WITH the finals quickly approaching each team is pulling out all the stops in hope to feature late in the season. The Victorian Fury edged further ahead on top of the ladder while the New South Wales (NSW) Waratahs continued to stamp their authority on the competition with a couple of convincing wins.

Territory Storm (59) defeated Southern Force (55)

The Territory Storm claimed their third win of the season after an impressive effort right across the court. It was neck and neck early on with the Storm holding a one goal lead before surging ahead to maintain a four goal buffer for the majority of the match. Though the Storm’s shooting accuracy was down sitting at 76 per cent compared to the Force at 86 per cent their avenue to goal was easier and volume was higher with 14 more attempts. Storm goal shooter, Lucinda Benjamin proved to be the difference between the two sides with her presence in the goal circle wreaking havoc slotting 44 from 56 at 79 per cent. Her partnership with Binnian Hunt was also important in helping to get the scoreboard ticking over. Up the other end the Force shooters shared the load between them more evenly with Lucy Austin showcasing her dominance under the post with 35 goals from 40 attempts while Jacoba Clough made her presence felt on the scoreboard nailing 20 goals. Defensively, Vivian Jordan and Chelsea Blackman worked tirelessly with their connection on show throughout the match.

Queensland Fusion (50) defeated by NSW Waratahs (65)

The NSW Waratahs much like their Suncorp Super Netball counterparts stamped their authority on the competition with a convincing 15 goal win over the Queensland Fusion. It was a tight opening half with only one goal separating the two at half time before the Waratahs took off in the third quarter to push out to a six goal buffer before putting on the afterburners and piling on 19 goals to 10 in the fourth. Waratahs shooter Sophie Dwyer was unstoppable finding the net with ease time and time again converting 41 of her 48 attempts. Meanwhile the work of Alison Miller and Kelly Singleton did not go unnoticed with the two goalers making the most of their opportunities under the post only missing three goals between them. Tayla Fraser and Elle Bennetts attacked the circle edge with ease and precision. While for the Fusion Rylie Holland was the leading goal scorer nailing 11 straight in the opening term to finish with 28 from 33 starved of opportunity later in the match credit to the defensive pressure of Clare Iongi and Nicole Styles. Mia Stower was important in attack for the Fusion scoring 19 goals while Macy Gardner was clever with ball in hand.

Western Sting (44) defeated by Canberra GIANTS (51)

It was a hot start from the GIANTS skipping out to an early lead against the Western Sting. The Sting were held to just nine goals in the opening term while the GIANTS streamed ahead extending the lead. The GIANTS were composed in attack and capitalised on their opportunities under the post finishing the match with a combined 93 per cent shooting accuracy compared to 84 percent. Angelina Frketic was impressive under the post with her composure and ability to turn and shoot only missing one shot for the game with 20 from 21 at 96 per cent. Her combination with Georgia Marshall in the goal circle was solid once again finding each other under the post and highlighting her shooting ability with 31 goals from 34 attempts. Taylah Davies and Latika Tombs were important in attack for the GIANTS feeding the ball into Frketic and Marshall while defensively Madeline Hay did a wealth of work to stop the influence of Sting wing attack Emma Cosh to hit the circle edge. Georgia Pitt was the go to girl for the Sting in the circle with 15 goals while Sloan Burton was equally impressive in the circle. Sunday Aryang and Jessica Penny worked hard in defence but it was not enough to stop the GIANTS.

Territory Storm (61) defeated Southern Force (46)

It was a dominant performance from the Storm who impressed with their slick ball movement, speed and precision under the post. They extended their lead at every break running out 15-goal victors. Peace Proscovia was dominant under the post in her half of netball converting 22 of her 23 attempts at a whopping 96 per cent. Fellow shooters Hunt and Benjamin also made their presence felt on the scoreboard finding the net with ease. Annika Lee-Jones was solid in defence for the Storm with her hands over pressure a real feature of her game. Through the midcourt Jacqui Russel and Stephanie O’Brien provided good leads into space. The Force shooters lacked accuracy at time with Cody Lange unable to capitalise under the post with 23 from 35 at 66 percent while Austin was the most accurate of the lot at 77 percent with 16 from 21. Veteran defender Kate Shimmin was instrumental down back working tirelessly to shut down her opposition shooter. Meanwhile Maisie Nankivell played her role in the centre applying good defensive and offensive pressure.

Western Sting (50) defeated by Canberra GIANTS (56)

The GIANTS made it two from two against the Western Sting with a six goal win. Canberra pushed out to an early lead with the clever ball movement and accuracy to post a real feature of their game nailing 17 goals to nine in the opening term. Credit to the Sting they worked their way back into the game winning turnover ball to reduce the 10 goal margin after half time. Pitt once again stood tall in the goal circle for the Sting with 32 from 38 while Alice Teague-Neeld managed six from seven attempts. She showed her versatility swapping between goal attack and wing attack throughout the match. Defensively the pressure was up from the Sting with Olivia Lewis and Shannon Eagland hunting every ball but it was not enough to quell the influence of the GIANTS shooters. Matilda McDonell and Teigan O’Shannassy showed their connection in defence rotating off their opponents and confusing the space well to win the ball back for the GIANTS.

Victorian Fury (65) defeated Tasmanian Magpies (41)

In their first clash of the round the Victorian Fury were victorious with a convincing win over the Tasmanian Magpies credit to some strong defensive pressure and ability to convert on turnovers. Fury held the lead for the entire match with the Magpies unable to match their intensity and hunt for the ball. It was a battle of the goal shooters in the first quarter with Emma Ryde and Jane Cook going toe to toe but in the end, it was Ryde that took home the chocolates with 40 from 46 at 87 percent. Sacha McDonald was also influential on the scoreboard for the Fury converting 18 from 19. Defensively Ellis Rudi and Jacqueline Newton worked well in the circle to reduce the influence of Cook, Samantha Gooden and Zoe Claridge. In the defensive end Melissa Bragg and Brooke Allen applied strong hands over pressure to try and clog up the space but it was to no avail with Ryde proving to be too big a target to stop.

Queensland Fusion (54) defeated by NSW Waratahs (64)

The NSW Waratahs claimed another solid win over the Queensland Fusion. It was a close contest in the first quarter with only two points separating either side at quarter time. But NSW built into the game with their transition play on display as the game went on along with their accuracy to post sitting at 96 percent compared to the Fusion’s 84. The Fusion got within four goals in the third quarter before the Waratahs pushed ahead to edge out any chance of them winning. Holland was important under the post top scoring for Queensland with 36 goals while Amy Sommerville showcased her ability to turn and shoot with 12 from 15 at 80 per cent. For the Waratahs, Dwyer was once again unstoppable in the circle showcasing her hot hand with 43 from 44. In wing defence Dakota Thomas was important credit to her three feet pressure and intent to cover her opponents every move while wing attack Claire O’Brien was instrumental in helping to feed the ball into the shooters tussling hard on circle edge to claim prime position.

Victorian Fury (54) defeated by Tasmanian Magpies (48)

It was a tight encounter in the opening half of netball with only one goal separating the two sides at half time. The Magpies looked strong and composed edging out to a three goal lead at three quarter time before the Fury came home strong in the final term piling on 18 goals to nine. Their quick ball movement and endurance prevailed out running the Magpies and allowing their structures to hold true when the game counted. Ryde was prolific for the Fury scoring 40 from 43 while Ine-Mari Venter also appeared for snippets throughout the game shooting three goals. Lara Dunkley showcased her versatility switching through centre, wing attack and wing defence while Jamaican defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney also made her presence felt thanks to her aerial ability. For the Magpies Gabby Sinclair showed her attacking prowess feeding the ball into her teammates while also putting up her fair share of shots with 22 from 31 at 77 per cent. Through the midcourt Kimiora Poi got a run using her speed to dice through opposition defence while Kelsie Rainbow also showcased her strength around the top of the circle.