THE 2021 ANZ Premiership has started with a bang last week and has not stopped producing excellent performances, whilst the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) season has not skipped a beat in one of its most exciting seasons yet. This new-look stats wrap will also include Suncorp Super Netball stats with the season starting this week. We run through the notable stats of the round across both competitions.

Goals/attempts:

At the end of the second round of ANZ Premiership, some intriguing stats have come to the fore – namely in the goals column, with the leading goalscorer thus far Northern Mystics’ Grace Nweke, who put up another impressive haul this round to lead all comers with 105 goals from two outings, while Southern Steel newcomer George Fisher and Northern Stars captain Maia Wilson are hot on her tail with 88 and 84 goals apiece. Fisher leads the pack for accuracy at 97 per cent and is yet to really be troubled at the post, whilst Central Pulse’s Aliyah Dunn is also tracking well after an impressive Round 2 performance, coming in at 91 per cent accuracy with 77 goals from 85 attempts, while Nweke’s volume has not outweighed her accuracy, only missing 13 goals from her two matches at 89 per cent.

Round 12 of the VNSL produced plenty of huge results on the scoreboard, with Loughborough Lightning’s Mary Cholhok continuing to dominate under the post with a whopping 482 goals to her name, effectively averaging 40 goals each time she takes the court. Malawian and Manchester Thunder goaler Joyce Mvula is next in line with 342 goals from 11 matches, whilst Team Bath’s Australian sharpshooter Kim Borger comes in at 324 goals. When it come to accuracy it is Leeds Rhinos’ Donnell Wallam who still takes the cake sitting on a 94.31 per cent accuracy from her seven matches, not skipping a beat since returning from injury, while Severn Stars’ Georgia Rowe is close on her tail with 256 goals from 272 attempts at 94.12 per cent. Borger and Mvula are not far behind on 93.91 and 92.68 per cent respectively.

Intercepts/deflections: 

With two ANZ games down and sides still fighting to prove themselves down back, there is not yet a significant difference between intercept and deflection counts across the six teams. That being said, Mainland Tactix goal keeper Jane Watson has taken the early ascendancy with 13 deflections as Stars returnee Anna Harrison sits on 10, while Steel’s Taneisha Fifita, Pulse’s Kelly Jury and Magic’s Georgia Tong round out the top with nine apiece. Jury leads the intercepts alongside Tactix’s Karin Burger with five each, while Fifita, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Fa’amu Ioane and Elle Temu remain in close contention after all registering three thus far.

In the VNSL, Towera Vinkhumbo continues to dominate the stats sheet with a whopping 40 intercepts to her name – an average of 3.3 per game – and realistically in no danger of losing that mantle. Layla Guscoth (29 intercepts), Razia Quashie (27), Halimat Adio (25) and Alice Harvey (24) round out the top five. When it comes to deflections, Manchester Thunder veteran Kerry Almond leads the charge with 48 to her name, whilst London Pulse youngster Funmi Fadoju has racked up 42 to sit even with Vinkhumbo. Leeds’ Vicki Oyesola (39 deflections) and Adio (38) have also made their mark down back.

Feeds/assists: 

In the ANZ Premiership, there is no denying the impressive work-rate of Mystics attacker Peta Toeava, proving critical with her 94 feeds for the season so far and clearly finding access to the goal circle with ease. Magic’s Sam Winders is not far behind with 89 feeds whilst Shannon Saunders and Gina Crampton sit on 71 apiece, whilst Reuelu-Buchanan rounds out the top five and sit on 69 from her two matches, 10 ahead of the next in line in Claire Kersten on 59.

The VNSL does not provide feed/assist statistics.

Penalties:

When it comes to penalties, Jury has found plenty of whistle so far with 36 to her name, while Magic youngster Georgie Edgecombe has registered 30 penalties. Harrison (25), Fifita (23) and Jess Prosser (23) round out the top five, with warning bells ringing for Prosser as the only goaler in the mix to make the top 10 for penalties – something that is a direct correlation with her side’s low standings on the ladder.

In the VNSL, Vinkhumbo leads the pack once more, averaging 12 penalties per game with 144 to her name so far, while three of the bottom sides in Storm, Pulse and Stars feature amongst the five with Leah Middleton (135), Adio (134) and Lucy Herdman (119) all high on the penalty count. Wasps’ Josie Huckle rounds out the list with 125 penalties to her name.

Picture credit: Fiona Goodall/Michael Bradley Photography