It was an exciting weekend in Round 13 of Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball League (SSN) with two high scoring games with identical 72-73 score lines.
There was lots to celebrate in the penultimate round as it was the second First Nations Round and teams in the top 4 began to secure their finals spots.
Let’s take a look at which international players impressed…
Firebirds 72 – 73 Giants
First up was the first of those marginal win, with England Rose Jo Harten scoring a final second super shot to secure the 72-73 victory for her Giants side over Firebirds.
The all-important goal not only secured the win for Giants, but also their place in the finals.
Whilst for Firebirds, who now sit 4th, there is still work to do as they must beat Swifts in the final round to keep their finals hopes alive.
Despite being on the losing side Firebird and Australia Diamond, Donnell Wallam, also put on a show shooting at 88.5%, missing only two shots all game.
Thunderbirds 47 – 51 Vixens
Thunderbirds came close to causing an upset against table topper Vixens, as they lead 42-38 with 15-minutes on the clock.
However, in the final 15 Vixen’s responded with a flurry of goals winning the 4th quarter 5-13, and the match 47-51.
Thunderbird’s defender, Jamaican Sunshine Girl, and World Netball Ambassador Shamera Sterling put her body on the line for her team making eight gains and four interceptions, but it just wasn’t to be for her side on the day.
The result means that Vixen’s have now secured the minor premiership, whilst Thunderbirds now must beat West Coast Fever and rely on other results to get into the finals.
Swifts 72 – 73 Fever
Next up, was the second 72-73 score line of the round, this time with Fever taking the win to hamper Swifts finals hopes.
The title defenders Swifts were trailing by 10 just before the penultimate break and managed to pull it back to be within one goal with seconds to go, but failed to capitalise on their chances to win the match.
Two international player that stood out for Fever were Jamaican Sunshine Girl shooter, Jhaniele Fowler, who scored 64 of her 66 shots, and Australian Diamond Courtney Bruce who made seven deflections in the second quarter alone.
The victory now means that Fever can’t be moved out of second place, whilst Swifts need to beat Firebirds and rely on other results to go their way in order to reach the finals.
Lightning 62 – 68 Magpies
Magpies moved back up into the top 4 with their 62-68 victory over Lightning at the USC Stadium on Sunday.
International stars that made an impact for the winning side were Jamaican goal defence Jodi-Ann Ward, who made eight gains and five intercepts, and Australian Diamond shooter Steph Wood who scored six super shots.
However, the hard work is far from over for Magpies as they still need to beat table toppers Vixens or have other results go in their favour in the final round in order to secure their first finals spot since 2019.
Coming up…
The final round of the SSN will take place between the 11th – 13th June, this will then be followed by the Semi-Finals, Preliminary Final and Grand Final.
To view the remaining fixtures, click here.
You can view the league table here.
International fans can watch every game of the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball Season live and on-demand as part of NetballAustralia.TV, the official international subscription service for fans outside of Australia and New Zealand.
To find out more about elite domestic netball leagues in other World Netball Regions, click here.
