IN a ladder-defining match it was the Sunshine Coast Lightning that snatched victory over Melbourne Vixens to claim top spot on the ladder. We attended the match and took notes on one player from each side, analysing their impact on the match.

MELBOURNE VIXENS: TEGAN PHILIP

The Vixens’ goal attack got off to a hot start with her dynamic movement and clever ball placement on full display from the first whistle. Although she missed the first shot of the game she steadily built into the quarter, nailing her next eight attempts credit to her good rhythm under the post. She had the ball on a string in the first quarter, carving up the court with her speed and general netball nous to exploit mismatches across the court and capitalise.

Her combination with Caitlin Thwaites proved hard to stop in the opening half with the two creating plenty of space in the goal circle and opening up the attacking third time and time again. Philip did a wealth of work out the front to feed the ball into her shooting partner credit to her crafty feeds into the circle while pairing well with the likes of Liz Watson and Kate Moloney around the circle edge. The Vixens shooter worked tirelessly all game to provide an option in the attacking third, leading hard and faking passes to cause confusion.

Philip was a real play maker in the attacking third, drawing the attention of both Phumza Maweni and Karla Pretorius with her strong drives, timely dodges and silky footwork. She really controlled the tempo of the game in the opening half and proved that she was not afraid to turn and shoot from anywhere in the circle, backing herself from range. Philip finished with 26 goals from 33 attempts at 79 per cent.

SUNSHINE COAST LIGHTNING: KARLA PRETORIUS

The Lightning goal defence did not disappoint, with her sheer ability to turn a game on its head credit to her timing and general netball smarts to consistently stay in the hunt for the ball. Although Pretorius had a relatively quiet start to the game unable to assert herself on the contest, she worked her way into the match to outplay the Melbourne Vixens attack end and win back plenty of ball.

She was well held in the first half credit to the amount of off the body work Philip put in using her vision, slick movement and accuracy to post to keep Pretorius busy before the South African defender lifted her intensity to take her out of the game. Pretorius rose to another level time and time again, picking up timely intercepts credit to her impressive read of the play and cleanliness to get around the body. Her follow-up efforts in the last term and ability to contest every single pass made her near-on impossible to stop.

Pretorius won ball both in the air and on the ground, showcasing her versatility and hunt for the ball and standing up when it counted to keep her side well and truly in the hunt. The goal defence paired exceptionally well with Maweni in the goal circle to confuse the space and force turnover ball while Maddy McAuliffe provided good protection out the front. She applied strong hands over pressure across the court to try and block her opponent’s vision while her aerial ability to leap and get tips on both the shot and pass provided plenty of excitement for Lightning fans. Pretorius finished with six gains, five intercepts and three deflections.