Cover Image:
Writers: Andrew Kennedy, Jenny Sinclair, Ian Harkin, Georgia Doyle, Katrina Nissen
Photographers: Marcela Massey, May Bailey, Shaun Sharp, Simon Leonard
RESULTS
NSW Swifts 70 def Sunshine Coast Lightning 62
West Coast Fever 75 def GIANTS Netball 66
Melbourne Vixens 70 def Queensland Firebirds 52
Tarntanya Karntu (Thunderbirds) 66 def Melbourne Mavericks 59
MILESTONES
Steph Fretwell (Lightning) – 150 National League games
Sophie Garbin (Vixens) – 100 National League games
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (Fever) – 9,000 National League goals
Aimee Landrigan (Giants) – SSN Debut
Steph Fretwell celebrated her 150th national league match in front of a home crowd. Image: Marcela Massey
INJURIES
Jodi-Ann Ward (Giants) – left the court with a left knee niggle which appeared to be exacerbated when she rejoined the game briefly in the final quarter against Fever.
Imogen Allison (Firebirds) was ruled out after suffering concussion during midweek training.
LET’S TALK ABOUT:
News of the Week
Round 7 marked the first installment of First Nations Round, held to coincide with National Reconciliation Week while the second installment will take place in Round 13 alongside NAIDOC Week. Artwork created by Koorrin Alinta Edwards-Wanganeen, a proud Gunai, Gunditjmara, Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta and Bunurong woman entitled Join in the Journey was displayed in various places throughout the round, including the custom match balls, umpire uniforms and centre circle design.
As part of First Nations Round, Adelaide Thunderbirds went by the name Tarntanya Karntu. Tarntanya translates to red kangaroo place, being Adelaide, and Karntu translates to large bird of thunder. Each team also wore their custom First Nations dresses, and exchanged cultural gifts prior to the game. For more information about the artwork on each team’s dress, check out their socials.
Congratulations to Maddy Proud and her partner Daniel Hughes, who welcomed their first child, Lily May Hughes on Friday, May 23.
The Aurora Series
The Series the England Thorns and Australian Kelpies kicked off in London last night. It marks the first time that the Kelpies have travelled to the Northern Hemisphere for a series, as well as the first time that men’s netball has been played alongside the Netball Super League in the UK, with the first match acting as a curtain raiser for the London Pulse v Birmingham Panthers game. The Kelpies won the first match, with two more games to be played next weekend.
Fixture
Monday 26th May 12.30am AEST – Australian Kelpies 63 def England Thorns 34
Saturday 31st May 10.45pm AEST
Monday 2nd June 12.30am AEST
All matches can be streamed live, free and exclusive on NetballPass. We have exclusive interviews with Kelpie Joe Miller and Thorns Tommy Wiseman and Jimmy Thomson-Boston previewing the series, available now on YouTube and Spotify.
Super Netball Reserves
The Super Netball Reserves continued this week. After four weeks of play, we now have five equal leaders, all on 12 points! Tickets are free for matches happening not consecutively with SSN matches. You can find more information here and see the full home and away fixture here. Be sure to head to social media to check out the full team lists.
Results:
Queensland Firebirds Futures 59 def Swifts Academy 58
NSW Swifts Academy 68 def Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts 52
Queensland Firebirds Futures 63 def Vixens Academy 54
Melbourne Mavericks Reserves 55 def Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures 41
Stay in the conversation with the Netball Scoop Forum.
Catch up with The Sporting Scoop podcast on Spotify and Youtube – this week we spoke to Liam Forcadilla. We also released a bonus episode previewing the Aurora Series between the England Thorns & Australian Kelpies, with guests from both teams.
STAT OF THE WEEK
In their game against Swifts, Lightning stunned with a barrage of super shots in the last quarter. The match was basically gone at this point, but Lightning’s impressive shooting narrowed the gap from 18 goals to eight. They shot 6/6 in the quarter. That is their best ever quarter in terms of super shots.
Three of Lightning’s six last quarter super shots came from Cara Koenen. Under pressure earlier in the season for an apparent inability or unwillingness to shoot from distance, she now has six 2-pointers from nine attempts this year at a good strike rate of 67%. This is the most super shots she’s scored in a single season so far and we’re only at round seven.
On Sunday, in a similar match situation with the team trailing badly, Mavericks shot 5/5 in the last quarter of their game and that is also their best in a quarter. In fact, they did not have a miss all game from the 2-point zone, nailing 10/10. That is a record.
But one team has gone even better when it comes to scoring super shots in a quarter. In round 10 last year against Fever, Swifts managed to score eight super shots (8/11) in the final quarter. Again, this was a game that was all but over, however Swifts managed to reduce the deficit from 20 goals to just seven.
There’s a pattern developing here of teams scoring numerous super shots when in losing situations. This is a list of each team’s greatest number of super shots in a quarter. Not one of these 12 performances came in a victory, and all but two of these were in the fourth quarter of the match!
Helen Housby sunk 4/7 super shots. Image: Marcela Massey
Most super shots in a quarter for each team
Swifts – 8/11 (v Fever 2024)
Lightning – 6/6 (v Swifts 2025)
Giants – 6/7 (v Vixens 2022) & 6/8 (v Fever 2022)
Thunderbirds – 6/7 (v Lightning 2023)
Vixens – 6/7 (v Swifts 2021) & 6/7 (v Fever 2022)
Fever – 6/8 (v Vixens 2024)
Mavericks – 5/5 (v Thunderbirds 2025) & 5/6 (v Fever 2024)
Firebirds – 5/7 (v Fever 2023) & 5/9 (v Giants 2021)
At the halfway mark of the 2025 regular season, these are the top ten super shot shooters in terms of volume.
2025 Most super shots
Matisse Letherbarrow – 34/53 (64%)
Helen Housby – 26/42 (62%)
Lauren Frew – 24/40 (60%)
Kiera Austin – 23/39 (59%)
Steph Fretwell – 22/42 (52%)
Uneeq Palavi – 18/25 (72%)
Emily Moore – 16/34 (47%)
Lily Graham – 14/22 (64%)
Sasha Glasgow – 14/34 (41%)
Reilley Batcheldor – 13/27 (48%)
MATCH WRAPS:
Lightning v Swifts
The Swifts have made it a perfect start to the season, remaining undefeated at the midpoint of the competition. While Grace Nweke took out the Player of the Match with 50/56, the contributions made by her experienced teammates Helen Housby (16/20, 26 feeds), Paige Hadley (27 feeds, 1 intercept) and Sharni Lambden (3 gains) were also invaluable. Maddy Turner played an enormous tagging role on Steph Fretwell, with the tiring milestoner’s accuracy dropping to just 72%.
Swifts took out the first three quarters as they forced Lightning into numerous mistakes, with Liz Watson, Leesa Mi Mi and Fretwell giving away 12 general play turnovers between them. After a terrific performance in round six, Reilley Batcheldor was given the start at goal shooter, but looked somewhat intimidated by the experience of Australian Diamond Sarah Klau.
Try as they might, Lightning had no real answer to Swifts’ attack end in this game. Ash Ervin started up against Nweke, but was soon replaced. However, Courtney Bruce could do no better. In the end, Ervin returned and she and Watson picked off three gains apiece in the match, Tara Hinchliffe and Mahalia Cassidy two.
Swifts steamrolled their way to a colossal 18 point lead, until a welter of supershots, including three by Cara Koenen, dragged the margin back to just eight by the time the match ended. But the result wasn’t in doubt and Swifts remain two games clear on top of the ladder.
Grace Whyte continues to impress. Image: Marcela Massey
Cara Koenen takes the front cut. Image: Marcela Massey
Giants v Fever
Fever continued their strong form with their fifth straight win, overcoming a tough challenge from a spirited Giants. After a poor start, the inclusion of Giants’ substitute Matisse Leatherbarrow revitalised the timing and balance of their attack line, helping them draw level several times in the third quarter.
The youngster came on at the eight-minute mark of the first quarter, with her side struggling down 4-12, and did more than just execute the basics well – at times she thoroughly bamboozled the veteran Fever defence, using all the tricks in the book. In the end, the persistence and maturity of Fever’s back line wore the young Giants shooters down, with tenacity and leadership shown by Sunday Aryang in snaring three late gains to quell the Giants’ comeback.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was almost unstoppable, passing the 9,000 SSN goals mark in the first quarter, and shooting 63/66 while calmly enjoying the battle with the Sydney defenders, once again earning Player of the Match. Alice Teague-Neeld had a top performance, with textbook timing, brilliant balance and vision, and dozens of entertaining and accurate feeds. Dan Ryan is fully utilising his entire 10-player squad, highlighted by the sharing of court time of Jordan and Zoe Cransberg.
The youthful Giants delivered a fair performance, with continued improvements in ball speed and decisiveness, coupled with strong belief and connection. Co-captain Jamie-Lee Price was monumental in the first half where she incurred no turnovers, and her feed placement to Leatherbarrow in the backspace was top notch. The sparkling connection between the pair forced tactical and positional adjustments for Fever. While the Giants needed to work on slowing down the Fever transition to attack, Erin O’Brien was consistent at the back all match, and Aimee Landrigan made her debut, chalking up 13 minutes and one intercept.
Sunday Aryang continues a rich run of form. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix Photography
Jodi-Ann Ward was a crucial loss for the Giants following her knee injury. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix
Erin O’Brien pulls off an intercept in front of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix
Maddie Hay sprints to pull the ball in. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix
Firebirds v Vixens
A frantic game by both sides saw numerous attacking turnovers by both sides. It seemed that no sooner did a side get a run on, than they found new ways to give the ball back to the opposition.
One of the biggest differences between the two sides was their flow in attack. The Vixens looked smooth with multiple leads to the ball, while the Firebirds were far more laboured. With just one option presenting, and a reluctance to look directly into the circle, the Firebirds have some work to do. Mary Cholhok stands at 201cm, but finished with just 26/30 – an insufficient volume from such a tall shooter. While she needs greater strength under the post, the fault also lies with her feeders – Kate Eddy might not have featured heavily on the stats sheet, but she and Jo Weston did a superb job of limiting Lara Dunkley and Emily Moore as attacking options.
Ruby Bakewell-Doran battled mightily for her side with 7 gains, although an unfortunate 4 turnovers, but Kiera Austin had the better of the battle finishing with 21/23 and a game high 21 centre pass receives. Hannah Mundy had a strong game, punching through defensive lines with speed and precision as she finished with 34 feeds for just one turnover. Scoring from 81% of their centre pass receives, compared to the Firebirds substandard 61%, sealed the win.
Mary Cholhok grows in confidence with each outing. Image: Simon Leonard
Ruby Bakewell-Doran tries to keep the ball in play. Image: Simon Leonard
It was a physical contest with many bodies hitting the floor. Image: Simon Leonard
Kiera Austin was no happy with that call. Image: Simon Leonard
Tarntanya Karntu (Thunderbirds) v Mavericks
Karntu were back to their best with a comfortable win over the Mavericks. The Melbourne side was plagued by defensive issues – not only did they release pressure by giving away 69 penalties, but it wasn’t until the end of the second quarter that they picked off their first gain. While the Mavericks eventually came up with 7 gains, their efforts were overshadowed by just one player. Matched against the athleticism of Shimona Jok, somehow Latanya Wilson managed to haul in 11 gains of her own, in a team total of 15.
While there was some messy play by both sides, the Thunderbirds were also well served by a stronger performance by Romelda Aiken-George and the always consistent Lauren Frew. Coach Tania Obst also put plenty of time into her youngsters, with Sophie Casey running out a full game at wing defence, and Kayla Graham half a game at wing attack.
The Mavericks were their own worst enemies, giving away a whopping 24 turnovers and 69 penalties – many of them completely unnecessary. Of those, Amy Parmenter and Kim Brown were the two chief offenders with 16 apiece.
Huge credit should go to Uneeq Palavi, who somehow manages to come onto court cold and shoot the lights out – she finished with 8/9 including 6 supershots. And in one of the plays of the season Parmenter tipped a ball that headed for the sidelines. She ran out of court, back in, gathered the ball and somehow balancing and swivelling on one leg, found a teammate to pass it to.
Latanya Wilson collected a game high 11 gains including 7 intercepts. Image: Shaun Sharp
Sophie Casey played a full 60 minutes at wing defence for Tarntanya Karntu. Image: Shaun Sharp
Amy Parmenter played half the match at centre, adding much more versatility to her game as she bids for another Diamond’s cap. Image: Shaun Sharp
PLAYERS OF THE ROUND
Sharni Lambden (Swifts)
Lambden played a blinder for the Swifts, forcing Lightning to shift Liz Watson off her into centre. She hassled the Australian captain into three early turnovers, while coming up with three gains of her own. She proved invaluable in attack too, as she worked overtime to work the ball down court.
Helen Housby (Swifts)
In what could have been an MVP performance, Housby’s complete game was sublime. She nailed 16/20, including four supershots, and didn’t give away a single turnover. That was despite a busy day at the office, including a team high 22 centre pass receives and 26 feeds. Housby also chimed in with a gain, while her shit-stirring grin when she forced a perhaps inaccurate offensive contact by the opposition was hilarious.
Matisse Letherbarrow (Giants)
This week Letherbarrow shot her season-best stats of 44/52 at 85%, including 8/12 supershots. With confident ease she started off by freeing herself for supershots, and continued to shake things up with uncanny hangs in the air in the back space and dominant baseline drives. Leatherbarrow showed great ability to meet the ball at the perfect point in its trajectory, the decisive and athletic movement giving perfect balance to the Giants’ shooting circle.
Matisse Letherbarrow had one of her best games for the season. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix
Sunday Aryang (Fever)
Aryang continues with a hot streak of form, as she limited Sophie Dwyer’s impact to just 10/13 (77%) and 13 centre pass receives, and forced her into a game-high 5 turnovers. Aryang also came off her player to pick off 6 gains, all while giving up just 4 penalties. After Giants levelled the score in the third quarter, her work changed momentum and helped Fever run away with the win.
Hannah Mundy (Vixens)
Mundy did a wealth of attacking work for the Vixens, as she easily punched through the Firebirds attacking lines. The wing attack finished with a game-high 34 feeds, for just one turnover, but was also a menace in defence. She did her best to blanket wing defence Hulita Veve who is key to the Firebirds’ through court transition, and as a plus finished with a gain.
Latanya Wilson (Tarntanya Karntu)
Consistently one of the best players in the league, and brilliant across all three defensive positions – a rare feat – Latanya Wilson was simply sublime against the Mavericks. Facing off against the height and athleticism of Shimona Jok, Wilson nonetheless managed to gather a phenomenal 11 gains. That included 7 intercepts and 8 deflections. Wilson’s anticipation and ability to cover the ground saw her menace any passes within her vicinity.
Hannah Mundy put in 34 feeds in her 60 minutes at wing attack. Image: Simon Leonard
QUOTES CORNER
Jamie-Lee Price (Giants) on their first quarter that allowed Fever to get out to a 7-1 lead
“We looked like stunned mullets”.
Tracey Neville (Mavericks coach)
Our penalties are far too high – you might as well be sat in the stands.
LADDER
Team / Pts / %
Swifts . 28 . 117%
Fever . 20 . 103%
Thunderbirds . 16 . 107%
Lightning . 16 . 107%
–
Vixens. 12 . 97%
Mavericks . 8 . 94%
Firebirds . 8 . 92%
Giants . 4 . 87%
NEXT WEEK
(Round 8)
Sat, May 31
5pm – LIGHTNING v MAVERICKS
7pm – SWIFTS v THUNDERBIRDS
Sun, Jun 1
2pm – GIANTS v VIXENS
4pm – FEVER v FIREBIRDS (2pm local time)
Voice of Lele and Mitch Tambo entertained the crowds at Nissan Arena during breaks and pre & post match. Image: Simon Leonard
First Nations ball. Image: May Bailey | Clusterpix
Welcome to Country. Image: Shaun Sharp/Moments By Shaun
Welcome to Country at the Lightning v Swifts match. Image: Marcela Massey
