ROUND 9 of Suncorp Super Netball sees the end of the first half of the season as the league pauses for July’s Netball World Cup. The Fever are surely looking for redemption after the Lightning dealt them a 25 goal thumping in the 2018 Grand Final rematch back in Round 2, while this is the last chance for bottom of the table Firebirds to get a win on the board before the break.

Sunshine Coast Lightning v. West Coast Fever

It is the battle of the coasts once more, and the Fever are sure to come out firing this time around after conceding 80 goals to the Lightning last time they met. Though both sides come into this contest with wins under their belt last week, Lightning will be brimming with confidence after beating the Magpies by a 23 goal margin. Fever come in once again with a question mark over their heads after an apparent knee twinge to Jhaniele Fowler in Round 8. While Fowler played out the match, her movement seemed depleted as she favoured her unstrapped knee. That being said, the Lightning have Courtney Bruce to worry about this time around, with her experience and physical nature likely to put doubt in the minds of Lightning shooters, Cara Koenen and Peace Proscovia. The new-look Fever defensive unit could be a big plus, with Shannon Eagland in goal defence and Stacey Francis holding strong in wing defence, but the lack of injection of Jess Anstiss defensively may hurt the side given Laura Langman and Laura Scherian are continuing to dominate across the court week in week out. But, if Anstiss were to line up on Langman, we could have a real battle on our hands given the pair have a similar defensive style across the court.

GIANTS Netball v. Melbourne Vixens

The Vixens have had a rocky few weeks but stepped up in the second half last round against the Firebirds to prove they deserve their spot in the top four. Meanwhile the GIANTS have been chasing for the better half of the season before finally jumping the Magpies last round on percentage. Last time they saw the Vixens came out on top by 16 goals in Kim Green’s 200th national league game, but while the Vixens have been strong in recent weeks, the GIANTS have found some really good form and combinations. Jo Weston’s Round 2 performance on Jo Harten was one of her best all season and the goal defence will be hoping to apply a similar amount of pressure to cancel Harten out of the game once again, especially given the improved pairing of Harten and Caitlin Bassett. Liz Watson will be put under the ringer against the likes of Amy Parmenter, who is in fine form and continues to shine despite coming up against some big names on court. The midcourt battle between Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price will be one to watch, with both wing defenders-turn-centre able to create turnover ball out of nothing and still be a strong presence in other aspects of their game. With stalwart players bookending the court, look for another tight contest this week as the GIANTS fight to keep their season alive ahead of the break.

Adelaide Thunderbirds v. NSW Swifts

Last time these teams met, the Swifts well and truly dominated against the Thunderbirds with an 18 goal win proving they were the real deal in 2019. Since then the Swifts have continued their form, fighting hard for a win last week against an intense GIANTS outfit and without captain, Maddy Proud. They have all but proven their ability to put on strong team performances regardless of their combinations on court. The Thunderbirds have been an unknown quantity this season, scraping two wins from eight rounds but putting some impressive performances up over the past few weeks, challenging the Lightning in Round 7 and only going down by one against the Fever last week. While the Thunderbirds have shown some great improvement, the Swifts’ consistency and connection is likely to get them over the line once again this week, while Elle Bennetts will hope to get the start in wing attack with Paige Hadley in centre after playing out three quarters over the weekend. For the Thunderbirds, Maria Folau has hit her straps in recent weeks, dominating around the goal circle with her distinctive long bomb shot, meaning the likes of Sarah Klau and Maddy Turner cannot rely on keeping Folau at the circle edge. Meanwhile, the defensive unit of Shamera Sterling and Layla Guscoth continues to impress, while the injection of Shadine Van Der Merwe has done wonders through the midcourt.

Collingwood Magpies v. Queensland Firebirds

If there is any round where the Firebirds need to get their first win for 2019 on the board, it is this week before the World Cup break. The Magpies come into this round off the back of a massive loss to the Lightning. With this match marking the final round to prove themselves against the winless Firebirds the Magpies will be hoping that the home crowd will spur them onto another victory. Last time these two sides met we saw the first draw of 2019 in the ultimate tale of two halves, with neither team able to be split at the final siren. Interestingly, this was when the Firebirds were still at what was considered ‘full strength’, with both Romelda Aiken and Mahalia Cassidy in the side. While the new combination in goals of Gretel Tippett and Lenize Potgieter has been fantastic since Potgieter’s inception in Round 6, the lack of connection and consistency through attack has proven to be a problem, especially against rock hard defence. For the Magpies, their defensive unit is one of the most settled with Geva Mentor holding ground in goal keeper, giving April Brandley and Ash Brazill plenty of room to cause chaos. Though the pairing of Kim Jenner and Tara Hinchliffe has done wonders in defence for the Firebirds, the volume of penalties the young players collect will need to go down this week to prevent Shimona Nelson and Nat Medhurst from putting goals on the board.