Round 9 of the Netball Super League season delivered another pivotal weekend in the race for the four final spots, with Loughborough Lightning officially securing their place in the post-season, after a dominant win over LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, for the ninth consecutive season. London Pulse and Manchester Thunder both maintained their strong form, and Nottingham Forest strengthened their position inside the top four with another important victory.
Round Nine Results:
NIC Leeds Rhinos 63-68 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest secured a hard-fought five-goal victory over NIC Leeds Rhinos to continue their push towards the top four places. Forest showed composure during key moments late in the game, with their attacking unit once again proving clinical under pressure, upholding a 89% shooting accuracy. South Africa SPAR Protea Rolene Streutker continued her impressive form in the shooting circle, with 34 goals, while Forest’s defensive end created crucial turnover opportunities during momentum swings throughout the match. England Rose defender, Jayda Pechová, ended the game with 9 gains (out of Forest’s 17), contributing 6 interceptions out of 9, 3 rebounds and 3 deflections. For Rhinos, the fourth quarter was their strongest, as Harriet Jones continued to show promise, with 7 Amex Super Shots, but the inability to consistently convert gains into goals prevented them from closing the gap late in the contest.
London Mavericks 47-60 AO Manchester Thunder
Netball returned to Brighton, as Manchester Thunder produced a composed performance to defeat London Mavericks by 13 goals. After a closely contested opening period, with Mavericks leading by 8 at half-time, the Thunder’s defensive intensity and midcourt experience allowed them to take control of the game. Thunder led most of the game stats, with 93% shooting accuracy, 14 deflections and 9 rebounds, while Mavericks led in pickups and gains. South Africa SPAR Protea Nicola Smith dominated in defence with 5 rebounds and 5 gains, while England Roses Lois Pearson and Eleanor Cardwell linked up seamlessly in the circle, each scoring 10 and 27 goals.
Birmingham Panthers 35-61 London Pulse
London Pulse maintained their strong run of form and recorded their sixth consecutive win, with a dominant 26-goal win over Birmingham Panthers. Sam Bird’s side applied relentless defensive pressure from the opening quarter, with 23 deflections, 25 gains and 12 intercepts, forcing turnovers and converting quickly through court. Their attacking and midcourt connections provided strong ball movement into the shooting circle, as Gracie Smith (who was awarded the Experience Kissimmee Player of the Match) made 30 feeds into the circle with England Roses shooter Liv Tchine continuing her strong return from injury, with 19 goals to her name. Pulse’s defensive end proved equally influential, limiting Panthers’ opportunities and preventing the hosts from building momentum.
LexisNexis Dragons 62-82 Loughborough Lightning
Loughborough Lightning became the first team to officially secure a Finals place after a dominant 20-goal victory over LexisNexis Dragons, extending their unbeaten season in the process. Lightning’s attacking unit once again looked dominant, finishing with 93% shooting accuracy in the attacking end. Samantha Wallace-Joseph led the way, scoring 13 Amex Super Shots, which extended her run of impressive form and placed her at the top of the goals scored statistics, with 306 one-point shots and 83 Amex Super Shots. Their pace through transition and ability to capitalise on turnovers proved too strong for Dragons across all four quarters. Jo Noel made her first appearance since coming out of retirement as an injury replacement for Alice Harvey, collecting 2 gains (out of Lightning’s 5) and an interception (1 of Lightning’s 3). She was kept busy as Dragons shooter Georgia Rowe slotted 41 goals against one of the league’s toughest defensive units.
What’s Next:
Round 10 Fixtures:
Saturday 2nd May
- LexisNexis Dragons vs Nottingham Forest (18:00 House of Sport)
- NIC Leeds Rhinos vs London Mavericks (19:30 Canon Medical Arena)
Sunday 3rd May
- London Pulse vs Loughborough Lightning (18:00 Copper Box Arena)
Monday 4th May
- AO Manchester Thunder vs Birmingham Panthers (18:00 Belle Vue Arena)
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