AFTER a rather dramatic weekend of Suncorp Super Netball last weekend, all who truly love the league will no doubt be hoping for a less dramatic one this weekend. With one match being unable to be completed in Round 2 and one finishing in controversial circumstances, some regular but still exciting netball will no doubt be appreciated.

The round sees four very different games with very different stakes.

The weekend opens with the Swifts finally getting to play at home, taking on the Queensland Firebirds. Both these sides have had a frustrating start to their season and will be keen to get their first win on the board this week.

Moving up the east coast to the second clash of the weekend and it is a battle between the two big improvers so far of 2023, the Sunshine Coast Lightning and Adelaide Thunderbirds. This could be the match that really shows if both sides are truly on the improve in 2023. Adelaide will be missing captain Hannah Petty for this match through injury, but in both games so far this season the Thunderbirds have gone better with her on the bench, so it may not be a huge loss.

Moving on to Sunday, and Collingwood has to make the toughest trip in Super Netball when it heads over to Perth to take on the West Coast Fever. Collingwood would have probably preferred to have to make thE trip a different week after the heartbreak of the Melbourne Vixens loss, but perhaps what happened in the Melbourne Derby in combination with a hostile Perth crowd will fire them up and they will come out and play super aggressively.

Rounding out the weekend it is a replay of last year’s preliminary final between the Vixens and GIANTS. These two sides were on opposite sides of different one goal results last weekend, and speaking of bad memories the GIANTS will not have fond memories of the last time they were at John Cain Arena, so they will perhaps use that as fuel to cause an upset.  

Suncorp Super Netball Round 3 Fixture (All times local)

NSW Swifts vs Queensland Firebirds – April 1 at 5pm – Ken Rosewall Arena

Sunshine Coast Lightning vs Adelaide Thunderbirds – April 1 at 6pm – UniSC Arena

West Coast Fever vs Collingwood Magpies – April 2 at 12pm – RAC Arena

Melbourne Vixens vs GIANTS Netball – April 2 at 4pm – John Cain Arena