By Sophie Taylor & Stephanie Smarrelli
Eleven rounds down and still there’s questions over which clubs will make finals.
We run you through our top talking points from Round 11.
WHERE DOES THE LADDER GO FROM HERE?
The end of the home and away season is drawing near and the ladder continues to shift and change from week to week.
Take the GIANTS, for example.
A slow start to the season but now finding some elite form.
Their derby battle with the Swifts on Sunday was exemplary and well and truly showed their improvement since the beginning of the season.
Comparatively, the Swifts are in danger of losing top spot after only ever so narrowly avoiding a loss to their cross-town rivals on the weekend.
Their shaky form recently has kept the Fever in contention for the minor premiership.
Fever also have the chance to claim a 10th straight win this weekend – a feat which the Swifts could not complete in Round 9.
Lightning, Vixens and Thunderbirds are all fighting it out for the other two finals spots, but all three teams have had stages of inconsistency.
Ultimately, their final ladder positions could come down to which teams they each play in the final three rounds, rather than the form they are in.
But back to the GIANTS.
They look to be in the best form of the bottom three, marginally ahead of the Mavericks who claimed their first win since Round 6 on the weekend, and the Firebirds who have looked lacklustre at best since Round 2.
The Mavs and Firebirds fought out a physical match on the weekend.GIANTS will take on both of these sides in the last three weeks of the season proper and have an important opportunity to show their growth.
Our predicted ladder heading into the final three weeks?
Swifts, Fever, Thunderbirds, Vixens, Lightning, GIANTS, Mavericks, Firebirds.
LIGHTNING NEED MORE THAN FIVE MINUTE PURPLE PATCHES
If there’s one team to keep an eye out for during the Power Five, it’s the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
That’s been their most consistent phase in majority of their matches in the second half of the season, and while that’s great for the Confident Girls Foundation – Suncorp donates $100 for every Suncorp Super Shot scored – it’s not so great for their match as a whole.
Patches of inconsistency have plagued the Lightning in recent weeks with some solid scoring runs against them making it really hard to gain control once they make an error.
And while they are still winning some good ball back, they have been forced on a few occasions to rely on the Super Shot to stay in matches.
And like the GIANTS of old, who relied so heavily on the Power Five to win games that they forgot how to win otherwise, it’s not a sustainable way to play out a season.
That said, Lightning head coach Belinda Reynolds can be happy with her charges’ volume and accuracy.
Steph Fretwell and Reilley Batcheldor hit 12 from 18 attempts between the two of them, and five of Fretwell’s nine successful attempts came in a huge final five minutes which could have caused a massive upset…
If only the Lightning had not been 12 goals down with five minutes remaining.
Of course, this could go for any team.
Rely too heavily on the manufactured momentum of the Super Shot, and suffer the consequences against a side which has done the work early.
YOUNG GUNS CONTINUE TO SHINE
It’s been a while since we’ve hyped up some of the SSN young guns, so here goes.
Erin O’Brien has been a revelation this year with her ability to impact on the contest highlighted by her new partnership with Casey Kopua.
A goal keeper by trade, O’Brien has stepped into the goal defence role effortlessly and has thrived under Kopua’s tutelage.
Isabelle Shearer is another young goal keeper who has shown some nice form this season, albeit in a losing side.
She has been playing key minutes for the Firebirds in 2025 and came up with two late gains against the experienced Shimona Jok on Sunday.
Zara Walters hasn’t had many minutes this season given the form of Hannah Mundy, but proved her mettle on the weekend with a 21-assist game against the Lightning.
While the Vixens’ other young guns Maggie Caris and Lily Graham didn’t take the court on the weekend, they have both shown excellent form when taking the court this season and will continue to flourish.