THE third round of Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) action will tip-off on Sunday afternoon, with six matches taking place at Studio 001 across Sunday and Monday. Intriguingly, while a couple of teams in Celtic Dragons and Surrey Storm take the court for their respective third and fourth matches this round alone, Severn Stars have an unprecedented bye round, and both London Pulse and Manchester Thunder take the court for just their second matches of the season.

Making this round interesting is how the ladder will shape up following proceedings, with Team Bath currently leading the table alongside Saracens Mavericks. Both teams are undefeated after two matches across the opening Round 1 and 2 weekend, whilst Manchester sit undefeated, but down in fifth by default after playing just one match last round. Leeds Rhinos sit up in third at 1-1 after showcasing some exciting play in their opening weekend on court, but will be in a tough position this round with three starters out with injury. Given the fixturing of each round, the ladder will shape up differently each week making for a very exciting season and plenty to talk about.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Surrey Storm v. Leeds Rhinos

Surrey Storm will look to kick the exciting new Leeds Rhinos outfit while they are down, when they host the new franchise missing three of its recruits to injury. Lynchpin Donnell Wallam is one of the more hard-hit players, out with a fractured radius after piling on the scoreboard pressure last round while Fi Toner and Tuaine Keenan remain uncalled for at this stage with leg injuries. But away from injuries, both sides showed some great form across the first round with a win apiece and two Rhinos in Jade Clarke and Rhea Dixon stepping up well when required for player of the match awards. Storm young gun and another player of the match in Sophie Kelly will look to showcase her wares once more alongside stalwart Karyn Bailey, whilst Felisitus Kwangwa showcased her timing with six deflections last round and both Yas Parsons and Mikki Austin were clinical as ever through the midcourt.

Loughborough Lightning v. Saracens Mavericks

This match shapes up to be one of the games of the round as Lightning and Mavericks look to pile on the pressure. While Mavericks sit undefeated, the Lightning cannot be counted out with the ability to clinch wins under pressure well and truly showcased in their one-goal victory over Wasps last weekend, and just a four-goal loss in their opening match of the season against Bath. With dominant players across the court, the real test in this one is whether they can stand up and provide a consistent effort across all four quarters, with the experienced Kadeen Corbin needing to step up out the front alongside Chloe Essam and Britney Pringle-Clark, while Lightning’s ever reliable target in Mary Cholhok is always hard to stop at the other end, and currently leads all-comers with 74 goals to her name. But the Ugandan tall-timber cannot be caught standing still, with the exciting matchup of powerful young defender Razia Quashie able to pick off the loose ball with ease and cleanliness nine times out of 10. The midcourt could be where this match is won and lost, with Lightning boasting a bit more experience with Nat Panagarry and Beth Cobden in the mix.

Celtic Dragons v. Strathclyde Sirens

Expect both the Sirens and Dragons to come out firing in this encounter, with both sides boasting  some exciting talent coming up through the ranks. But whilst Dragons had a struggle in the opening weekend of matches, Sirens were quick to get points on the board in a low-scoring thriller against Severn Stars, and will look to build on that momentum in this match against their fellow non-England based side. Taylor Cullen will look to build off a solid start to the season, whilst there is no doubt the likes of Gia Abernethy will look to keep the calm, as goaling duo Lynsey Gallagher and Bethan Goodwin hold down the fort from within the circle. But the Dragons have a few tricks up their sleeve with defender Annika Lee-Jones able to rotate between both goal circles, and is likely to start against Goodwin to limit ball movement to the lynchpin early, whilst at the front-end expect Amy Clinton and Rebekah Robinson to ply their trade. Expect the Sirens to come out on top fairly comfortably, but for the Dragons to give it a red-hot crack.

Manchester Thunder v. London Pulse

When it comes to teams which have lucked out in the fixturing so far, there are no other teams that have benefited more than Thunder and Pulse, who come in with just one match apiece on fresh legs. Whilst the Thunder secured a classy 17-goal victory on the board to open their season last week, Pulse were marginally pipped at the post by fast-starting Storm in a see-sawing affair, making for an intriguing battle here. While Thunder were excellent last round, Pulse match up much better with the Manchester-based side than the Sirens did, and it will be a tough battle. The internationally stacked front-end of the Pulse is no small feat to defeat, with Sigi Burger heading up the side along with Lefebre Rademan and Adean Thomas, while one can expect a tight battle through the centre with Caroline O’Hanlon and Laura Malcolm leading the opposition charge. Defensively, the Thunder are one of the most difficult to beat with their continuity across a number of seasons and variety of options to rotate through, with Emma Dovey, Rebekah Airey and Kerry Almond almost unstoppable when they are on song.

Tip: Storm by 8 goals, Mavericks by 4, Sirens by 10, Thunder by 3

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22

Celtic Dragons v. Surrey Storm

Unlike the last match between two teams playing just their second game of the season, the tables are turned for the Dragons and Storm who will both play their fourth match in just over a week. The only thing working in both sides’ favour is they take on the only other side in the same position, but regardless expect a hard slog from the two sides which will look to pile on the pressure. Expect a huge one-on-one battle between the two Aussies in Lee-Jones and Bailey under the post, whilst at the other end the matchups in the circle between Storm trio Alima Priest, Leah Middleton and Kwangwa and Dragons options Clinton, Robinson, Lee-Jones and versatile Laura Rudland will be interesting to say the least, with both sides more than willing to shuffle the bibs around. Like many of the other matches, the real test here is through the midcourt, with Storm’s experienced players more than likely to be the gamechangers in this encounter, though Clare Jones, Shona O’Dwyer, Rudland and Sophie Morgan will look to test the side.

Wasps Netball v. Team Bath

The final match of the round is expected to be a real blockbuster, as two of the leading teams across the past few seasons go head-to-head. Both teams participated in one blowout and one close matchup last round, and whilst Bath currently sits top of the ladder undefeated to Wasps’ 1-1, the Wasps cannot be underestimated. With spearheads across the court for both sides, it will be up to the Bath defensive unit in Summer Artman, Tash Pavelin and Eboni Usoro-Brown to limit the impact of Rachel Dunn and Katie Harris under the post, while at the other end expect an exciting battle between two England Roses young-guns in Bath’s Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Wasps’ Fran Williams, with the duo both impressive across the opening weekend. Watch out for the exciting battle between Serena Guthrie and Iona Christian through the centre, whilst another young gun in Imogen Allison will be tasked with Wasps captain Sophia Candappa and will need to do everything in her power to stop the wing attack from finding circle edge. Factor in the battle at the post between Kim Borger and Josie Huckle and we have a real game on our hands to complete Round 3 of VNSL action.

Tip: Storm by 16 goals, Bath by 8