WITH the Sunshine Coast Lightning dominating in all areas across the court, there is no surprise that four players made their way into the Draft Central Team of the Week. The Magpies and Fever were the only teams to miss out on a player being selected with all other clubs having at least one nomination.

GK: Emily Mannix (Melbourne Vixens)

In arguably one of her best games, Mannix well and truly left her mark on the opposition. Her defensive pressure was immense and showcased her impressive timing and netball smarts to go out hunting for the ball creating doubt in the feeders and shooters minds. Her clever footwork enabled her to get to the contest and get around the body cleanly only racking up nine contacts and three obstructions. Her awareness to win back ball and propel the Vixens into attack was exciting to watch amassing a huge eight gains and five intercepts credit to her netball nous.

GD: Karla Pretorius (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

The Lightning goal defence is in a league of her own nullifying the influence of opponent- Nat Medhurst and having an absolute day out. Pretorius’ read of the play and connection with teammate Phumza Maweni enables her to go out hunting and pick off any loose balls that come her way. While her footwork is impeccable to slot into spaces quickly and intercept the ball, it is her timing that astounds many with the defender using her deceptive speed and long arms to continuously win ball back for the Lightning. The talented defender displayed her bag of tricks against the Magpies with 12 gains, six intercepts and five deflections credit to her sheer athleticism and defensive prowess.

WD: Gabi Simpson (Queensland Firebirds)

The Firebirds captain was unstoppable in the opening half and continued her defensive pressure throughout the match. Her ability to cover Liz Watson’s every move and block her entrance into the attacking third was impressive keeping her away from the circle edge. Simpson showcased her endurance and doggedness to scrap for every possession and pose a dominant threat for a full four quarters. Her hands over pressure blocked Watson’s vision into the circle while her athleticism around the circle edge placed doubt in the attackers minds amassing three gains, two intercepts and one deflection. While her defensive pressure is impressive her drive through the middle of the court helps to create attacking momentum for the Firebirds.

C: Laura Langman (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

The veteran centre seems to get better with age. Langman owned the midcourt against the Magpies using the angles well and her speed to burst through each third. Her general netball smarts and clever footwork puts her in good stead while her endurance allows her to outrun her opponent and wear them down. She really kicked it up a gear in the third quarter flexing her defensively ability to create turnovers and capitalise down the court with her speed and ball placement. She finished with two gains and two deflections along with 15 goal assists from 35 feeds showcasing her strength around the goal circle and ability to deliver the ball into the goal circle.

WA: Laura Scherian (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

Laura Scherian is one of four Lightning players to make the mix after dominating in the attacking third thanks to her clever timing, drives to the top of the goal circle and carefully crafted passes into the shooters. Scherian used her evasive skills and speed to manoeuvre through the Collingwood defence and find good feeding space. Her ability to zip and weave through traffic was impressive while her work rate to get on top of Ash Brazill was impressive. She did a wealth of work at the centre pass with a game-high 24 receives highlighting the load she takes on to create the attacking play in the front end while also amassing 22 goal assists from 36 feeds.

GA: Maria Folau (Adelaide Thunderbirds)

The Silver Ferns shooter had one of her best games in Thunderbirds colours, owning the goal circle and commanding the ball from areas in the attacking third. She showcased her attacking flair to set up clever plays and really took ownership when the Thunderbirds were struggling to penetrate through the Fever defence. Folau was cool, calm, collected and composed in the circle highlighting her trademark long bomb with goals from just inside the rim of the circle. Her connection with youngster Sasha Glasgow was impressive with the two creating space and rotating through to draw the attention of the defender. The goal attack displayed her hot hand and shouldered the shooting load with 33 goals from 38 attempts at 87 per cent. Her work out the front was also important keeping the Thunderbirds in the hunt 16 centre pass receives.

GS: Sam Wallace (NSW Swifts)

The NSW shooter keeps going from strength to strength oozing composure and accuracy to post and this game was no different. Wallace impressed with her aerial ability and clever positioning under the ring to hold space and take the ball with ease. Her partnership with goal attack Helen Housby continues to grow with the two posing a dominant threat for any opposition. The goal shooter showed that volume and accuracy is no issue nailing 48 from 50 at a whopping 96 per cent.

Bench: Phumza Maweni (Sunshine Coast Lightning), Amy Parmenter (GWS GIANTS), Caitlin Thwaites (Melbourne Vixens)

After some admirable performance Phumza Maweni, Amy Parmenter and Caitlin Thwaites have all found their way onto the Draft Central Team of the Week. Maweni had a stellar game against Shimona Nelson forcing the young goal shooter to the bench after denying Collingwood easy access to goal and shutting down the options in attack. The Lightning goal keeper used her feet to stay off the body of Nelson and just attack her hands while also showcasing her tenacity to go and hunt for the ball outside of the circle. In the midcourt, Parmenter got the nod with the youngster amassing a whopping 13 deflections credit to her intent and commitment to the contest. Her read of the play and good movement made her a key player for the GIANTS although she did draw a lot of attention from the umpire with 17 penalties to her name. Thwaites came second in our weekly poll with the Melbourne Vixens goal shooter putting on a masterclass in the goal circle against an inexperienced Firebirds defensive duo. The goal shooter showcased her impeccable timing, clever dodges and ability to hold strong under the post to top score with 43 goals from 47 attempts at 91 per cent displaying both her accuracy and volume.