A HUGE semi-final round of Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) action has been won and done over the weekend, with the NSW Swifts earning a free ride to the grand final after defeating the GIANTS, and the West Coast Fever weathering the Sunshine Coast Lightning storm to knock them out of contention. We delve into the major statistics of the weekend that was.

Swifts clinch nail-biting win to book a grand final date // Fever weather Lightning storm to earn preliminary final chance

With the cream of the crop remaining in the competition, it was a huge day of action for goalers across the two games. Jhaniele Fowler was the clear outlier with another huge haul, piling up 54 goals from 55 attempts while Sam Wallace was not far behind with another excellent 45-goal outing, with just three misses to her name – and just one of those from regular range. GIANTS goalers Jo Harten and Sophie Dwyer had no issue with volume, as the former continues to tidy up her act with an accurate 35 goals from 40 attempts (three from six super shots) and the latter posted 18 goals from 27 attempts, seemingly unphased by the finals stage.

A shared effort was had for the Lightning as Cara Koenen worked in overdrive to finish with 33 goals at 85 per cent while returnee Steph Wood made a splash despite inaccuracy, posting 28 goals from 39 attempts (six from 13 super shots). The remaining goalers all played much more playmaker-oriented roles but still registered handy totals, as Helen Housby put up 11 goals from 13, and Fever duo Alice Teague-Neeld and Sasha Glasgow combined well for 17 goals on the board.

Fever attacker Verity Charles could not be stopped on the weekend, piling on 28 goal assists from 48 feeds and resulting in 31 feeds with an attempt, credit to her ability to spot her goalers within range. Swifts’ Housby was next in line for assists with 19 to her name in 52 minutes on court, while Jamie-Lee Price and Mahalia Cassidy both achieved numbers in the high teens, proving that it is not just wing attacks that carry the offensive workload. When it came to centre pass receives, Paige Hadley led the pack with 31 and was closely followed by Laura Scherian (30) and Maddie Hay (26).

When it came to winning turnover ball back, the midcourters saw intercepts aplenty. Lauren Moore, Jess Anstiss and Hay all registered two intercepts apiece, while Maddy Proud, Maddy McAuliffe, Stacey Francis-Bayman and Price all collected one apiece. Unfortunately, it was general play turnovers that told the story for the Lightning, who were knocked from finals contention, with 14 of the side’s 19 turnovers off the hands of midcourters – namely Cassidy, who registered eight alone. Anstiss led all-comers with five pickups, as seven players registered three pickups apiece across the court.

Defensively, there was no lack of star power out on court. Despite not looking her usual shiny best, Courtney Bruce impressed with eight gains (three intercepts) while five appeared to be the magic number, with both Sarah Klau and Phumza Maweni collecting five gains apiece. April Brandley and Maddy Turner both made themselves a nuisance with three gains (two intercepts) each as Sam Poolman, Sunday Aryang and Karla Pretorius were all kept busy by their respective attacker, registering three gains apiece. It was a testament to the tight circle defence of the Fever that saw Aryang and Bruce combine for four defensive rebounds, the most of any team across the semi-finals.

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