IN each round of Suncorp Super Netball we will identify key match-ups, provide an analysis of players and compare the two styles. This week’s head to head sees a couple of tough captains in Firebirds’ Gabi Simpson and Thunderbirds’ Chelsea Pitman do battle on Sunday afternoon.

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS v. ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS
Gabi Simpson (WD) v. Chelsea Pitman (WA)

A huge battle is set to commence on Sunday afternoon, with Simpson and Pitman both hoping to steer their respective teams to another victory, with both sides residing in the bottom four after losses during the week. Both key midcourt cogs leading the charge, Simpson and Pitman are both hugely influential in setting up plays and are well-matched in this contest.

With plenty of tenacity and the ability to lift her team when it is down, Simpson is a real barometer for the Firebirds and is a force to be reckoned with when she gets going. A huge burst of speed allows her to attack the loose ball from a mile away, while her transitional play allows her to zip back up the court on the back of turnover. Her ability to zone her opposition away from circle edge and into traffic is significant for the Firebirds, allowing Kim Jenner to do her thing out the front, while Simpson is no stranger to the spotlight herself, able to do the unthinkable around circle edge to create impressive intercepts and change the course of the game. Simpson’s impressive form this season has seen the captain rarely falter in the contest, always looking for the loose ball and able to play a real aerial, athletic game. With great timing to use her game awareness to block vision and creatively stop play in its tracks, Simpson is a force to be reckoned with, especially with Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe behind her picking up the scraps.

For the Thunderbirds, Pitman is a huge influence on circle edge and has really stepped up her game in 2020. Her ability to hit circle edge with speed and consistently provide an option around the edge of circle makes her a constant threat given her ability to thread the needle into her goalers at the post. While not the most flashy wing attack in the game, her consistency this season and continuous influence in attack for the Thunderbirds allows her to find plenty of space to drive into and stay away from the whistle. With plenty of endurance and quick feet to match, Pitman is a formidable attacker with the way she moves the ball and is able to open up opportunities for her centre and goalers to find the ball. Pitman’s physical strength is one of her biggest assets, able to hold ground on circle age with ease and is rarely beaten on the drive given her clever timing on the takeoff. Her combinations across the board have been tough to cut through this season, with Lenize Potgieter and Georgie Horjus clever with their positioning and Maisie Nankivell light on her feet, able to adjust her play to her captain’s attacking forays.

The two players will be an exceptional matchup in this game and realistically could be the difference between winning or losing for both teams. Simpson relies on getting in her opponents head and beating them on the lead, while Pitman’s strength on the hold means she will not budge on circle edge to give Simpson the space to create an intercept. That being said, Simpson’s continuous pestering cannot be underestimated, especially given the Firebirds will want to recover well after a one goal loss during the week.

In other matchups over the next round, Jo Weston will take on the crafty Helen Housby, and expect some tough battles across the court when Magpies’ Kelsey Browne takes on GIANTS’ Amy Parmenter and Courtney Bruce is tasked with shutting down the in-form Cara Koenen. Heading to the midweek Round 9 fixtures and so begins a repeat of Round 6, seeing another huge battle between Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price, Phumza Maweni and Potgieter in the Lightning versus Thunderbirds battle, while Hinchliffe will get another go on Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler and the likes of Madi Browne and Paige Hadley take on the other once more.