ROUND 2 of the Suncorp Super Netball season gets underway this week. The GIANTS, West Coast Fever, NSW Swifts and Sunshine Coast Lightning head into the round with a win under their belts. We preview the entire round of action to come.

GIANTS vs. Collingwood Magpies
Saturday, May 8 @3:00pm

Collingwood will have their work cut out for them against the GIANTS, who had a good win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds last week. The Magpies showed glimpses of brilliance in the opening round but will need to sustain that level for a full four quarters if they are to worry the GIANTS in their upcoming clash. 

With an announcement yesterday that confirmed GIANTS shooter Kiera Austin has torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and will be out for the rest of the 2021 season, it is unclear who will step up to take her place. They still have a strong shooter in captain Jo Harten, and Sophie Dwyer has also proven she can be competitive under the post, putting up an equal amount of shots as Harten in Round 1. The GIANTS may also be looking to training partner Matisse Letherbarrow to step into Austin’s place.

A key matchup to watch in this game will be between the Magpies Ash Brazill and GIANTS Jamie-Lee Price. Going head to head in the centre, both Price and Brazill have are very physical and have incredible stamina.

International netballer Geva Mentor took a bit to get her feet in their game against Lightning last week, actually getting benched in the third quarter, so it will be interesting to see how she goes this round up against Harten, who remains a steady hand in the ring. It will also be good to watch how Dwyer handles going up against such a well-seasoned defender like Mentor.

West Coast Fever vs. NSW Swifts
Saturday, May 8 @6:00pm

Both coming off a win, audiences will be in for a showdown between Fever and Swifts. Fever looked calm and collected over there win against the Vixens last week, while the Swifts kept up the intensity for most of the 60 minutes against the Firebirds to come out on top in the first ever game played in extra time.

The defensive duo of Sunday Aryang and Courtney Bruce put out an awesome performance against the Vixens, but they will have their work cut out for them against Sam Wallace, who shot 49 goals at 100 percent accuracy last week. While Aryang and Bruce both are not afraid to keep the attackers moving or go for a hunt, Wallace is able to shoot from anywhere in the ring and is not one to hang back, and is particularly dangerous with Helen Housby out front.

It will also be interesting to see the matchup between Swifts goal keeper Sarah Klau and Fever goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler. Klau took a bit to get into the game last week, not making much of an impact until the dying minutes and while Fowler put up 55 goals, she was thrown a little off her game when Kadie-Ann Dehaney was introduced on court. Klau may have to be quick on her feet and not be afraid to try new things to get on top of Fowler, whose strong hold under the post is unmatched.

Melbourne Vixens vs. Sunshine Coast Lightning
Sunday, May 9 @1:00pm

Coming off a loss, the Vixens will be looking to redeem themselves this week again Lightning, but it will be a struggle for them. The Lightning have shown great versatility and depth while the Vixens’ frontend struggled to generate much scoring power given the plethora of fresh faces which could play into the hands of Sunshine Coast.

Last week saw Karla Pretorius moved into wing defence for Lightning, and the Vixens tried something new in the fourth quarter by moving Kate Moloney into wing attack and giving debutante Hannah Mundy a chance to have a run in the centre. It would be amazing to see Pretorius and Moloney go head to head – two seasoned veterans that we have not really ever seen play against each other before.

Dehaney came out firing against Fever last week, with five gains and four deflections. Hopefully she will bring the same energy this week, matching up against shooter Cara Koenen. Out in front of them both will be Jo Weston and Steph Wood. Weston also had a reasonable game last week with seven deflections, but Wood likes to keep defenders on their toes with her fast drives and quick cuts, so it will be a good matchup to see play out.

Queensland Firebirds vs. Adelaide Thunderbirds
Sunday, May 9 @3:00pm

Both the Firebirds and Thunderbirds will go into Round 2 with a loss, and both will be wanting to make sure it does not happen twice in a row. Queensland fell agonisingly short in overtime in Round 1 while the Thunderbirds were less than impressive, unable to move the ball with much conviction down court. 

Gretel Bueta did not disappoint in her highly anticipated return to SSN last week and while she did not put up a massive amount of shots, she did a lot of the work out the front for Romelda Aiken, creating space and demonstrating her signature lay-up move. She also combined well with young gun Tippah Dwan, showing the versatility of the Firebirds ring and their different shooting combos. Thunderbirds defender Shamera Sterling will have to show off her impressive aerial abilities and quick bursts of speed to keep on top of Bueta, who proved she is not off her game after having a baby earlier this year.

Also back from having a year off to give birth, Kim Ravaillion showed the crowd that she is still extremely fit, and while not exactly up to where she left off, she is certainly making a comeback. She will be a real challenge for Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty and Maisie Nankivell given their tenacity and endurance.