Writers: Ian Harkin, Katrina Nissen, Jenny Sinclair, Georgia Doyle
Photographers: Joshua Collins
Cover Photo: Joshua Collins
Results
Melbourne Vixens 74 def GIANTS Netball 60
West Coast Fever 71 def Sunshine Coast Lightning 68
Queensland Firebirds 52 def Adelaide Thunderbirds 42
Melbourne Mavericks 64 def NSW Swifts 58
Milestones
Gina Crampton made her SSN Debut for the Giants.
Jessica Milne debuted for the Firebirds
Kayla Graham debuted for the Thunderbirds
Helen Housby 2000 goals and 1000 assists in SSN
Jessica Milne debuted for the Firebirds. Image Joshua Collins
Injuries
Jamie-Lee Price (Giants) – lower limb injury
Jo Harten (Giants) – illness
Jordan Cransberg (Fever) – illness
Kate Eddy (Vixens) – it was announced during the week that Eddy is managing a cracked fibula
Kim Ravaillion (Firebirds) – lower leg injury
Isabelle Shearer (Firebirds) – quad injury
Georgie Horjus (Thunderbirds) – lower leg injury
Sam Wallace-Joseph (Swifts) – omitted as Swifts activated their 11th player
Eleanor Cardwell (Mavericks) left the court with a quad injury and didn’t return
Sarah Klau (Swifts) – rolled her ankle in the fourth quarter, left the court briefly but returned to finish the game
Kate Eddy has been confirmed with a fractured fibula. Image Aliesha Vicars.
LET’S TALK ABOUT:
News of the Week
The Diamonds dropped their long awaited documentary Unfinished Business, following their Netball World Cup victory in 2023. It featured some unseen behind the scenes coaching and team footage, and was a great tribute to vice-captain Steph Fretwell who retired from international netball last season. Fretwell’s contribution to the Diamonds wasn’t recognised at the Netball Australia awards, after Super Netball players boycotted the function. For Ash Brazill fans, it was also her last appearance in the gold dress.
The unprecedented run of soft tissue injuries continued for season 2024, with a further 5 players missing in action this weekend on top of the 17 noted by the end of Round 7. The tally doesn’t include those omitted through illness. It again begs the question of what impact the significantly shortened pre-season has caused, when players would have been in a strength and conditioning phase, or is it purely bad luck.
The Super Netball Reserves competition kicked off this weekend, with some of Australia’s brightest young talent taking the court. All teams opted to enter the competition, other than the Melbourne Mavericks, who were unable to field a team while they are still building their Super Netball presence. Unfortunately for fans, there currently doesn’t seem to be any locus point to find results or stats, and the games aren’t televised. Given the keen interest in the competition, a results page would seem essential, at minimum.
Super Netball Reserves Results
Fever Reserves 60 def Firebirds Futures 47
Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures 60 def Lightning Reserves 51
Victorian Fury 64 GIANTS Netball Reserves 57
Lightning Reserves 62 def Fever Reserves 50
Firebirds Futures v Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures ??
QBE Swifts Academy 62 def Victorian Fury 61
The inaugural First Nations team, set to compete in the upcoming Pacific Series, has been named the Black Swans. It was also announced that the Confident Girls Foundation will sponsor the team, and proud Kamilaroi woman and former Australian Diamonds squad member Ali Tucker-Munro will be their coach.
The rookies
Olivia Wilkinson provided the spark for the Fever in the third quarter of their pressure cooker match against Lightning. Coming on when scores were locked, Wilkinson was composed and immediately slotted in two super shots. Dan Ryan later praised his young shooter, who he’s been giving increasing amounts of court time to over recent weeks.
After a quiet first quarter against the world’s best shooter, Lightning’s Ash Ervin sprung to life in the second term. Speaking after the match, Lightning’s head coach Belinda Reynolds praised Ervin’s game. “Ash is such a raw talent and we’re really excited where we can take her game. We can see the growth of her as each match progresses.”
Leesa Mi Mi continues to rack up big numbers, this week contributing 43 feeds and an intercept as one of Lightning’s best performing players.
Olivia Wilkinson during the Team Girls Cup. Image: May Bailey/Netball Scoop
The shooting circle
Sophie Garbin is dominating right now. The Vixens shooter is thriving in her new team, with the advantage of finally being able to play each week in her best position. And it must be noted that the previous seasons at goal attack, has almost certainly added to her goal shooter game. Her combination with Kiera Austin is proving to be a winner. Garbin finished with 51/55, and contributed a useful two intercepts.
The Firebirds shooting end had a return to form in their win against the Thunderbirds. Donnell Wallam looked confident in posting 35/39, while Emily Moore and Tippah Dwan almost split the match time 50/50. The change up between goal attacks allowed for fresh legs against a ferocious defence end, with both contributing a solid performance. Firebirds do need to develop a better two point strategy though, shooting just one for the game.
Emily Moore started for the Firebirds, shooting a respectable 10/12 in 34 minutes. Image Joshua Collins
The midcourt
The Mavericks midcourt was outstanding in their win against the Swifts. Led by Amy Parmenter, who picked off six gains (5 intercepts) they provided good service to their shooters. Molly Jovic has been in strong form for her new side, and finished with 39 feeds and four gains. If their midcourt manage to clean up their turnovers – 13 in this game – the Mavericks could continue to push for the top four.
Firebirds coach Bec Bulley expertly shuffled her midcourt to keep their legs fresh and full of running. With captain Kim Ravaillion unavailable, they started with Macy Gardner in wing attack, Lara Dunkley in centre and Hulita Veve in wing defence. Gardner more than held her own against star Thunderbird wing defence Latty Wilson, before she and Dunkley switched roles. In the last quarter, Veve pushed forward into centre, while Jessica Milne made her debut at wing defence. The strategy kept fresh legs in the centre, while also giving Wilson a change of opponent to think about.
Lara Dunkley was part of a midcourt that fired for the Firebirds. Image Joshua Collins
The defenders
With Kate Eddy sidelined indefinitely, Vixens have had to reshuffle their lineup in recent weeks. Simone McKinnis initially tried the unorthodox move of starting Rudi Ellis at wing defence in their only loss of the season so far against Lightning. But this clearly didn’t work, and in the following two games, she has gone with the more logical trio of Ellis at goal keeper, Emily Mannix at goal defence, and Jo Weston at wing defence. And this has worked well. Eddy’s injury has meant more court time for Ellis and she is impressing with two strong games at goal keeper. Against Giants, she finished with five gains and six deflections.
Ruby Bakewell-Doran has perhaps had a quiet first half of the season by her standards, but she certainly did something about that against Thunderbirds, turning in an MVP performance with five gains, seven deflections, two rebounds, and five pickups. She put the Thunderbirds attackers under enormous pressure.
The resurgence of Kim Jenner continues. Formerly high up in Diamonds calculations at the Firebirds, Jenner has gone through a couple of years mostly warming the bench at Fever, before being picked up this year by Mavericks. She had been a reasonably consistent performer over the first half of the season, but went to another level in Mavs’ win over Swifts; eight gains, 10 deflections, three pickups. She was a pest in the best way, getting her hand to a lot of Swifts passes.
Kim Jenner has lifted a gear in recent weeks. Image May Bailey/Clusterpix Sports Photography
Tactics
The Power Five period of the game is proving to be a real problem this season for Lightning. They have the second lowest number of successful super shots scored so far this year. But when it comes to the Power Five, it’s not all about the team with the most two-pointers. It’s also a matter of tactics, regarding how and when you use them. Fever outplayed them in this respect.
In Saturday’s match, the contrast between the teams was noticeable. Lightning seemed reluctant to go for super shots, while all three Fever shooters were comfortable attempting them. One of the big moments in the match was in the third quarter, when under the pressure of a tight game, rookie Olivia Wilkinson came off the bench and calmly proceeded to land two super shots that helped Fever take a lead of three goals at three-quarter time.
Heading into the last Power Five, Lightning still trailed by that margin of three goals, but surprisingly they continued to play standard netball and ‘take the one’. They didn’t attempt to score a super shot until the final two minutes of the game. Both Steph Fretwell and Cara Koenen had just one unsuccessful attempt for the fourth quarter, while noted super shot exponent, Reilley Batcheldor, remained on the bench.
Meanwhile, having used the super shot well to gain a lead, Fever now tactically played it safe and protected their lead. They didn’t put up any super shots at all in the final quarter. The statistics say they shot 5/9 from the two point zone in the match, which doesn’t sound especially brilliant, but tactically they used the super shot to perfection.
The difference between regular play and Power Five is stark for Lightning. Over the course of the first eight rounds, they are actually up by 36 goals during regular play, but down by 41 goals during the Power Five. And it has cost them in close matches. Surely, this is a part of the game they’re going to have to work on.
While Steph Fretwell – pictured in Rd 2 against Fever – has a beautiful long range shot, the supershot hasn’t featured heavily in Lightning’s strategy. Image: Clinton Bradbury
Stat of the week
No matter how a team plays in any other aspect of the game, the story remains the same; rule number one is that you need to get the ball through the ring. And so it is that we look at the shooting stats from this round. It’s noteworthy that all four winners had a better overall shooting percentage and gave up less missed goal turnovers than their opposition. It goes a long way to securing victory. Fever consistently has the highest shooting percentage and the lowest number of missed goal turnovers in the competition.
Shooting % / Missed goal turnovers
Vixens – 89.5% / 5
Giants – 81.3% / 9
Lightning – 84.4% / 8
Fever – 91.7% / 2
Firebirds – 87.9% / 5
Thunderbirds – 74.5% / 10
Mavericks – 88.1% / 4
Swifts – 82.5% / 6
Fever consistently sit at the top of the goal shooting stats, thanks to the world’s best shooter, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. Image and ©clixbymia_©Mia_Mammoliti_
Rolling stat of the season
We talk a lot about intercepts and the players taking them. But how about those unfortunate enough to be on the other side; the ones throwing the passes which get intercepted. This is how things stack up after eight rounds from both sides; good and bad. Firstly the positive, and it’s no surprise which team comes out on top at exactly 10 intercepts per game.
Most intercepts taken (team)
80 – Thunderbirds
61 – Vixens
51 – Lightning
46 – Giants
41 – Fever
40 – Swifts
36 – Firebirds
35 – Mavericks
Most intercepts taken (individual)
29 – Latanya Wilson
28 – Shamera Sterling-Humphrey
17 – Emily Mannix
15 – Ash Ervin
Most intercept passes thrown (team)
54 – Firebirds
52 – Fever
52 – Swifts
52 – Thunderbirds
50 – Giants
50 – Vixens
41 – Lightning
37 – Mavericks
Most intercept passes thrown (individual)
19 – Shanice Beckford
16 – Macy Gardner
16 – Tayla Williams
15 – Kiera Austin
Latanya Wilson leads the league for intercepts – an astonishing feat for someone who largely plays at wing defence. Image Hannah Howard/On the Ball Media
Coaches Corner
Belinda Reynolds (Lightning) on those final five minutes
“We have been a little bit off our super shots. I think at the end of the game, we chose to stick with our experience out there. It was a tough, tight contest. To bring ‘Roo’ [Reilley] on in those last few minutes would have been a big ask. I think it goes back to that third quarter where we had a bit of a lead. I think that was the time that, if we could have pushed on from there, we could have brought Roo on when we could have had more freedom and a bit more of a licence to go for them.”
The games
Vixens v Giants
Vixens maintained their position in the top two with a comfortable 74-60 win in Melbourne over Giants. The visitors were hit hard by the withdrawal of their two co-captains, Jamie-Lee Price and Jo Harten, and it certainly had an effect on their play in the attacking third. They didn’t shirk the task however, with former Silver Fern, Gina Crampton, filling in and joining her countrywoman Sam Winders in the lineup. Vixens gradually got on top, winning each of the first three quarters to set up their 14 goal advantage before an amazing 21-21 last quarter. Sophie Garbin proved unstoppable at goal shooter and was named MVP, while captain Kate Moloney steered the team well and Rudi Ellis had another fine game at the back.
Lightning v Fever
Taking the win for the 11th time in their past 12 clashes, Fever got the better of Lightning with a hard fought 71-68 victory on the Sunshine Coast. For the third week in a row, Fever was put under pressure in a see-sawing match. Having learned from past results, they applied ample pressure to the Lightning, forcing a rarely-seen super shot from Lightning’s Cara Koenen. Nothing much separated the two sides as they both used immense ball speed and strong body defence. Lightning forced a change to Fever’s goal attack, as Shanice Beckford became too expensive in turnovers, but ultimately it was the pressure of Fever’s strong backline that secured the win for them. MVP was the ever-reliable Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard.
Firebirds v Thunderbirds
This was a big upset with 8th placed Firebirds beating 3rd placed Thunderbirds, and doing it quite convincingly with a scoreline of 52-42. Georgie Horjus was a late out for the Thunderbirds and there’s no doubt that it affected their play. Up against a determined Firebirds defence led by MVP Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Thunderbirds struggled all game in the attacking third, scoring no more than 11 goals in any quarter. Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson did all they could to keep their team in the game, but Firebirds were composed enough to hold on and record their second win of the season, climbing off the bottom of the ladder in the process.
Mavericks v Swifts
Another upset, although not quite as big as the previous game. Mavericks won their third game of the season, and their first at home, with a 64-58 win over Swifts in Melbourne. It was a disrupted Swifts team, with Sam Wallace-Joseph left out of the squad, while Maddy Proud is still out injured. Mavericks took full advantage, with MVP Kim Jenner and captain Amy Parmenter both causing havoc in the Swifts attack. Eleanor Cardwell went to the bench after the first quarter with an apparent quad injury, but Gabby Sinclair took over and did a fine job. 11 super shots (including eight by Helen Housby) helped Swifts keep it close, but they were outplayed by a confident Mavericks team..
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey comes through for the touch. Image Joshua Collins
Ladder
Team / Pld / Pts / %
1 . FEVER . 8 . 28 . 119.2
2 . VIXENS . 8 . 28 . 113.0
3 . THUNDERBIRDS . 8 . 20 . 115.0
4 . LIGHTNING . 8 . 12 . 99.1
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5 . SWIFTS . 8 . 12 . 95.0
6 . MAVERICKS . 8 . 12 . 92.2
7 . FIREBIRDS . 8 . 8 . 89.3
8 . GIANTS . 8 . 8 . 84.9
Next Round
Sat, Jun 08 – 5:00 pm – SWIFTS v LIGHTNING
Sat, Jun 08 – 7:00 pm – THUNDERBIRDS v FEVER (6:30pm local time)
Sun, Jun 09 – 4:00 pm – GIANTS v FIREBIRDS
Mon, Jun 10 – 1:00 pm – VIXENS v MAVERICKS
