the post-match interview, Dwyer said “I think our attacking end flowed quite nicely, we have been working a lot on our court balance and getting that right and it did feel like we were able to create space for each other.”

The GIANTS also used a ‘box’ defensive formation that stifled the transition of the ball into the Vixens attacking end at times and worked to isolate Kumwenda to stunt the flow of the ball and pick it off when it was forced back to the circle edge. With a six-goal run in the second quarter to come within one goal of the Vixens, with scores even at the end of the third quarter, and a five-goal lead at the 13th minute of the third quarter, the GIANTS showed that they have the makings to bring home the win, but need to keep working on retaining the hard-earned lead and the execution of their finish.

The Vixens demonstrated a clinical masterclass on smart ball handling and efficient use of the last 90 seconds, with confident and controlled choices and utilisation of the one-point shots, rather than attempting the riskier two-point shots. With 1 interception, and 3 gains in the last quarter, the Vixens showed composure to ‘control the moment’ and to capitalize on these, but also their centre passes, with a 92% centre pass to goal rate, versus a 75% rating for the GIANTS. 

The GIANTS also had 2 deflections and 1 interception in the last quarter, however, had a score of 0 for goals from gains. The Vixens therefore seemed to treasure and capitalise off their possession of the ball, which is what the GIANTS seemed to lack at times throughout the game and what they made up for with the supershot that didn’t always fall their way (3 misses in the last quarter).

It seems that just as the GIANTS love the supershot, the Vixens love a good momentum shift, scoring 8 of the last 10 goals of the game.

Sophie Dwyer in a GIANTS post-match interview said, “It was a low scoring quarter for both sides just before the last five minutes (Quarter 4). We did take some risks to get up on the leader board, but they didn’t fall for us, which is disappointing.  We will look back at that and see if we could take the one and just put that pressure on the scoreboard to keep that ticking, but it is hard because they have been dropping them for the rest of the game.”

“Hopefully we can put a more consistent performance out against Adelaide next week.”

“I think it is the little things we need to fix up, a few execution errors. We did have a good game against Fever, and we ran with the Vixens for most of this game, they are a quality side.”

 

Shooting percentages

Vixens

Mwai Kumwenda 42/47 (89%)

Kiera Austin 15/18 (83%)

Giants

Jo Harten 25/31 (81%)

Sophie Dwyer 24/29 (83%)

MVP – Liz Watson

 

Liz Watson and Amy Parmenter compete for the ball. Image Aliesha Vicars.

 

Em Mannix seems to have shrunk in the wash. Image Aliesha Vicars.

 

Coach Simone McKinnis laying down the law. Image Aliesha Vicars.

 

Jo Weston checking her three feet – after she’s been pinged for infringement. Image Aliesha Vicars.

 

Quotes Corner

Is there any pressure now on you, you’re the new coach, going 0-4 potentially next week? You’re going up against the Magpies – they’re tough – how do you respond to that? There’s talk on the broadcast that there is pressure on you. How do you respond?

 

I personally don’t feel like there is much pressure. Of course I always put pressure on myself to do a really good job. I am very competitive. I just want this team to do well so of course we are going to take things we want to keep improving on. (Bec Bulley, head coach, Queensland Firebirds)

 

In the post-match interview, Julie Fitzgerald, the GIANTS coach made comment on where the game was won and lost: “I think in the 1st and 2nd quarters we had patches where we got a little bit tentative, we were scared to give the ball and our drives were a little bit weak. For some reason, we didn’t have the confidence that we have, but when it came, we were really able to run with them.”

 “At the moment I am just bitterly disappointed. Then I think of last week and the things that we had to work on and the errors that we made, and we really did improve on that today so hopefully the win is just around the corner”.

 

Simone McKinnis spoke about the execution of the Vixens: “We do practice different scenarios; I’d like to not be in them each week… but I guess it is a tough competition week in and week out. I thought the girls showed great composure at the end. It was a tough one to get through.”

“You have to be really aware and that is challenging because they are very good at the supershot. It can be deadly. It is hard to get ball off them, so it is important to score off our own ball but sometimes I felt we gave the ball back to them.” 

Magpies coach Nic Richardson said post match, “Unfortunately we came up against a team that outplayed us and outclassed us against the whole court.

“As soon as you allow Courtney Bruce into the game…and they get up and about, we go away from feeding Shimmy under the post because of that. 

“When a scoreline has blown out like that, and nothing seems to work, you have to try some other combinations.

“We were really poor making sure that we valued the ball, I think we ended up with about 32 turnovers…it’s hard to win ball and then when you give that much ball up, you are chasing your tail.”

Speaking about the previous week’s umpiring issue, Richardson said, “Netball Australia dealt with the issue there and then. We were advised of the findings..we were apologised to, obviously that doesn’t help in the moment. But that didn’t impact our performance here at all…That’s not an excuse at all for the way we played today.”

 

West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan said, “I thought Jess (Anstiss) started on the front foot really well. To win a couple of balls in the first quarter she put a lot of doubt in the Magpies feeders and how they were playing across that transverse line…I thought she was consistently brilliant.

“Shimona has been one of the most in form shooters in the first few rounds… For Courtney to have Shimona taken off very early on in the game, is a huge credit to her footwork, positioning and presence, and also the unit’s work out the front.

“Verity was a workhorse. She stuck to task, doing her own job in defence, was on and in everything, and everywhere her player went she was breathing down their neck. She was such a dynamite in attack, taking the deep cuts, and coming back at the ball when she needed to, and letting the ball off the hands in that first or second release to J.”

Ladder

 

(Team . Pts . %)

 

Fever . 12 . 115.5%

Thunderbirds . 10 . 135.1%

Vixens . 8 . 102.8%

Lightning . 8 . 101.2%

Swifts . 6 . 97.0%

Magpies . 4 . 90.2%

GIANTS . 0 . 89.1%

Firebirds . 0 . 85.9%

 

Kate Moloney with the cheeky thumbs up. Image Aliesha Vicars.

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.

 

Round 4 (Easter weekend)

 

Sat, Apr 8 – 7pm – Vixens v Lightning

Sun, Apr 9 – 2pm – Magpies v Firebirds

Sun, Apr 9 – 4pm – Thunderbirds v GIANTS (3:30pm local time)

Mon, Apr 10 – 1pm – Swifts v Fever

 

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