IN the first game in Adelaide for the season the contest between the bottom two sides lived up to the hype as both the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Collingwood Magpies contested every pass that came their way. In the end it was the Thunderbirds that pulled away thanks to a dominant final term securing their fourth win of the season (61-49) and claim fifth spot on the ladder.

The defensive pressure was on song from the opening minute for both sides with Shamera Sterling getting a hand in the play early. It was a turnover riddled couple of minutes as ball flew over the sideline for both sides as they struggled to settle into the momentum of the game. An uncharacteristic miss from Lenize Potgieter enabled Geva Mentor to collect the rebound but a wayward pass in the goal circle saw the chance go missing for the Pies. After going goal for goal early in the term the tables started to turn as Sterling further injected herself into the game while up the other end Georgie Horjus was running riot in the goal circle, backing herself from range.

The quick transition down court from the Thunderbirds started to cause headaches for Collingwood as the defenders simply could not stop the flow. Potgieter seemed to have the ball on a string as Chelsea Pitman found a wealth of space around the top of the goal circle. Down by four goals Gabby Sinclair stepped up to the plate with the goal shooter sinking the first super shot of the game despite the immense hands over pressure from Sterling. However, Horjus said anything you can do I can do better, nailing a two point shot of her own to reclaim the four-goal buffer. The Thunderbirds seemed to have an answer for everything Collingwood threw at them as they made the most of their opportunities down court.

Three consecutive goals from the Thunderbirds allowed the home side to extend the lead and claim some ascendancy over the match. Hannah Petty starred through the centre court with her speed and precise feeding into the likes of Horjus and Potgieter time and time again. A classy intercept from Layla Guscoth early in the term gifted the Thunderbirds a further chance to put the foot down but the Magpies slowly pegged their way back into the contest as Mentor collected a timely rebound. The physicality went up a notch from both sides as bodies went flying across the court as players tried to contest the cross court ball in hope to regain possession. Kelly Altmann was strong around circle edge for the Pies using her footwork to claim prime position but copped a nasty knock midway through the term.

With a timeout called the Magpies made a couple of changes through the midcourt with newcomer Tyler Orr donning the centre bib and Molly Jovic slotting back into the wing attack position, as Altmann received treatment on the sideline. With the super shot in play Sinclair and Horjus came into play with the duo firing from range for their respective sides. Holding onto a five goal lead the Thunderbirds were happy to play the ball around the court while the Magpies consistently looked to attack the two point shot to eat into the margin. Maisie Nankivell was a commanding force down back, driving the ball through the court but some Sterling magic with a rejection over the shot capped off what was a see-sawing affair as the momentum ebbed and flowed throughout the quarter.

It was a hot start for the Pies in the second half as they reduced the margin to a mere two goals. An early missed shot from the Thunderbirds brought Mentor into the game as the goal keeper mustered up a strong rebound. Within a blink of an eye the Magpies had levelled the scores forcing the T’birds into a timeout. Adelaide looked rattled as Collingwood turned it up a gear both in attack and defence and hit the lead for the first time since the early stages of the game. Sloppy hands from Nelson gifted the Thunderbirds a wealth of opportunities to stream down court and capitalise as they stole back the lead. a change through the midcourt saw Tayla Williams enter the game in centre linking up with Pitman with great ease. Much like the rest of the Collingwood team, Jodi-Ann Ward stepped up to the plate in the third term, wearing Horjus like a glove and pushing her wide to reduce her impact in and around the circle.

Neither side could be separated going blow for blow for majority of the term. Inaccuracy seemed to plague both sides with the the ball swinging up and down the court as neither team managed to find the post with ease. Breaking down in defence, Kate Shimmin made her way onto the court for the Thunderbirds. Getting as close as one goal, Horjus delivered a super shot before Nelson slotted a goal up the other end to go into the final change with a two goal deficit.

After a sluggish third term the Thunderbirds came out with a point to prove in the final quarter unbothered by the wealth of changes coming from the Collingwood side as Emma Ryde and Matilda Garrett came onto the court. Potgieter was getting a wealth of separation from Mentor in the circle as they skipped out a game high seven goal lead. Things continued to tick along well for the Thunderbirds as they looked confident both in attack and defence exploiting the new connections across the court for the Magpies to run out 12 goal victors.

Nelson was a key contributor under the post for the Pies once again with the goal shooter converting 21 goals from 27 attempts. Partner in crime Sinclair also plied her trade in the goal circle with 14 goals, five of which were super shots. For the Thunderbirds the ever-reliable Potgieter was a force to be reckoned with, nailing 41 goals and taking out the player of the match as Horjus continued her hot form finishing the game with 12 goals and a team high 15 goal assists. Pitman was that key link in offence for the Thunderbirds amassing 10 goal assists while Jovic looked to fill the shoes of the Browne sisters with 11 goal assists for the Pies. It was a battle of the goal keepers as Sterling picked up three intercepts, three gains and six deflections while Mentor answered the call for the Pies with six gains and five deflections of her own.

>>> THUNDERBIRDS TEAM PAGE
>>> MAGPIES TEAM PAGE
>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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Adelaide Thunderbirds 18 | 15 | 10 | 18 (61)
Collingwood Magpies 14 | 15 | 12 | 8 (49) 

STARTING SEVEN:

Adelaide Thunderbirds

GS: Lenize Potgieter
GA: Georgie Horjus
WA: Chelsea Pitman
C: Hannah Petty
WD: Maisie Nankivell
GD: Layla Guscoth
GK: Shamera Sterling

Collingwood Magpies

GS: Shimona Nelson
GA: Gabby Sinclair
WA: Kelly Altmann
C: Molly Jovic
WD: Mel Bragg
GD: Jodi-Ann Ward
GK: Geva Mentor