THE pointy end of the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) season has arrived, with just five more rounds to come with teams needing to get their connections and wins in order heading into the final stretch. Loughborough Lightning could very well overtake Team Bath on the ladder if margins and results fall their way, whilst Saracens Mavericks receive a much-needed breather but will hope that Strathclyde Sirens do not get another win on the board with the middle of the table growing ever closer.

SUNDAY, MAY 9

Severn Stars v. Loughborough Lightning

The Severn Stars may be coming into this one off the back of a Round 13/14 win, but so are the rampant Lightning who will want to take any chance they can get to close the gap between them and top-ranked Bath. With just three wins on the board compared to Lightning’s 11, the Stars will have a hard time but have proved they will not relent throughout each and every contest. While the Lightning registered a 28-goal victory back in Round 4, expect the Stars to come out hunting in this match.

Expect midcourt duo Liana Leota and Kyra Jones to continue their smooth partnership through the midcourt, injecting plenty of speed, strength and class into the Stars side in recent weeks and allowing their less experienced players to step up to the plate. But they will have their work cut out for them against the likes of Nat Panagarry and Beth Cobden, with the latter in her best form since prior to her 2019 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and will need to pile on the defensive pressure as Lucy Herdman and Iman Thomas have the tough ask of negating Lightning goalers Mary Cholhok, Ella Clark and Suzie Liverseidge. That being said, Paige Reed and Georgia Rowe have been combining well at the other end, so will look to evade the Lightning’s defensive efforts to at east make for a closer matchup this time around.

Team Bath v. Leeds Rhinos

Whilst this match is not necessarily a must-win for Bath, it is for the Rhinos who need the wins now ahead of the final stretch, and realistically it is too for the Lightning who will rely on Rhinos upsetting Bath here to potentially take top spot. It has only been a few weeks since these two sides went head-to-head, but worth keeping in mind that Bath claimed the victory despite Rhinos sharpshooter Donnell Wallam making her return, in turn setting up another huge clash this week. Given Bath’s season so far they should still be favourites here, however Rhinos’ form and dangerous ability to pile on the goals quickly could prove crucial in an upset.

Expect a huge battle at the post between Eboni Usoro-Brown and Wallam, especially given Wallam’s capacity to control the goaling on her own. Layla Guscoth has been in excellent form in goal defence and will need to ensure that as much as she keeps Rhea Dixon quiet, she also will want to force the goal attack to take some of the goaling load in the side’s effort to shut down Wallam. Moving up the court, both Serena Guthrie and Imogen Allison have been in excellent form and will have their work cut out for them against an improved Brie Grierson and ever-impressive Jade Clarke. The opposite goaling end could be where the match is won and lost, with the Rhinos defensive unit growing ever stronger with Vicki Oyesola at the helm and Tuaine Keenan bodying up at the post, well-matched when looking at Bath’s front combination of Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Kim Borger.

Strathclyde Sirens v. Surrey Storm

It should be an interesting matchup between the Sirens and Storm, with Sirens realistically the favourites coming in based on form alone, although the Storm have been hunting and gaining on a third win for the season. That being said, fine-tuned and secure connections have paid off for the Sirens while the Storm have struggled at time to find clean movement down the court, and become predictable on drives allowing for easy intercepts. Expect the Storm to remain close early but fall away as the much improved Sirens fire on all cylinders to gain on the franchises above them on the ladder.

There are some intriguing head-to-heads in this match, with the midcourts relatively evenly matched. Sirens may boast Gia Abernethy and Taylor Cullen, but Surrey has formidable names of its own with Mikki Austin heading up the side along with continual threat Yasmin Parsons, with both able to create a tough one-two punch across the court. The real difference across the court though is in the goal circles, with tough Malawian goal keeper Towera Vinkhumbo having the season of her life down back for the Sirens but sitting out for much of last round putting question marks on this match. Without Vinkhumbo the likes of Karyn Bailey would be able to hold up the Storm front-end alone, however it could be a matter of who can step up in goal attack if Vinkhumbo is named in the squad. At the other end, Emma Barrie, Bethan Goodwin and Niamh McCall have been impressive for the Sirens in the circle, creating a real headache for the likes of Storm’s Leah Middleton and Alima Priest.

Celtic Dragons v. Manchester Thunder

Expect the Thunder to star in this matchup, given just like the Lightning they are hoping to gain on Bath in top spot. But the Dragons have showcased plenty of improvement in recent weeks, getting their first win on the board last round and challenging Bath for a full half before releasing the pressure in their Round 12 encounter. Whilst it is safe to say the Thunder should have this one in the bag, teams are realising they can no longer afford to underestimate the Welsh side if they want to gain on the leaderboard, as Manchester will want another big win here to remain in the hunt for a top four finish.

With so much front-end class, there is little stopping the Thunder from getting the job done with Ellie Cardwell and Joyce Mvula continuing to star in the goal circle and Laura Malcolm and Caroline O’Hanlon rarely beaten on the drive. The two-pronged attack from the Manchester side allows them to pile on offensive pressure as a moving circle combining effortlessly to share the load or adjust to a holding goaler, making the side even more impressive and hard to stop for the Dragons who will need to match them for adjustments. Annika Lee-Jones has shown glimpses of what she is capable of but will not be able to purely focus on limiting Mvula back in goal shooter, while midcourt-wise the Dragons will want to treasure ball as much as possible given the swiftness with which the Thunder can turn over possession and score. Dragons’ attack is its prime target at the moment with Rebekah Robinson and Amy Clinton in fine form, while Clare Jones has been consistent through the midcourt.

Tip: Lightning by 12, Bath by 3, Sirens by 6, Thunder by 16

MONDAY, MAY 10

Loughborough Lightning v. Surrey Storm 

Both Lightning and Storm will shape up for their second matches of the round, and could well be coming in with opposite records given both sides’ form and opposition over the two days. Lightning should win this one fairly easily in a battle of second and second last, although a close call in this match could be enough to bump the Storm up a position on the ladder which is surely what will drive them to push the Lightning for the full four quarters.

Storm defenders Priest and Middleton will well and truly have their work cut out for them down back in this one, so expect the likes of Felisitus Kwangwa to look to impact the contest where required and provide a more physical matchup on Cholhok. In the midcourt it will once more be down to Parsons, Austin and Emily Gulvin to shut down Panagarry and Cobden, although Lightning’s midcourt depth will prove useful here with Lauren Nicholls, Hannah Joseph and Hannah Williams all more than capable of taking the mantle and retaining pressure through the centre third and elsewhere. For Storm, the likes of Emma Magee, Frankie Wells and young gun Sophie Kelly will need to work hard to assist Bailey at the post and force one-on-one defence to open up space for the goal shooter.

Wasps Netball v. London Pulse

The final match of the round will pit the Wasps and Pulse against one another, with the Wasps yet another team that needs to keep collecting wins against the lower-ranked sides ahead of the tough matches in the coming weeks, while the Pulse are hunting for consistency and will hope to challenge the Wasps at the very least. Unfortunately the Pulse have lost co-captain Halimat Adio following a meniscus tear suffered during Round 13/14, so will need to utilise its versatile backline to fill the hole she leaves and look to build pressure from the defensive end all the way up the court.

With Adio out of the side, expect plenty of defensive movement from Pulse as they look to cement a clear duo with Funmi Fadoju, Zara Everitt and Lindsay Keable all capable of causing pressure in the defensive end, while Ellie Rattu is also an adaptable player who could have an impact if required. They will have the hard task of limited Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris, with the duo rarely stopped in the front-line given their read of the play and ability to switch up in an instant. The Pulse will hope Adean Thomas and Sigi Burger are good to go this round, while Kira Rothwell will want to step back up to her early season form out the front after lacking some intensity over the past few rounds. Lefebre Rademan and Olivia Tchine have proved they can uphold the front-end if the midcourt is willing to propel the ball in, so Fran Williams and Josie Huckle are sure to do everything in their power to disrupt that while Iona Christian and Amy Flanagan will do the hard yards through the midcourt to limit ease movement.

Tip: Lightning by 14, Wasps by 10

Picture credit: Morgan Harlow