By Sophie Taylor
Three rounds to go and there’s still so much that can happen as the 2026 SSN season winds down.
While the ladder is just about locked in, fatigue is well and truly starting to kick in as pressure builds.
Which means the final few weeks of the home and away season could bring up more questions than it answers.
Here’s how your team’s finals hopes are shaping up heading into the business end of the season.
Adelaide Thunderbirds (40 points, 126.22%)
Current ladder position: 1st
To come:
Melbourne Vixens (Home)
NSW Swifts (Away)
Sunshine Coast Lightning (Away)
The elusive double chance that comes with a top-two finish is getting closer and closer for the Thunderbirds after an impressive weekend away in Sydney.
Importantly, the 33-goal win over the GIANTS gave the Thunderbirds a chance to rest their stars and put important minutes into their young talent.
Something especially valuable with a must-win clash against the Vixens this round.
A win against the Vix is the only box the Tbirds haven’t ticked this season so will be looming front of mind.
With hopefuls Swifts and Lightning to come after this week, the Tbirds need the four points here to lock in their post-season hopes.
Melbourne Vixens (40 points, 113.41%)
Current ladder position: 2nd
To come:
Adelaide Thunderbirds (Away)
Melbourne Mavericks (Home)
West Coast Fever (Home)
Even with injury concerns, the Vixens train keeps chugging along.
But a battle with the Thunderbirds this week could pose a challenge to the Vixens’ calm and composed demeanour.
A win here will pave the way for a double chance in finals and put questions about injuries to bed, but a loss could leave other teams hunting.
With fellow top four sides Fever and Mavericks also coming up in the final month of SSN action, the Vixens will hope for a confident Round 12 battle to maintain pressure on the competition.
West Coast Fever (28 points, 105.63%)
Current ladder position: 3rd
To come:
Mavericks (Home)
GIANTS (Away)
Vixens (Away)
A confidence-boosting win on the road last week is exactly what the doctor ordered for the West Coast Fever.
But with a couple home losses this season at the usually impenetrable RAC Arena it’s more critical than ever to come in hot against the fourth-placed Mavericks this weekend.
While Fever will have an “easy” match the following week against the GIANTS, a win against the Mavs will be crucial in the context of their finals push – especially with a battle against the Vixens in Round 14.
Melbourne Mavericks (24 points, 103.99%)
Current ladder position: 4th
To come:
Fever (Away)
Vixens (Away)
Firebirds (Home)
The Mavericks are so close to their first finals appearance in their short history.
Standing in the way, however, are their final three opponents.
For the Fever battle, it’s the obvious one: win here, lock in finals. Lose, and it’s in the ladder’s hands.
The Vixens matchup will be another critical one for the Mavs, both in terms of form heading into – potential – finals, and their previous extra-time matchup.
Where they can expect a win is in Round 14, but do not rule out the Firebirds from coming in to ruin the party.
Sunshine Coast Lightning (16 points, 95.34%)
Current ladder position: 5th
To come:
GIANTS (Home)
Firebirds (Away)
Thunderbirds (Home)
Unfortunately, with a disappointing loss on the weekend the Lightning have effectively left their season in the opposition’s hands.
Three rounds, two teams below them on the ladder… if the Lightning can get those two wins on the board and the Mavs lose, it could well be a Round 14 blockbuster against the ladder leaders that decides the Lightning’s season.
Form has not been Lightning’s friend this season with inconsistency and blowout results continuing to play huge roles in their ladder position.
But it’s safe to say they have plenty to play for in the final three weeks of the season.
NSW Swifts (16 points, 94.93%)
Current ladder position: 6th
To come:
Firebirds (Home)
Thunderbirds (Home)
GIANTS (Away)
A loss on the weekend has all but closed the door on a finals chance for the Swifts, now needing to win their three remaining matches and relying on the Mavericks and Lightning losing their last rounds, too.
That being said, there’s still a chance to separate themselves further from the bottom two sides and set some goals for next year, especially given the form of some of their young players.
Thunderbirds will be a tough task, but two achievable matches against the Firebirds and GIANTS will pave the way to challenge the teams ahead of them on the ladder and put some fear in them ahead of finals.
Queensland Firebirds (12 points, 90.42%)
Current ladder position: 7th
To come:
Swifts (Away)
Lightning (Home)
Mavericks (Away)
Unfortunately for the Firebirds, their early season injury woes did not set them up for success.
While they don’t have any top three sides in their last three rounds, they almost have the harder task: coming up against the teams that must win to make the final spot on the ladder.
Realistically, the Firebirds can help to dictate what happens from here, especially for the Lightning and Mavericks.
They could be the gamechanger and really set the tone for finals if they can claim some scalps, so watch this space.
GIANTS (0 points, 79.32%)
Current ladder position: 8th
To come:
Lightning (Away)
Fever (Home)
Swifts (Home)
A tough loss on the weekend has well and truly put a full stop on the GIANTS season, with the next three weeks a chance to finish better than they’ve performed.
Also hit by injuries, the GIANTS will hope to get some returnees in the coming weeks to bolster their young side which has an average age of roughly 24-years-old.
While losses build opportunities, the GIANTS season has reached a tipping point where now they lack structure as well as confidence.
A derby in the final round could be their last chance to show what they’re made of in 2026, so will be a critical one to watch for fans of the Orange Tsunami.
