Super Netball, round 12: Thunderbirds slay Vixens to boost three-peat hopes
Defending champions Adelaide Thunderbirds snapped Melbourne Vixens' five-game winning streak to breathe life into their finals quest and keep their three-peat dream alive.
Bouncing back from last round's loss to the West Coast Fever, the Thunderbirds put the brakes on the Vixens' late-season charge to score a 56-53 Win at John Cain Arena.
There was a scare for the Thunderbirds late in the game when star defender Latanya Wilson hobbled off the court with just 30 seconds left the match, but coach Tania Obst later revealed she had suffered cramps.
Spearheaded by defensive menace Wilson, attacking young gun Georgie Horjus and shooting powerhouse Romelda Aiken-George, the win propelled the Thunderbirds back into the top four at the expense of the Lightning, who now sit outside on percentage.
Melbourne remains in third position on the Super Netball ladder with two rounds to play.
Last year's Super Netball grand final combatants, the Thunderbirds have now defeated the Vixens twice this season after their round one win in Adelaide.
The Vixens had not been defeated since their round six loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning - the day Simone McKinnis announced she would be stepping down as head coach at the end of the year.
Aiken-George top-scored for the Thunderbirds with 41 goals from 47 attempts, while Horjus (7/7, including two super shots) also provided plenty of drive after shifting from wing to goal attack in the second quarter.
Captain Kate Moloney led the charge in the midcourt for the Vixens, while Sophie Garbin top-scored for the home team with 38 goals from 41 attempts.
The Thunderbirds got off to a flying start with Aiken establishing her presence under the post and Wilson causing trouble at the other end to open an eight-goal first-quarter lead.
The Vixens struck back to win the second and third quarters as Obst shuffled her line-up across the court to find an answer to Melbourne's charge.
With less than a minute on the clock, the Vixens fluffed several two-point chances in a desperate late bid to get over the line as the Thunderbirds held on.
The Vixens face the Queensland Firebirds at home next Sunday for the penultimate round of the season, while the Thunderbirds host the Melbourne Mavericks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Matildas concede injury-time equaliser as Slovenia snare 1-1 draw despite improved Australia performance
The Matildas have been stunned by a last-gasp equaliser as Slovenia secured a dramatic 1-1 draw at HBF Park to deny Australia a series sweep. Michelle Heyman's 50th minute goal looked to have proved decisive as Australia offered up an improved showing in Joe Montemurro's second game in charge. But their good work was undone as Slovenia levelled in the 91st minute after Naja Poje Mihelic's shot hit the post and Mirjam Kastelec slammed home the rebound. And yet, despite the result, Montemurro would have been pleased with the Matildas performance as the 13,115 fans inside the ground witnessed an improved showing, with many of the mistakes which punctuated Thursday night's error-strewn win eradicated. Australia found solutions with the ball to counter Slovenia's press and progress the ball up the park, with Amy Sayer and Kyra Cooney-Cross important in the middle of the park, while Clare Hunt made several crucial interventions inside the 18-yard box to sniff out danger. Montemurro rung the changes pre-game, with five fresh faces inserted into the starting line-up and a new midfield tandem of Cooney-Cross and Alanna Kennedy, playing behind the retained Sayer. Where Slovenia had pressed the Matildas into frequent mistakes in their first meeting, there was more calmness on the ball in the middle of the park. After starting in midfield in the previous encounter, Winonah Heatley looked more comfortable at centre-back and made a crucial intervention just three minutes in, preventing an easy shot while almost prone on the floor. Kennedy broke up play well and helped recycle possession, while Cooney-Cross' ability to slither out of trouble helped break the press – however, it was Sayer who impressed the most. Constantly on the move and forever roaming into space, the 23 year-old's sharp instincts were at the heart of the Matildas' best moments in the first half. In the 14th minute, she glided into space, turned forward and set free the similarly-impressive Ellie Carpenter down the right, who saw her dangerous crosses turned behind before Kennedy nodded a free header over from the resultant corner. Eight minutes later, Kennedy found Heyman's feet and her flick rolled into the path of Sayer, only for Sara Gradisek's last-ditch challenge to foil Kaitlyn Torpey's finish. Heyman then shot narrowly off target from outside box after great Cooney-Cross turn in midfield, but Slovenia were able to take the wind out of the Matildas' sails for the remainder of the half. It took five minutes for the breakthrough to come, and once again Carpenter was involved as Australia won possession high up, Remy Siemsen slipped in the captain and Heyman was left with a simple finish. Arnold then faced a stern test in goal shortly after as Mateja Zver raced onto a long ball, but the Slovenian shot straight at the custodian. Only the desperation of Sara Agrez denied Siemsen from doubling the Matildas' lead in the 57th minute after a great link-up between Heyman and Charli Grant. Australia continued to work their way forward as more chances fell to Sayer and substitute Holly McNamara and as the game entered the final 10 minutes, it felt as if the Matildas had a firm grip on proceedings. But Slovenia refused to die wondering and had chances, with Korina Lara Janez heading over before Courtney Nevin had her pocket picked and Arnold was forced to come to the rescue. And as the match entered injury time, Poje Mihelic's rolled shot evaded Arnold, bounced off the post and Kastelec pounced to trigger pandemonium among the Slovenians on the touchline.
7NEWS
2 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Matildas concede injury-time equaliser as Slovenia snare 1-1 draw despite improved Australia performance
The Matildas have been stunned by a last-gasp equaliser as Slovenia secured a dramatic 1-1 draw at HBF Park to deny Australia a series sweep. Michelle Heyman's 50th minute goal looked to have proved decisive as Australia offered up an improved showing in Joe Montemurro's second game in charge. But their good work was undone as Slovenia levelled in the 91st minute after Naja Poje Mihelic's shot hit the post and Mirjam Kastelec slammed home the rebound. And yet, despite the result, Montemurro would have been pleased with the Matildas performance as the 13,115 fans inside the ground witnessed an improved showing, with many of the mistakes which punctuated Thursday night's error-strewn win eradicated. Australia found solutions with the ball to counter Slovenia's press and progress the ball up the park, with Amy Sayer and Kyra Cooney-Cross important in the middle of the park, while Clare Hunt made several crucial interventions inside the 18-yard box to sniff out danger. Montemurro rung the changes pre-game, with five fresh faces inserted into the starting line-up and a new midfield tandem of Cooney-Cross and Alanna Kennedy, playing behind the retained Sayer. Where Slovenia had pressed the Matildas into frequent mistakes in their first meeting, there was more calmness on the ball in the middle of the park. After starting in midfield in the previous encounter, Winonah Heatley looked more comfortable at centre-back and made a crucial intervention just three minutes in, preventing an easy shot while almost prone on the floor. Kennedy broke up play well and helped recycle possession, while Cooney-Cross' ability to slither out of trouble helped break the press – however, it was Sayer who impressed the most. Constantly on the move and forever roaming into space, the 23 year-old's sharp instincts were at the heart of the Matildas' best moments in the first half. In the 14th minute, she glided into space, turned forward and set free the similarly-impressive Ellie Carpenter down the right, who saw her dangerous crosses turned behind before Kennedy nodded a free header over from the resultant corner. Eight minutes later, Kennedy found Heyman's feet and her flick rolled into the path of Sayer, only for Sara Gradisek's last-ditch challenge to foil Kaitlyn Torpey's finish. Heyman then shot narrowly off target from outside box after great Cooney-Cross turn in midfield, but Slovenia were able to take the wind out of the Matildas' sails for the remainder of the half. It took five minutes for the breakthrough to come, and once again Carpenter was involved as Australia won possession high up, Remy Siemsen slipped in the captain and Heyman was left with a simple finish. Arnold then faced a stern test in goal shortly after as Mateja Zver raced onto a long ball, but the Slovenian shot straight at the custodian. Only the desperation of Sara Agrez denied Siemsen from doubling the Matildas' lead in the 57th minute after a great link-up between Heyman and Charli Grant. Australia continued to work their way forward as more chances fell to Sayer and substitute Holly McNamara and as the game entered the final 10 minutes, it felt as if the Matildas had a firm grip on proceedings. But Slovenia refused to die wondering and had chances, with Korina Lara Janez heading over before Courtney Nevin had her pocket picked and Arnold was forced to come to the rescue. And as the match entered injury time, Poje Mihelic's rolled shot evaded Arnold, bounced off the post and Kastelec pounced to trigger pandemonium among the Slovenians on the touchline.
Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Gold Coast Titans go from bad to worse as Scott Drinkwater fires Cowboys
The Titans have endured a coastal capitulation at the hands of a Scott Drinkwater-inspired Cowboys to heap more misery on a Gold Coast team languishing at the bottom of the ladder. Gold Coast unraveled in front of 13,882 spectators in wet conditions at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday to go down 30-24 and lose even more ground on the top eight that now sits three wins outside its reach. The win alleviates some of the pressure on Cowboys coach Todd Payten and while North Queensland remain 12th on the ladder, the club is only one point from eighth-placed Dolphins. The Cowboys shot out to an early 12-0 lead in the first half before a knock-on from Reece Robson opened the door for the Titans to score as North Queensland struggled to retain possession. Todd Payten's side came out firing in the second to regain control but instead of putting the game away they let the Titans get within six points before sneaking away with the win. DRINKWATER THE DIFFERENCE Scott Drinkwater was the difference between the two sides. The fullback scored twice, had his hand in another with a delicate kick and made two line breaks in a huge display. On an afternoon where skills were at a premium and execution was a rarity, Drinkwater was a calm head under pressure and composed with ball in hand. He took the high balls without fault and his ability to pop up at the right moment proved to be game-deciding. SCRUM SCRAMBLE The NRL needs to step in to stop teams conceding penalties from scrums in order to set its defensive line. It is an absolute blight on the game and every team is at fault. Sides are intentionally getting penalised when just outside their own tryline in order to increase its numbers on the line and increase their recovery time. Sin bins should be brought in to send a message to sides attempting to rort the system. WEAVER GROWING INTO HIS ROLE Tom Weaver has shown enormous improvement and should be knocking on the door for a regular starting role in the near future. The Titans playmaker has put on size and showed maturity with his decision making, provided a strong kicking game and was a threat when running the ball. Kieran Foran didn't actually take many kicks for the entire game, handing over the kicking duties to Weaver on the fifth tackle. Jayden Campbell will be available when the Titans return after the bye to play the Broncos but Weaver has shown he is a genuine star of the future at NRL level.
