THE GIANTS have kept themselves in contention for the finals following a much-needed win over the Collingwood Magpies in Round 8 of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) yesterday. After a commanding opening quarter from the Victorian side, the GIANTS launched a counter attack through Jo Harten’s long bomb shooting and eventually came out on top. It was a good challenge by the Magpies, however, they lacked consistency over the four quarters and were not able to make their defensive wins count in the second half. Despite the Magpies leading by eight at quarter time, the final score was a GIANTS’ win, 69-54 putting them back into fourth position on the SSN ladder.

The Magpies got out to a fantastic start early in the game, leaving the GIANTS trailing behind them. After just two and a half minutes the GIANTS were forced to take a timeout as they had fallen behind by four goals. Collingwood were fluent in attack, and impressively covering all options in defence. Jodi Ann Ward was in everything, getting her hand to plenty of ball and disrupting the feeds into the GIANTS shooters. Geva Mentor was having a standout opening quarter on Caitlin Bassett and this impact was having an effect on the GIANTS shooting percentage.

The GIANTS needed a reset as they were not finding their space in the midcourt, and were allowing the Magpies defence to get all over them. Another deflection from Mentor allowed the Magpies to fly down court, and it was clear that the Bassett/Harten combination was not working fluently. The Magpies were out to a seven-goal lead and Ward was earning her side heaps of gains, using her game smarts to create turnovers consistently. The super shot period allowed the GIANTS back within four, but the Collingwood defence smothered them and regained their lead. In contrast, the GIANTS’ defence of Kristiana Manu’a and Sam Poolman were fairly quiet in the opening quarter, letting Gabby Sinclair, Shimona Nelson and Kelsey Browne rule the roost. After the first quarter, the Magpies were firmly in control leading the GIANTS by 19 goals to 11, due to their huge defensive pressure and grit.

A second quarter switch-up in the GIANTS attack line saw Kiera Austin swing into goal attack and Harten drop back to goal shooter, as we have seen several times this season. This combination took a while to gel, and after a few minutes of end to end netball Collingwood were still leading by eight. There was plenty of confidence and willingness to let the ball go in attack, Browne had the measure of Amy Parmenter and was keeping her uncharacteristically quiet. Magpies had all seven players defending with energy and going for every ball, and this was exposing the GIANTS who seemed a little bit lacklustre.

April Brandley replaced Manu’a and this switch up gained traction in the defensive end – they were able to win back possession but struggled to convert. Another change saw Matilda McDonell take on the goal keeper bib and she managed to force a couple of errors in the usually slick Magpies attack end. The GIANTS took this momentum forward into the super shot period and some accurate shooting from range and hustle in defence allowed them to make a huge comeback before half time. Harten was six from eight in the super shot range and the GIANTS had completely turned around an 11-goal deficit to trail by just one goal. This turnaround was sparked by the fluidity and connections in the GIANTS moving circle, and despite some very exciting Magpies defence the GIANTS were able to seize control of the game. 

This theme continued in the third quarter with errors creeping in for the Magpies and the GIANTS able to make them pay. The Sydney side pulled into the lead credit to the work of McDonell and Brandley combining at the back, and their performance was a complete transformation from the first quarter. The GIANTS had found their fight, with Parmenter making her mark on the game and this spurred them on to go ahead by four. Magpies were lacking the energy of the opening quarter, and Kelly Altmann came into centre to try and inject some more oomph in the midcourt. The GIANTS had extended their lead to seven and the Magpies, unfortunately, didn’t have the answer. Sinclair kept them in the contest during the Super Shot period but the GIANTS were able to capitalise on small errors through the Magpies midcourt. They extended the lead to nine and the Magpies were lacking the experienced head of Madi Browne, who had been sidelined as a precaution following her knee injury. Going into the final quarter the GIANTS led 52-43, and they were displaying much better decision making through court and attacking every ball. 

GIANTS started the final quarter with their original defensive lineup of Manu’a and Poolman back on court, who made their presence felt with a win early in the period. They were now out to a 15-goal advantage and it was unlikely that the Magpies were going to make a comeback at such a late stage. It had been a fantastic effort from the GIANTS to overcome the deficit, they seemed to be enjoying the fact that their hard work had paid off and playing with freedom. Despite a strong effort from youngster Nyah Allen who made an appearance in the final few minutes, there was too much for the Magpies to do to rescue the scoreline. The GIANTS finished strong with a 17-11 final term and proved they are able to overcome a shaky start in order to take the win. 

Jamie-Lee Price was consistent through the midcourt throughout the game, combining nicely with Maddie Hay, and they were able to find the GIANTS shooters with ease, notching up 28 and 24 feeds respectively. Overall the Sydney side found an effective way to dig themselves out of trouble, which bodes well for their season ahead. The Magpies displayed fantastic defensive effort, with Ward earning a huge 11 gains, despite not playing the full game. They have so many talented athletes in the side, and just need to find their connections again and regroup when they take on the Swifts in the next round. 

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Collingwood Magpies 19 | 13 | 11 | 11 (54)
GIANTS Netball 11 | 20 | 21 | 17 (69)

STARTING SEVEN:

GIANTS

GS – Caitlin Bassett
GA – Jo Harten
WA – Kiera Austin
C – Jamie-Lee Price
WD – Amy Parmenter
GD – Kristiana Manu’a
GK – Sam Poolman

Collingwood Magpies

GS – Shimona Nelson
GA – Gabby Sinclair
WA – Kelsey Browne
C – Molly Jovic
WD – Mel Bragg
GD – Jodi Ann Ward
GK – Geva Mentor