ALTHOUGH the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season is over, there is still plenty of analysis to be done. The next area of focus is the midcourt which will be broken down into wing attack, centre and wing defence. It will take into account aspects such as goal assists, centre pass receives along with deflections and intercepts to highlight the diversity that is shown through the centre third.

WING ATTACK:

Arguably the world’s best wing attack, Liz Watson was once again in ripping form and played a vital role in the Vixens’ grand final success this season. Despite missing a couple of games with an ankle injury Watson led all-comers with a competition high 367 goal assists with her pinpoint passing on constant display. She was also prolific at the centre pass racking up 284 receives testament to her high work rate. Speedster Laura Scherian also had a hot hand recording 202 goal assist across her 16 games while her efforts at the centre pass were unmatched leading the league with 342. The ever reliable Chelsea Pitman was classy with ball in hand registering 165 assists, 201 centre pass receives and 12 deflections.

GIANTS debutant Maddie Hay also impressed in her 13 appearances to collect 164 goal assists and 19 deflections and while Kiera Austin was predominantly in goal attack spent some time out in wing attack to pick up 153 assists, 289 centre pass receives and 12 intercepts. Emma Cosh quickly familiarised herself out in wing attack after being dropped in the deep end, to finish with 156 goal assists in her couple of appearances. The ever changing Magpies frontend had a number of players pull on the wing attack bib with Kelsey Browne a key fixture prior to being ruled out with injury notching up 92 assists from her eight outings while Kelly Altmann also contributed 64 goal assists and 81 centre pass receives. For the Swifts, the smooth moving Nat Haythornthwaite was clinical with ball in hand leading the way with 152 goal assists while Firebirds livewire Jemma Mi Mi amassed 91 goal assists. Lara Dunkley found her groove as the season went on, registering 89 centre pass receives and 83 goal assists with her vision into the circle on constant display.

CENTRE:

A reinvigorated Verity Charles was a key cog in the engine room of the Fever with the centre running rampant and putting her attack skills to good use to notch up an impressive 317 goal assists. Renowned for her attacking tendencies, Charles also plied her trade defensively to amass 10 intercepts and 20 deflections. Sunshine Coast Lightning’s recently retired champion Laura Langman also starred with ball in hand, able to weave her way down court and deliver recording 255 goal assists while her defensive hustle was unquestionable collecting 14 intercepts and 25 deflections credit to her read of the play and sheer athleticism. Returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury Mahalia Cassidy was as consistent as they come and stepped up to the plate for the Firebirds producing 266 goal assists, four intercepts and 15 deflections.

GIANTS centre, Jamie-Lee Price led the troops in orange recording 190 goal assists, making full use of her deft touch while also displaying her defensive repertoire to collect 21 intercepts and 52 deflections. Melbourne Vixens co-captain Kate Moloney showcased her two-way running and even with Watson running the front half still managed 201 goal assists but did her most damage in transition picking up 11 intercepts and 26 deflections.

Swinging between the centre and wing attack position, Molly Jovic proved to do her most damage when able to run between all three thirds racking up 114 goal assists, 10 intercepts, 25 deflections and while she was costly at times with 52 turnovers to her name there is plenty of upside for the Pies midcourter. Much like Jovic, Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud found themselves rotating through a number of midcourt positions for the Swifts with Hadley expressing more of her defensive attributes with 13 intercepts and 20 deflections to accompany her 163 goal assists while Proud’s attacking flair came to the fore boasting 203 goal assists. The Thunderbirds also had a number of players pull on the centre bib as co-captain Hannah Petty floated in and out of the side with injury but still recorded 66 assists from her 10 outings while Maisie Nankivell did a lot of the heavy lifting to finish with 157 assists and starred defensively with 16 intercepts and 29 deflections.

WING DEFENCE:

There was no shortage of star performances in wing defence as Kate Eddy elevated her game in 2020 for the Vixens and although she was plagued with a foot injury in the last few games still managed to assert herself on the competition, boasting an impressive stat line of 19 intercepts, 32 deflections and seven rebounds given her ability to swing into goal defence. Training partner and replacement when Eddy went down, Allie Smith also showed glimpses of stardom with four intercepts and seven deflections in her limited time on court.

Fellow youngster, Amy Parmenter was another ball magnet and led the charge for the GIANTS collecting 25 intercepts and 62 deflections thanks to her impressive closing speed. still relatively fresh to the SSN scene, Mel Bragg starred for Collingwood, plying her trade effectively across the court to go out hunting and amass 18 intercepts and 42 deflections. Jess Anstiss kicked it up a gear for the Fever regularly getting hands to ball as shown by her 10 intercepts and 26 deflections.

Firebirds captain Gabi Simpson recaptured her scintillating form as her increased court coverage and dogged style of defence really came to the fore picking up 17 intercepts and 35 deflections. Shadine van der Merwe was a solid performer for the Thunderbirds able to employ strong hands over pressure and walked away with eight intercepts and 31 deflections, often sharing the role with Nankivell. The Lightning’s wing defence bib was often shared between Maddy McAuliffe and Jacqui Russell as the two picked up 14 and 10 intercepts, and 28 and 13 deflections respectively with McAuliffe also showcasing her attacking attributes with 26 goal assists. The Swifts were another club not afraid to ring in the changes however nine times out of ten the wing defence job fell to Sophie Craig as she picked up four intercepts and 26 deflections.