THE season has officially reached its first repeat round in 2019, where all 10 teams get ready to take on sides for the second time. With two big games coming up this week, Round 10 will see the top four of the competition face off in what could be a potential finals scenario down the track. This round could be a massive game-changer in terms of ladder positions, with a number of lower ladder sides also taking each other on in the battle for control of the middle of the ladder.

Opening Round 10 at 5pm on Saturday will be an interesting matchup between Team Bath and Celtic Dragons at Team Bath Arena. Team Bath dominated last time the two sides faced off, so the Dragons will want to at least reduce the margin in their second time up, knowing the matchup saw a relatively even second half in the Round 1 clash. The opportunity is there for the Dragons, who have shown some good things over the last few weeks, and will be coming into this game with a chance after a full-strength Bath outfit almost fell to bottom of the ladder, London Pulse in Round 9. Bath are still two wins ahead of the Dragons on the leaderboard so won’t drop down if they lose this match, but can’t afford to miss the mark when chasing a highly competitive top four side.

Second on the ladder will take on third in the first blockbuster match of the round, as Saracens Mavericks host Manchester Thunder at Hertfordshire Sports Village at 6pm on Saturday night. It will be a tight matchup as both sides have only lost two games apiece this season, with the most notable being Mavericks’ seven goal loss to the Thunder in Round 1, while the most notable win was Thunder’s domination over ladder leaders, Wasps Netball. However, the Mavericks are sitting on a four game winning streak, so are likely to feel confident coming into this matchup despite their record against Thunder this year. It was the Mavericks’ first half that lost the match for them in Round 1, conceding 30 goals to 22, so the side will want to boost their volume and accuracy at the post coming into this match. Meanwhile, Thunder will want to build on the consistency they’ve been working on in recent weeks and take out a crucial win against the Mavericks. Thunder fans will be crossing their fingers that midcourter Caroline O’Hanlon gets the call-up this week after going down in the third quarter last week with injury.

Also starting at 6pm on Saturday will be a tight match between Surrey Storm and the Strathclyde Sirens at Surrey Sports Park. Despite a convincing win in Round 1, the Sirens have lost almost every game since then so will want to recreate their dominant full court takeover and deny the Storm ball into the circle in a similar manner to their Round 1 matchup. Meanwhile, the Storm will want to rewrite history and edge their way up the ladder with a win this weekend. The Storm will also be hoping that starting centre, Mikki Austin and wing defence, Nicole Humphrys will make an immediate return from injury after a hard fought match against Manchester Thunder last week.

Saturday night at 7pm will see London Pulse host Severn Stars at Copperbox Arena. In a rematch of their only win for the season, London Pulse will want to back up not only their good start to the season but also their improvement over the last few rounds. Meanwhile, Severn Stars will want to redeem themselves after losing the tight Round 1 match, and will come in with a confidence boost after managing to stay in contact with Wasps Netball in Round 9, only going down by seven after sparking a comeback. Pulse also came close to beating a higher ranked side last week, only losing to Team Bath by four points in what was a composed battle between the two sides.

Finishing out the round at 7pm on Monday night is the fourth versus first matchup that could turn the competition upside-down, as Loughborough Lightning host Wasps Netball at Sir David Wallace Arena. Lightning have almost been the dark horse of the competition so far this season, starting out on a low with their 30-goal Round 1 loss to the Wasps. Lightning coming through the ranks in recent weeks, so are not to be underestimated coming into this crucial matchup, especially as the home side. The Wasps have come off a busy few weeks of netball, with three matches over eight days across Rounds 8 and 9, so will want to bring back the confidence from Round 1 when coming into this game.