Photo credit: Ben Lumley
We were treated to not one, but two nail-biters in the Netball Super League (NSL) this weekend live and on demand on NetballPass*, as Birmingham Panthers secured their first win of the season beating LexisNexis Dragons by one and Loughborough Lightning maintained their unbeaten record, having won by one against Nottingham Forest.
Here is our International Player Watch:
London Pulse vs London Mavericks
We started Round 7 with a London derby, and it was all it promised to be and more, as London Pulse extended their unbeaten run to four games.
Fuelled on by their home crowd Pulse got off to a flying start and did not miss a beat in the opening minutes as they went into the first break 20-8 up.
Mavericks did bounce back against their local rivals later in the fixture, managing to get within four at one stage but it was too little too late as the damage had already been done in quarter one.
England Rose Funmi Fadoju was untouchable in defence for Pulse as she made eight gains, six interceptions, four deflections and three rebounds, with her team going on to win 56-46, whilst Fadoju herself was awarded Player of the Match for her standout individual performance.
Fadoju now sits top of the league’s intercepts and deflections charts.
You can re-watch this match on NetballPass*, here.
LexisNexis Dragons vs Birmingham Panthers
Birmingham Panthers recorded their first win of the season this weekend, and they did it in nail-biting fashion as they won by just one goal against LexisNexis Dragons.
Following a strong first half, bouncing back from their heavy defeat to Pulse last week, Panthers found themselves 23-28 up at half-time.
However, the away side let their lead slip in the final quarter and were down by one with 90 seconds to play.
Sophie Egbaran, who shone for England at the Netball World Youth Cup 2025 (NWYC2025), was key for Panthers in their shooting circle as the young Rose scored 23 goals, including the winning goal in the dying seconds of the game.
At the other end of the court, it was another NWYC2025 star, Scottish Thistle Cerys Finn that impressed as she made six gains and rebounds for Panthers all which proved crucial in such a close clash.
You can watch Panthers 47 – 48 victory on NetballPass*, here.
AO Manchester Thunder vs NIC Leeds Rhinos
AO Manchester Thunder put out a dominant performance against Leeds Rhinos, making it 4/5 for the home side.
It was Thunder’s clinical shooting that proved the difference in this match, with England Roses Eleanor Cardwell and Lois Person and Australia’s Sophie Fawns scoring 11 Super Shots between them.
Cardwell scored 25/29 of her one-point shots, putting her third in the league’s charts for goals this season with 193 to her name so far, as her team went on to win 63-49.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
Nottingham Forest vs Loughborough Lightning
Round 7 brought us not just one nail-biter on NetballPass, but two as Nottingham Forest and Loughborough Lightning were also only separated by one goal at full time.
One international battle that we loved watching in this game was that of Trinidad and Tobago’s Samantha Wallace-Joseph and England Rose Jayda Pechova.
Wallace-Joseph was clinical for Lightning, showing just why they are top of the league, and she is top of the charts for goals scored.
The league’s most inform shooter scored 54 goals in this game alone, including 10 Amex Super Shots, however her opponent Pechova didn’t make life easy for her.
Pechova made seven gains and four rebounds for Forest, working tirelessly in the shooting circle, as her ended up on the wrong side of a 74 – 75 scoreline.
You can catch up on this match on NetballPass*, here.
Head to NetballPass now to catch up on all the action, ahead of Round 8 which starts on Friday 17th April.
To view all the fixtures, results, where to watch information and more visit our Netball Super League page, here.
*Restrictions are in place – *Viewers in the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, France and Poland will not be able to watch via NetballPass. Those in the UK will be able to watch all games across Sky Sports and BBC Sport, with more information here.