Talking points: Round 13

By Stephanie Smarrelli
 

Blockbuster finishes, First Nations Round, a minor premier crowned and the last finals spot still to be filled. 

Round 13 delivered plenty of talking points. 

We run you through the most important from an epic penultimate round of the home and away season.  

BATTLE FOR FOURTH SPOT
 
Lightning have kept their finals hopes alive. 

Their clash with the Swifts had fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish. 
 
The Swifts started hot, winning the first quarter but from there Lightning took charge winning the remaining three quarters. 

Steph Fretwell was the hero, Captain Clutch sinking the sealer in the match’s final moments.  
 
The win threw pressure onto Tarntanya Karntu (Adelaide Thunderbirds) who needed to win to stay in the finals mix after Lightning momentarily leapfrogged them back into the top four.  

The defending premiers were in control against the Mavs, not only winning the match but doing so with an 11-goal buffer to add to their percentage. 

Latanya Wilson was massive, 12 gains, nine intercepts and nine deflections. 

With both teams claiming vital wins, the Vixens were next in the hot seat on Sunday. 

They needed to win, and they did so, scraping past the Firebirds by two goals to lock in their finals spot. 

With only one round to go, there’s only one spot left. 
 
It’ll come down to Tarntanya Karntu and Lightning for the final position in the top four. 
 
And who do Lightning and Tarntanya Karntu face next week? 

Each other. 

It all comes down to next Saturday night, the winner plays finals and for the loser its lights out.  
 

WHO CAN STAY FIT? 
 
The injury list is growing and with finals around the corner timing couldn’t be worse.  

 
This weekend there were a plethora of players ruled out and some in-game scares across the league. 

Teams are undoubtedly at their best when they’ve got their full team at their disposal unless you’ve managed to call up the likes of a former Silver Ferns legend like the GIANTS. 

But the GIANTS won’t feature in finals and the teams who are in the mix are starting to break down. 

Lightning’s season took a hit before it even started with Ava Black’s ACL injury. 

But they’ve also been managing a foot injury to Cara Koenen. She played on the weekend and didn’t miss a beat, perhaps having turned a corner in her recovery. 

But concerns remain elsewhere on the court. 

Defender Courtney Bruce was ruled out on game day having suffered a lower leg injury in Friday afternoon’s Captain’s Run. 

Sitting on the sidelines she was moving around courtside on crutches, the extent of her injury not fully known yet. 

The Swifts had Teigan O’Shannassy missing due to a back complaint and they raised eyebrows when they moved Paige Hadley to the bench after only 30 minutes of court time. 

The Swifts co-captain explained after the match she is carrying a bit of a foot injury the side is managing ahead of finals.  

Then the reigning premiers ruled out South African Sanmarie Visser on match day as well, missing the game against the Mavs due to a back complaint. 
 
Tarntanya Karntu were also given a fright with star Georgie Horjus hurting what looked like her thumb in the first quarter but thankfully for them she returned to the court and played out the match. 
 
Over in the Vixens camp, Hannah Mundy is still missing due to a stress-related foot injury. 

The club is taking it week by week anticipating her time on the sideline will extend towards the end of the season. 

And illness has hit Fever. 

With midcourter Jordan Cransberg ruled out on game day due to illness after defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney missed training due to illness during the week.  
 
Fever’s 11th player Zoe Cransberg was taken from the court during the third quarter after a big clash. 

She was cleared of concussion at the time, but will no doubt be on the lookout for any developing symptoms.

The Fever midcourter did not return to the court during their match.

 
Fever are also missing Ruth Aryang who was ruled out of the season a few rounds in after rupturing her achilles.  
 
With only one round left until finals, teams will be doing everything they can to get their stars ready to hit the court. 

It’s survival of the fittest heading into finals and how teams manage their players and who they choose as replacements could shape the next month in a big way. 
 

WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUE 
 
With so many outs across the league the door opened for the next gen of stars. 

Frederika Schneideman made her debut for the Swifts and held her own. 
 
She may not have filled the stats sheet in her 21 minutes of game time, but her hustle and presence made an impact.  

Chasing down the ball, applying pressure and limiting the movements of Leesa Mi Mi she did enough to make a mark on her debut. 
 
Over in the west, it’s been a big week for Caitlyn Brown. 
 
Fresh off winning a history-making third Jill McIntosh Medal in the Gold Industry Group WA Netball League she got the call up for Fever. 

 

Making her debut in the final quarter, Brown played eight minutes getting a taste of SSN against Jo Harten and Matisse Letherbarrow. 

Brown tallied two gains with two rebounds and did well to slot into the side. 
 
While after 755 days  it’s a welcome back for defender Lauren Parkinson (nee Moore). 

The former GIANT finally made her debut for the Mavericks having missed all of 2024 and most of 2025 due to an ACL injury. 

She got 16 minutes on the court with patches in the second and fourth quarters. 

With one gain and one rebound she didn’t have much time to work herself into the match but getting to run out with her teammates was a big achievement in itself.  
 

CAN FEVER MAKE THE GRANNY? 
 
Green Army are you ready for a trip to Melbourne? 

The green machine very well could be heading to the SSN Grand Final in a couple of weeks. 

Fever’s win against the GIANTS on the weekend not only crowned them as minor premiers, but it also cemented their place in SSN history. 

The side broke the SSN record for the number of wins in a row with 11. 

 

They haven’t dropped a game since Round 2, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard's Round 3 return powering them to their best.  

Against the GIANTS Alice Teague-Neeld was a standout in the wing tallying 47 feeds while Sunday Aryang dominated in defence. 

While they’re on a roll, the last two seasons have ended in heartbreak without a Grand Final appearance.  

In 2024 and 2023 they lost the Preliminary Final by a goal. 

But in both those years they’ve had to work their way through a do-or-die Minor Semi Final before taking on the Prelim. 

This year is different.  

 
They’ve secured a home Major Semi Final, a win there and they’ll skip the Prelim and head straight to the big dance.  

The last time they finished in the top two and went straight through to the Grand Final was 2022, their premiership year. 
 
They still have to face the Vixens in Round 14 before getting to the pointy end of the season. 

The Vixens will be desperate to prove they can defeat the league’s best ahead of their own finals run.  

But if Fever can keep the winning streak going, they might be lifting the trophy in August.