IN this week’s edition of Draft Central’s Suncorp Super Netball Team of the Week the Queensland teams dominated with five nominations- two from the Firebirds and three from the Sunshine Coast Lightning. The usuals made an appearance once again with Adelaide Thunderbirds goal keeper Shamera Sterling and West Coast Fever goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler making an appearance in the side.

GK: Shamera Sterling (Adelaide Thunderbirds)

Sterling was a shining light once again for the Thunderbirds down in defence with her timely deflections and ability to confuse the space. She caused all sorts of headaches for the Firebirds down in attack credit to her long arms and speed off the mark to get into clever positions and hunt the ball. The young defender picked up an impressive 12 gains and five intercepts along with six deflections. Her defensive pressure forced changes in the Firebirds attack with Amy Sommerville succumbing to her intensity only managing six goals at 60 per cent.

GD: Karla Pretorius (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

Pretorius is a lynchpin for the Lightning in defence credit to her tenacity and hunt for the ball. Her ability to take her opponent out of the game and lift when her side needs it is a real feature of her game and that was once again on show against the GIANTS. Pretorius is deceptively quick and uses her long arms to get clever deflections. Her intercepting ability is second to none asserting herself on the game from the get go with two intercepts and two gains in the opening term. Her work on Jo Harten to push her up high and block her drives into the circle were impressive while her vision to pick off passes was equally as good. The work she does through transition is also a focal point for the Lightning credit to her strong drive through the midcourt.

WD: Gabi Simpson (Queensland Firebirds)

After being managed with a groin injury Simpson kicked it up a gear against the Thunderbirds with her speed and leadership on show throughout the game. They were missing her drive and defensive pressure in the previous rounds but the Firebirds captain brought the heat early on covering the drives of Chelsea Pitman and blocking any easy entry into the attacking third. Simpson showcased her ability to read the play collecting four crucial intercepts along with five gains. Her work through the midcourt did not go unnoticed helping to bring the ball down court and using her clever footwork to get around the body of Pitman on the circle edge to earn herself a Draft Central Team of the Week nomination.

C: Laura Langman (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

It was vintage performance from the Silver Ferns veteran using her speed to slice through the opposition midcourt. It was an exciting match-up between Jamie-Lee Price with Langman displaying her experience and poise with ball in hand to control the tempo of the game. Her ability to read the play and quickly transition down the court was impressive with the centre making full use of her array of skills showcasing control and timing continuously throughout the match. Her defensive pressure was immense picking up three gains and two intercepts while her work in attack was also impressive with 20 goal assists from 31 feeds.

WA: Maddy Proud (NSW Swifts)

The NSW Swifts move into wing attack has paid dividends with the speedy midcourter relishing the reduced space. Proud has consistently impressed with her ability to hit the circle edge and use her clever feeds into the circle to create plenty of scoring opportunities for the likes of Sam Wallace and Helen Housby. Her smooth transition and interplay with fellow midcourter Paige Hadley is impressive with the two working exceptionally well to create space for another and set up clever plays. Proud led the way in attack for the Swifts racking up 35 feeds with 26 goal assists. She also displayed her defensive abilities picking up three deflections earning herself another Team of the Week nomination.

GA: Gretel Tippett (Queensland Firebirds)

The athletic goal attack earned herself another spot in Draft Central’s Team of the Week credit to her accuracy under the post and commanding presence on the court. In the absence of teammate Romelda Aiken, Tippett stood tall and showcased her strength and aerial ability to own the goal circle. It was a milestone game for the shooter slotting her 100th consecutive goal, the first Australian to do so. She finished the match with 27 from 28 at 96 per cent with her first miss coming in the first quarter. Her work load to bring the ball down court and ability to shoulder the load with inexperienced shooters Abigail Latu-Meafou and Sommerville in the circle was impressive.

GS: Jhaniele Fowler (West Coast Fever)

It was the Fowler show once again for the Fever with the 198cm tall shooter dominating under the post. She was unfazed by the body work of Geva Mentor and April Brandley controlling the airwaves with ease and using her height to full advantage to drag in any loose ball. Her accuracy to post was phenomenal only missing one goal from her 52 attempts at a whopping 98 per cent. Her strong holds allowed the feeders to find her easily while her clever footwork enabled her to edge closer to the post causing havoc for the Magpies defence.

Bench: Sarah Klau (NSW Swifts) | Jamie-Lee Price (GIANTS Netball) | Steph Wood (Sunshine Coast Lightning)

All three players impressed across the weekend with their ability to play their role and influence the play whether it was in attack or defence. Though her direct opponent made the side Jamie-Lee Price was pivotal for the GIANTS credit to her hands over defensive pressure picking up three gains and three intercepts. While her defensive effort was impressive Price worked tirelessly to feed the ball into the goalers finishing with 21 feeds and 15 goal assists. Swifts goal keeper Sarah Klau was efficient in defence with her ability to push her opponent up high and use her clever footwork to out manoeuvre her opponent. Credit to her clever body positioning she mustered up six gains and three intercepts. In the goal circle Steph Wood highlighted her play making ability to control the goal circle with her timely drives and lovely high shot with 21 from 24 at 88 per cent.