Netball's Super Shot - who's scoring, who's not and does it matter?

RNZ News

a day ago

Stars shooter Charlie Bell has shot 10 two-pointers among her 220 goals this season.
Photo:
Blake Armstrong/Photosport
Analysis -
What do the statistics tell us about the two-point shot and its impact on this year's ANZ Premiership, if any?
Netball New Zealand decided to introduce a 'super shot' to the domestic league this year, following in the footsteps of Australia's Super Netball league, which rewards shooters for taking longer shots.
The two-point shot comes into play for the last five minutes of each quarter, so for a third of the game.
Well after seven rounds, the stats suggest that there's no real correlation between super shots and winning games.
Tabletopping Mainland Tactix have sunk the least two-point shots by far this season, with just eight, at a conversion rate of 35 percent.
Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, who are second to bottom on the ladder, have scored the most super shots of any team with 34, at a success rate of 52 percent.
Northern Mystics are second on the table and have converted the fourth-most with 27, but have the best conversion rate of any team at 57 percent.
That's largely down to the shooting prowess of Filda Vui, who has the more two-point goals than anyone in the league with 23, at an impressive 62 percent.
Magic shooter Saviour Tui ranks second with 21 and team-mate Ameliaranne Ekenasio third, with 13 super shots.
Pulse replacement shooter Amorangi Malesala has only played 56 minutes this season, but has the fourth-most super shots with 12.
Overall, 45 percent of attempts at the longer distance have been converted, which seems on par with the Australian league, given that the scoring zone across the Tasman is closer to the goalpost.
Amelia Walmsley is the ANZ Premiership's leading scorer, but has not hit a 'super shot'.
Photo:
Photosport
In last season's Australian SSN competition, 54 percent of the super shots found the net, where shooters are awarded two points for shots starting from three metres away. In the ANZ Premiership, the zone starts 3.5m away from the post.
Northern Stars, who sit at the bottom of the table, have scored the second-most double-point shots with 31, at 41 percent.
They have attempted more than any other team, which is not surprising, given they've trailled in most matches and have tried to make up ground by doubling their points.
Central Pulse shooter Amelia Walmsley has scored the most goals this season with 307, at an incredible 96 percent. None of those goals include super shots.
Second is Aliyah Dunn with 281, including 11 super shots, and Charlie Bell is third with 220, which includes 10 two-pointers.
Tactix coach Donna Wilkins encourages her players to use the super shot sparingly.
Photo:
© Photosport Ltd 2025 www.photosport.nz
Tactix coach Donna Wilkins, who played netball and basketball for New Zealand, has encouraged her shooters to use the super shot sparingly, noting the risk involved.
A miss is often gobbled up by the opposition defence and turned into a goal at the other end of the court.
Of course, its use can depend on who you've got in your team and whether you've got a high-volume shooter, like the Pulse do with Walmsley.
Australian players have had a few years to get used to the rule change, which was introduced to their competition in 2020.
Adelaide Thunderbirds won the premiership last year, but had by far the least two-point attempts in 2024. They won the grand final against the Vixens without putting up a single super shot attempt during the game.
The success of the rule change shouldn't only be judged on whether it has an impact on results. If fans are more engaged by the anticipation and risk-versus-reward element, then that's a win.
One of the most exciting finishes we've seen this season came in the final game of round seven on Monday, when Steel shooter Georgia Heffernan
sunk a super shot in the dying minutes
to help her side pip the Pulse.
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