Round 12 of the Suncorp Super Netball League (SSN) dealt us with some nail biters, with two games separated by just one goal and only one match finishing with a goal margin of more than three goals.
First up, live on NetballPass Mavericks kept their finals hopes alive with a one-goal thriller over Lightning.
The star of the show in this match was Australian Diamond Gabby Sinclair who scored back-to-back Super Shots for Mavericks, helping to secure their 72-71 win.
The victory sees Mavericks now on joint points with Lightning who sit in fourth.
The second match-up that could only be separated by one goal was Swifts vs Firebirds, and it was the Firebirds that flew out on top making that back-to-back wins under their new co-coaches Katie Walker and Roselee Jencke.
The pressure in this game was immense with both Swifts Teigan O’Shannassy and Firebirds Ruby Bakewell-Doran putting on defensive masterclasses at goal defence for their teams, Bakewell-Doran made one interception and five gains, whilst O’Shannassy made one interception and nine gains.
With under 90 seconds to go England Rose Helen Housby opted for a one-point shot putting Swifts ahead 60-59, only for Emily Moore to score a Super Shot firing the Firebirds into a one-goal lead and allowing them to run the clock down and take the win, 60-61.
The final close contest came between West Coast Fever and Giants, with Fever winning this match by just three goals.
It was bottom of the table Giants that started this match the strongest, winning the first two quarters and giving themselves an 8-goal cushion at half-time.
However, in the third quarter England Rose defender Fran Williams came out firing for Fever to change the game, as she went on to get three gains, two interceptions and one turnover helping Fever win the quarter 20-9, and putting the ball in their court for the final 15 minutes.
The two teams then drew the final quarter, but Fever’s penultimate quarter comeback was enough for them to win 68-65.
The match-up between Thunderbirds and Vixens did not follow the Round 12 theme of close contests, and also did not follow the league script, with top of the table Vixen’s loosing 73-58 to second in the table Thunderbirds.
The lead changed hands throughout the first quarter with Thunderbirds defensive pressure forcing Vixen’s errors initially, before Australian Diamond Kiera Austin sunk a Super Shot for Vixen’s, meaning nothing could separate the two teams after 15-minutes.
However, Thunderbirds then came back out even stronger in the second quarter with their Jamaican Sunshine Girl, Latanya Wilson, making a significant impact as she began to rack up her four gains, two interceptions and one turnover, which her international and domestic teammate Shamera Sterling-Humphrey only added to as she made three interceptions, nine gains and a turnover.
Sterling-Humphrey was eventually awarded MVP for her performance as her team went on to win the remaining three quarters and take the game 73-58.
You can catch up on all these games on NetballPass now.
To view all the results, the current table, and read our International Player Watch preview, visit our SSN page here.