The Suncorp Super Netball League (SSN) reached its halfway point this weekend, and it did not disappoint as it dealt some shock results live on NetballPass, setting up an exciting second half of the season.
The biggest upset came as Melbourne Vixens ruined the Fever party, serving them their first defeat of the season.
It was the second quarter that proved the difference in this game with Vixens’ putting up 23 goals, compared to Fevers 14 in this 15-minute period giving them a six-goal half-time lead which Fever were never able to recover from.
The Vixens’ attacking line up, made up of Australian Diamonds; Kate Moloney, Hannah Mundy, Kiera Austin, and Sophie Garbin were formidable, with all four players receiving over 90 Nissan Net Points for their performances.
A key standout player was Moloney at centre as she put in 42 feeds, 16 goal assists and made two interceptions along the way too.
This result now means both Vixens and Fever have lost once this season and sit on 24 points each. with Fever top of the table by goal percentage.
This was not the only shock defeat in round 7 though, with Adelaide Thunderbirds also easing past NSW Swifts.
In the highly anticipated game between last year’s Grand Finalists, fans were not treated to the fiercely competitive match they were expecting, with instead Swifts seeming to allow Thunderbirds to swoop straight past them in a dominant performance that saw them win all four quarters.
In the final quarter Swifts scored just 5 goals, compared to Thunderbirds 17, with England Rose Housby only managing to score two out of six of her Super Shots, after being so clinical in this area all season and topping the Super Shots charts.
For Thunderbirds, it was a whole team performance that led them to their 58-33 win as they dominated in all three thirds, but one player in particular that stood out was Jamaican Sunshine Girl Latanya Wilson at wing defence.
On her 50th SSN appearance, Wilson did her bit getting up to receive three centre passes, as well as making four interceptions and eight gains keeping Australian Diamond and Swifts wing attack, Paige Hadley out of the game.
Elsewhere in the SSN, Giants recorded their second victory of the season as they beat Melbourne Mavericks 59-66, and Lightning jumped up to fourth as they were able to capitalise on Swifts heavy defeat and overtake them on goal percentage, thanks to their 76-65 victory over Firebirds.
Australian Diamond captain Liz Watson was key to Lightning’s win, with her performance making sure she still tops all the midcourt statistics charts.
Whilst for Giants, all eyes were on Maddie Hay, who returned to competition after a year out due to injury and made an immediate impact at wing attack.
The international Netball Family can catch up on all the matches from this weekend on NetballPass now.
With all still to play for in the second half of the season, which gets underway next weekend, the following matches will be on NetballPass in Round 8:
- Vixens vs Giants
- Lightning vs Fever
- Firebirds vs Thunderbirds
- Mavericks vs Swifts
To view all the results, the current table, and read our International Player Watch preview, visit our SSN page here.