Reigning premiers Sunshine Coast Lightning booked a grand final place – and took outright flag favouritism – by beating NSW Swifts 58-48 while Collingwood’s improbable title run screeched to a halt, losing to a ruthless Melbourne Vixens 62-49. Here’s what we learned from the first weekend of finals.
There is Langman and then everyone else
So good was Laura Langman in Lightning’s 10-goal win over the Swifts that commentators, media and fans struggled to articulate her virtuosity. When the 33-year-old Kiwi took a screaming intercept off the Swifts’ first centre pass, TV commentator Sue Gaudion simply hooted with delight.
The Australian Associated Press cited a rarely-used statistic, of “touches” in its match report – Langman had a season-high 202, more than three a minute – and Twitter lit up with effusive praise.
Langman has emerged as a true once-in-a-generation player who is seemingly getting better with age and redefining what is possible in her sport through technical brilliance and razor-sharp game smarts.
She led all-comers in almost everything in the final, with 46 feeds, two intercepts, 18 goal assists and two gains in her eye-popping MVP effort which will go down as one of the best individual performances in Super Netball history. It also served as a stark warning for any grand final opponent.
Injuries all-but sink Swifts
Like a tide slowly eroding a beach, wave after wave of injury has disintegrated the Swifts’ 2019 premiership aspirations. With Helen Housby – coming back from a thigh injury – and Sam Wallace – with a heavily strapped knee – struggling at times, the destruction seems almost complete.
Thanks to a double-chance, Briony Akle’s charges remain alive in the finals – they’ll take on the Vixens in Sydney on Sunday for a place in the grand final – but it’s hard to see them making that game, let alone winning it, despite having beaten Melbourne twice this year.
At the worst time for experimentation, the Swifts are trying to incorporate new players such as Katrina Rore and Tayla Fraser as well as manage others battling injury and waning form. They’re worn down physically and, it seems, emotionally.
The Swifts started the season without key midcourter Natalie Haythornthwaite, who injured her hamstring in pre-season, and then suffered season-ending injuries to captain Maddy Proud (ACL) and defender Kate Eddy (ankle) before the league paused for the World Cup. They went into the break top of the ladder, but it has been a different story since.
In the red of England, Housby and Haythornthwaite banked significant minutes in Liverpool, as did Wallace for Trinidad and Tobago and Sarah Klau and Paige Hadley, who represented Australia.
Housby is the only one to have declared a World Cup-related injury, but the Swifts have struggled since reuniting for the last five regular-season games, losing to Sunshine Coast and Collingwood and only just getting over the top of the lowly Firebirds in the last home-and-away round.
And now, in a humbling finals loss, they were made to look slow and second-rate. It will be fascinating to see if they will get washed away next weekend or whether they can hold back the tide and go all the way.
Thwaites won’t be remembered as Mentor’s patsy
To say Collingwood keeper Geva Mentor had the better of Vixens shooter Caitlin Thwaites in the final home-and-away round of this season would flatter Thwaites a great deal. Mentor’s shutdown job was a huge factor in Collingwood’s 11-goal win that secured a finals berth.
But when the clubs faced off in Sunday’s semi-final, Thwaites was not going to be embarrassed again. A chance to retire at the season’s end, she didn’t want to be remembered as Mentor’s patsy and, working seamlessly with Tegan Philip, she shot eight more goals, had two more feeds and a one more rebound compared to last – and only left the court when the game was gone. Mentor was well down, with fewer deflections and a higher penalty count, including a game-high 15 contacts.
Australia’s shooting stocks are OK
Diamonds fans who are panicked about a perceived lack of up-and-coming goaling talent should catch a replay of Cara Koenen’s near-flawless 51 minutes for the Lightning. The 23-year-old shot 30 from 32, at 94% accuracy, beating Swifts and Diamonds defender Sarah Klau in almost every way a shooter can beat a defender. She also had four rebounds – the most of any player on court – as well as a feed and two deflections to her name.
Koenan, who can play a holding role or as part of a more mobile circle, has been so good this season she has pushed Ugandan star Peace Proscovia to the bench. She was ably supported by current Diamond Steph Wood, who shot 22 from 29, but set up countless plays. At 27, Wood is hardly finished internationally. Add 22-year-old Kiera Austin, who showed glimpses of brilliance with the Giants this season, and the shooting stocks are looking tip-top.
