IN the opening match of Round 4, Collingwood Magpies gave themselves a much needed percentage boost with a big 18 goal win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds. We attended the game and took notes on one player from each side, analysing their impact on the match.

MAGPIES: GEVA MENTOR

Stalwart England Roses goal keeper, Geva Mentor is a star of netball, and since returning to Victoria to play for Collingwood Magpies in 2019, she has continued to show her all-round game smarts and defensive pressure week in and week out. Against a highly defensive side in the Adelaide Thunderbirds with pockets of experience in attack, Mentor’s class ability to read the play, take critical intercepts and control the goal circle made her one of the standouts in Friday night’s win.

Mentor and her defensive partner in April Brandley were solid as they took control early in the match, confusing the space well and making it hard for Thunderbirds attackers to feed into the circle. An early blip in the goal ring saw Mentor land on top of goaler Maria Folau with a warning coming into play from the umpire, however Mentor did not let that stop her as she kept her composure and kept the pressure on Folau and fellow shooter, Sasha Glasgow. Mentor did her job well early, picking up an intercept and a rebound in the first term to assert her dominance and get under her opposition’s skin.

The Magpies’ defensive unit as a whole was on form early, creating disruptions through the Thunderbirds’ attack and poking holes in their attacking flow as the Pies’ immense pressure caused held balls across the court. Despite a solid first quarter from Glasgow, Mentor’s experience was too much, causing a change in the goal circle as Cody Lange took the court for the first time against her old teammates, while Folau moved back to goal shooter to play directly on Mentor. While Mentor’s hands over pressure was phenomenal, it was her ability to crowd the space that gave opportunities for turnovers. Mentor’s two intercepts and two deflections in the second term were pivotal as the Magpies pulled away to lead by nine at the main break.

Mentor used her experience to steal a good volume of ball from within the circle, giving Brandley the space to perform outside the circle and causing inaccuracy with her game smarts, keeping Glasgow out of rebounding range and forcing Folau to take every long bomb instead of passing off. Her consistency and clever footwork caused issues for feeders, creating opportunities for deflections outside the circle and denying access to the circle.

In the 18 goal win, Mentor’s exceptional bodywork and skill off the ball combined well with Brandley to keep the Thunderbirds to 72 per cent accuracy, proving once again that the Magpies’ defensive unit is one to be reckoned with. Mentor finished with seven gains, four intercepts, three rebounds and only one turnover.

THUNDERBIRDS: SHAMERA STERLING

Shamera Sterling has been a revelation in Suncorp Super Netball this season, and proved it on Friday night as she stood up in the Thunderbirds’ big loss to the Magpies. Despite not having the same presence on court as fans saw in Round 1, Sterling finished with eight intercepts, 11 deflections (two to advantage), and zero obstructions to her name in a fantastic effort.

Sterling did not have the height on her opposition in fellow Jamaican, Shimona Nelson, however her long arms and vertical jump proved critical as both players had the aerial ability and similar take of the ball to make it a worthy fight for possession. Though the Thunderbirds were strong defensively early, Sterling and fellow circle defender, Layla Guscoth focused majority of their efforts on Nelson, meaning experienced goal attack, Nat Medhurst was left to her own devices around the circle for a large portion of the first quarter. Sterling’s presence in the circle left the Magpies scared to lob into Nelson, meaning the feeders had to resort to alternative methods to move into the circle, causing more intercepts and deflections as the side adjusted to Sterling’s exceptional reach.

Despite a taped wrist in the second quarter, Sterling continued to put on the pressure in defence despite her side’s difficulty moving the ball through to attack. Sterling altered her game on Nelson, bodying up better and paying more attention to Medhurst’s feeding, however was unable to hunt as much in the final quarter as Nelson took control at the post and used the space better, with the Thunderbirds needing constant defensive pressure at the post to generate turnovers. Despite a quiet final term, Sterling was still awarded player of the match, proving her ability in a losing side and fetching 125.5 Nissan Netball Points for her efforts.