TWO huge battles waged during the first round of 2020 Suncorp Super Netball finals, with the Melbourne Vixens propelled straight into the grand final. The Vixens were convincing against the Sunshine Coast Lightning, dominating much of the contest while the West Coast Fever mounted a solid comeback against the NSW Swifts, knocking the reigning premiers from contention and securing a preliminary final this coming weekend against the Lightning.

Starting with the goalers, the two tall timbers in the battle between the Swifts and Fever proved once again they are more than capable of shouldering the load, with centurion Jhaniele Fowler adding another 55 goals to her tally – including her 5000th domestic goal – while Sam Wallace was hard to stop once more with 40 goals (six super shots). The two goal attacks in Alice Teague-Neeld (10 goals, 28 goal assists) and Helen Housby (12 goals, 10 assists, one intercept) showcased their ability to hit the scoreboard in crucial moments, while Sophie Garbin made a cameo but was unable to make a huge mark with just two goals. A balanced effort continues to be the tipping point for the Vixens’ opposition, with Mwai Kumwenda (31 goals from 32 attempts) and retiring champion Caitlin Thwaites (25 from 28, five super shots) sharing much of the load and proving unstoppable once again. Fellow retiree Tegan Philip also made a brief appearance, and while she did not have the required impact on the scoreboard with just two goals her continued drives and speed more than made up for it. The Lightning also remarkably had a shared effort, although much more crucially they were forced into it with both Cara Koenen (24 from 27) and Steph Wood (19 from 23) unable to find enough of the ball. 

Through the midcourt, Liz Watson was second in goal assists only to Teague-Neeld, with the wing attack returning to the fray from an ankle injury and hitting circle edge with ease once more for 26 assists from 44 feeds. Verity Charles continued her excellent season with 21 assists and a gain (four deflections), while Maddy Proud was excellent for the Swifts with 33 centre pass receives, 20 assists and six pickups showcasing her willingness to get into the contest. It was a quieter effort than many are used to seeing from veteran Laura Langman, with 15 assists to top her side’s tally along with three pickups, while Laura Scherian was well and truly nullified by youngster Allie Smith, seeing the Lightning wing attack lack her usual explosiveness with 12 assists and nine general play turnovers. Smith managed four pickups, an intercept and a goal assists in her first full SSN match and was just one of a number of excellent wing defenders over the weekend, with Sophie Craig stepping up to bundle Emma Cosh out of the game – though the stats do not necessarily showcase her high-pressure dominance – while Stacey Francis spent the second half in wing defence against Proud and proved to be a tough battle.

Defensively, there were a couple of huge standouts, none more so than youngster Sunday Aryang who racked up four intercepts and four pickups to help turn the tides against the NSW Swifts, running out as player of the match in only 30 minutes on court such was her dominance. Partner in crime Courtney Bruce was critical with her long arms creating deflections, coming away with seven gains from 11 deflections and two intercepts, while the other player of the match was fellow Australian Diamonds goal keeper Emily Mannix, who finished with eight gains (four intercepts) while Jo Weston well and truly nullified Wood, collecting two intercepts and five pickups for her efforts. Sarah Klau (eight gains from 10 deflections and an intercept) and Maddy Turner (one intercept, five pickups) had great patches early on but coughed up crucial penalties in the moments that counted, while Karla Pretorius and Phumza Maweni shared more than half of the Lightning’s penalties, resulting in a combined nine gains (five intercepts).

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Melbourne Vixens (63) defeated Sunshine Coast Lightning (47)

West Coast Fever (67) defeated NSW Swifts (62)

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Courtside Comments: Semi finals – Gamechangers

Courtside Comments: Round 3 – Sunday Aryang

Courtside Comments: Round 9 – Alice Teague-Neeld

Centre Pass Podcast: Round 14 review & Emily Mannix interview

Centre Pass Podcast: Round 2 review & Maddy Proud interview