Wooden spooners’ shock thumping as Giants captain fumes: Super Netball wrap

The 2022 Suncorp Super Netball wooden spooners, started the year with a bang, dominating a depleted Giants Netball team.

Meanwhile the Firebirds host the Thunderbirds

Game 1: Sunshine Coast Lightning 65 — Giants Netball 50

Sunshine Coast Lightning, the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball wooden spooners, started the year with a bang, dominating a depleted Giants Netball team by 15 goals, who were unable to secure a win for head coach Julie Fitzgerald as she enters her 25th season as an elite coach.

Conversely, it was a dream start for new head coach Belinda Reynolds, despite the recent devastation of losing fresh Diamond debutante Tara Hinchliffe to her second ACL injury in three years.

Helped by the fact that Giants were missing Jo Harten and Maddie Hay from their usual starting line-up, Lightning pounced on the opportunity to get a fast start to their season, as they attempt to improve on their forgettable eighth-placed finish last year.

Lightning goal defence Karla Pretorius had nothing but praise for the new coaching duo, saying post-match: “Belinda and Jen gave us clear instructions, we know exactly what the game plan is and what our roles are in the team, it’s just a matter of executing it. They instil confidence in all of us, and it really brings out the best in the group.”

Stepping up as captain in Harten’s absence, Jamie-Lee Price was visibly and audibly frustrated for much of the match. From pleading with her players at time outs, to letting her trademark physicality get out of control at times, she attempted to claw back a lead spiralling further out of reach.

This physicality was not exclusive to Price. Across the court, Giants had a massive 64 penalties, compared to Lightning who were the cleanest of the season so far with just 34.

Defensive statistics were dominated by Lightning goalkeeper and MVP Kadie-Ann Dehaney with four intercepts, nine deflections and three rebounds. Her attackers rewarded the efforts, converting 77 per cent of the defensive ball she won them. This went a long way in seeing them steamroll the Giants, who only converted 60 per cent of defensive wins.

Reynolds was quick to praise her team’s efforts post-match, saying a season goal is “to continue the strong one-on-one defence, while also staying clean”.

“I think that’s where we got the upper hand on the Giants today, our penalty count was low so we were in the contest,” she said.

After a slump in their 2022 domestic form, Cara Koenen and Steph Wood continued their scintillating performances from the international season to tear apart the Giants defenders. In contrast, the NSW-based team were forced to attack the super shot every quarter.

Desperately trying to give the scoreline some dignity, unfortunately the radar was patchy for Matisse Letherbarrow and Sophie Dwyer, who were unable to bring Giants back into the game.

Julie’s jubilee

Julie Fitzgerald has – almost – achieved it all in her 25 seasons as a national league coach. A five-time premiership coach with the NSW Swifts and a stint across the ditch guiding Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic to three consecutive finals appearances. But after seven years with Giants, she will be hoping 2023 is the year they steal their maiden premiership, after falling short in two previous grand finals.

Glorious Pretorius returns

Karla Pretorius made her Suncorp Super Netball return for Sunshine Coast Lightning, following the birth of her daughter last year. Not missing a beat, she wreaked havoc through the Giants attack end seemingly appearing out of thin air to win back ball she had no right to be anywhere near.

Giants missing their Harten soul

Injured captain Jo Harten missed her first match for the Giants since the club’s inception seven years ago. Despite her heroics during pre-season, rookie Matisse Letherbarrow was unable to replicate this tantalising form when it really mattered.

Game 2: Adelaide Thunderbirds 59 — Queensland Firebirds 44

Tjhe loss of gun goal attack Greta Bueta and a last-­minute assistant coach swap destroyed the Queensland Firebirds’ chances of a grudge-match win over Adelaide at Nissan Arena in Brisbane on Sunday.

While the Firebirds claimed the first half 28-27, it was the visitors who won the match 59-44.

The Thunderbirds were led by goal shooter Eleanor Cardwell (31 of 38 at 81.6 per cent) and goal attack Tippah Dwan (17 of 22 at 77.3).

It was a disappointing result for the Firebirds, who were aiming for a debut victory for new coach Bec Bulley, after losing their last match to Adelaide 68-55 at SA Stadium in May.

Bueta, who is on maternity leave, was replaced by Mia Stower who shot just five from 11 at 45.5 per cent.

Queensland shooter Donnell Wallam dominated her team’s scoring with a scorching 35 goals from 42 shots (83.3 per cent) in a battle with Jamaican import goalkeeper Shamera Stirling.

In only her second season, Wallam often out-muscled Stirling to grab the highest individual score of the day, but it wasn’t enough to beat the combined efforts of Cardwell and Dwan.

The game was played less than a week after the Firebirds parted ways with new assistant coach, former English international Sara Francis-Bayman.

Netball Queensland CEO Kate Davies admitted the timing was less than ideal. Francis-Bayman was replaced by former Firebirds captain Lauren Brown (formerly Nourse) who represented the team from 2004-12.

Sunday’s game marked a Suncorp Super Netball debut for goalkeeper Remi Kamo, while also marking Bulley’s first time at the helm of not only the Queensland Firebirds, but also a SSN team.

Bulley called a smart time-out in the first quarter after the Thunderbirds jumped to a 10-7 lead.

It worked, sparking a shift in momentum that kept the Firebirds in front at the end the quarter with a 17-15 advantage.

The Thunderbirds ground out a 40-37 lead by three-quarter time and their intercept dominance made the difference. The visitors grabbed 10 to the Firebirds’ six.