THE FIGHT for top four spots continues to get closer and closer with only a few weeks left of the Super Netball regular season. In the latest round of action, Melbourne Mavericks moved one step closer to finals qualification, while the Thunderbirds, Swifts, and Fever also picked up wins.

Adelaide Thunderbirds (73) defeated Melbourne Vixens (58)

In front of a dedicated home crowd, the Thunderbirds have now made it six wins in a row. They hauled over the Vixens by seven goals in the second and fourth quarters to really put their hat in the ring as premiership contenders.

The Thunderbirds have found their groove and aren’t afraid to keep punishing their oppositions to win by significant margins.

It was a better performance by the Thunderbirds attackers as they were able to convert 72 per cent of their 18 gains.

Romelda Aiken-George had one of her best games of the season with 47 goals and seven rebounds. Down the other end Shamera Sterling-Humphrey (nine gains, seven deflections, five rebounds, and three intercepts) made a significant impact in the defensive end and caused the Vixens shooters to be on edge.

Zara Walters (20 feeds and nine goal assists) returned from injury for the Vixens, the first time she’s seen the court since Round 2 against the Thunderbirds. Walters was the injection the Vixens needed at half time to bring more punch up the attack line.

Super shots didn’t seem to help the Vixens as much as previous rounds as they continued trailing at every moment. The home side led by as much as 18 goals after a clinical four quarter performance which saw the Vixens handed only their second loss for the season.

Melbourne Mavericks (72) defeated Sunshine Coast Lightning (71)

The Mavericks and Lightning remain the frontrunners for fourth position on the ladder with the Mavericks taking the win on both occasions this season.

Two super shots from Gabby Sinclair, who only saw five minutes of the court, gave the Mavericks the match winner down in Tasmania.

Due to Molly Jovic still being unavailable under concussion protocols, Tayla Fraser (27 feeds, 21 goal assists, and one intercept) saw nearly a full game and she proved her worth.

Fraser got her well earned court time and was effective with her ball work and angles up the court. She was willing to look into Shimona Jok (42 goals) early but was also doing most of her feeds in great space on circle edge.

Down the other end, Liz Watson again had a field day with the ball racking up 54 feeds and 33 goal assists, which are huge numbers even for Watson. The passes into Cara Koenen (39 goals) were silky smooth with Koenen having a much more accurate game compared to the last couple of weeks.

NSW Swifts (60) defeated by Queensland Firebirds (61)

There was no Donnell Wallam for the Firebirds so this was always going to be a hard result to predict. The game went down to the wire and was on the verge of being an extra time thriller.

An Emily Moore (23 goals) super shot re-established the lead for the Firebirds in what was the game winner with Sophie Fawns missing two super shots in the final eight seconds.

12 super shots for the Firebirds helped them claw back the deficit each quarter after trailing by four at the first break.

Teigan O’Shannassy made the most of a full game and is the Swifts answer in defence. She had nine gains, six rebounds, and four deflections as part of her partnership with Sarah Klau, who herself had four gains, four deflections, three rebounds, and one intercept.

Lara Dunkley (44 feeds and 17 goal assists) and Macy Gardner (40 feeds, 22 goal assists, and six pick ups) combined for plenty of ball into the circle racking up more feeds than the whole Swifts lineup.

Ruby Bakewell-Doran (five deflections, three rebounds, and one intercept) and Remi Kamo (four deflections, one intercept, and one rebound) combined for nine gains, getting a lot of hand to ball cleanly.

West Coast Fever (68) defeated GIANTS Netball (65)

A tale of two halves constructed this close encounter in what was a relatively surprising result.

Fever trailed by eight goals at halftime but fired straight out of the blocks in the third quarter to shoot 20 goals to nine. An 11-goal run to the home side that same quarter set themselves up for an important fourth quarter.

The GIANTS had a great first half with all of their attacking connections clicking, but it was rattled after the major break. Fever was clinical by the time the second half came around with their goal conversion scoring from 80 percent of their gains compared to the GIANTS’ 43 percent.

Kadie-Ann Dehaney (four gains, seven deflections, and two intercepts) caused absolute havoc for the GIANTS shooters who were shaken. The visitors coughed up the ball 10 times in the shooting circle who were accurate on goal.

Alice Teague-Neeld (47 feeds, 36 goal assists, and 23 centre pass receives) was immense in attack in the green dress with Jamie-Lee Price (43 feeds and 18 goal assists) doing the same in the orange.

Super Netball Reserves

Thunderbirds (67) v Vixens (56)
Fever (68) v GIANTS (47)