By Sophie Taylor
Is the top four locked in?
We run through the main talking points from Round 11.
MAVERICKS GETTING CLOSER
A maiden finals berth is on the horizon for the league’s newest team, with a solid win at home on Saturday night giving them breathing room in fourth on the ladder.
At their best, the Lightning will dominate with just the seven players, but when they are in trouble they lack the seamless transition to their bench.
The Mavericks have less clarity with their choice of players, but have an uncanny ability to bring the flair at the right moment to create something out of nothing.
The battle between the two teams over the weekend showcased the teams’ opposing dynamics perfectly: when the Mavs hit their straps late in the game, the Lightning were forced to make changes and lost their sharp connections in the process.
A tight opening half set the tone with the Lightning looking strong and hyper aware of their finals chances drifting away.
Neither side was taking any chances with pressure piled on at every turn, before the Mavs scored seven of the last 10 goals of the third quarter to put themselves up by three with 15 minutes to play.
Two runs of five goals from the Mavs in the back-half of the final term locked in a crucial 10-goal victory with a challenging run home (Fever, Vixens, Firebirds) from here.
Shimona Nelson was outstanding with 56 goals from 61 attempts (three rebounds), providing a crucial target for Maddie Hay (30 feeds) and Jamie-Lee Price (24 feeds).
Jessie Grenvold continued her strong form with four gains (two intercepts, three deflections, one rebound) credit to the pressure piled on from Amy Parmenter and Price who clogged Lightning’s midcourt to no end.
The next question for the Mavs is whether they can compose themselves over the coming rounds to ensure the Lightning cannot leapfrog them into the top four.
Finals are a completely different beast, and the Mavs could be well suited to shake things up if they make it there – but only if they start their trajectory now.
Melbourne Mavericks are edging closer to a maiden SSN finals berth.
TOP FOUR SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED?
With just three rounds remaining in the home and away season, the top three teams came out with a point to prove in Round 11.
The ladder-leading Thunderbirds burst out of the blocks against the lowly GIANTS, overturning their stressful Round 5 encounter with a whopping 33-goal win in Sydney on Saturday.
The Fever all but secured their finals berth with an 18-goal win over the Firebirds, but will be wary of getting complacent with the Mavs still capable of going higher on the ladder.
The Vixens closed the round with a decisive 67-57 win over the Swifts to claim the Sargeant-McKinnis Cup and just about put the Swifts’ finals hopes to bed.
The top three teams all have something that the rest of the clubs don’t really have, and that’s their breathing room to utilise their depth before they need to.
The Thunderbirds and Vixens have clear starting sevens each week and have cleverly used their benches in recent weeks to get important minutes into players before finals.
Comparatively, the Fever have used their bench all season because they were forced to before players returned from injury.
Now, their midcourt depth in particular is crucial to their success, while other areas of the court fall in line as required.
For the next teams, the Mavs, the question is around their depth and continuity.
The Mavs fall into the trap of too much rotation, causing errors as players work their way into a game. However, that gives them a rare chance to shake things up in finals – if they can play their cards right.
Vixens claimed the Sargeant-McKinnis cup over the weekend.
WHO’S OUT OF THE FINALS RACE?
It’s safe to say the GIANTS are well and truly ruled out for 2026, with zero wins from 11 matches.
With just three rounds remaining, and the Lightning, Fever and Swifts on the radar, it will be a hard slog to the finish.
Hit by injuries throughout the season, the GIANTS have been their own worst enemy this season and head coach Nerida Stewart will need to consider their end to the 2026 very carefully.
The Firebirds have three wins on the board but have similarly found themselves in an injury-ridden, disappointing season.
The Lightning and Swifts both represent a challenging conundrum: unless they can hit GO and get the four points in every single match remaining, they all but lose their chance of finals before they even start dreaming of it.
With both teams playing one top four side (Fever) and two bottom four sides (Firebirds, GIANTS) in the last two rounds, there is still a very technical, minor chance of a finals berth.
But while there is no denying they’ll come out with a point to prove, this season continues to throw challenges at the wall.
ON THE STATS SHEET
A huge outing form Elmeré van der Berg on the weekend puts her well ahead on the goals tally with 551 ahead of Grace Nweke (536) and Donnell Wallam (510).
Kiera Austin (42 Suncorp Super Shots) leads the long-range charge, closely followed by GIANTS pair Matisse Letherbarrow (41) and Sophie Dwyer (34).
Mavs defender Grenvold retains the lead for intercepts with 28 to her name ahead of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson (27 apiece), with the Jamaican and Tbirds duo holding first and third for deflections (75 and 49, respectively).
Price is the first player to crack 1000 Net Points for the season, with teammate Maddie Hay well ahead for centre pass receives (240) while Swifts young gun Grace Whyte leads Georgie Horjus for goal assists (234 to Horjus’s 225).
