Thursday Takes: Round 10

By Matt Fotia 

The SSN season is a marathon, not a sprint. 

And deep down all fans will tell themselves not to overreact to one win, one loss, one quarter or even one moment. 

Basically, don’t ride the rollercoaster. 

Thursday Takes flies in the face of that logic. 

Each week you’ll find our raw, unfiltered views on your club and what the weekend’s performance means for them going forward. 

Check it out below. 

FEVER 
Consistent Cransberg becoming a key cog. 

The Fever are now all but universal premiership favourites off the back of their eight-game winning streak which continued on Saturday against the Mavericks, and once again unheralded midcourter Jordan Cransberg was in the thick of things. 

Cransberg played just 40 minutes of netball in Round 10, but still managed to record 23 feeds, 22 assists and 10 second phase receives as she builds on her already impressive 2025 season. 

The former training partner has played in all 10 of the Fever’s matches this year, while only Alice Teague-Neeld has played more minutes this season. 

Cransberg’s relentless work rate is as commendable as her consistency. 

She has registered more than 20 feeds in eight games this season, more than 10 second phase receives on seven occasions and is ranked fifth in the league for pick-ups, with 18. 

Her performances have given Dan Ryan another luxury when it comes to his team selection. By banking on Cransberg to run the game in the centre, he can then settle skipper Jess Anstiss in at wing defence and utilise Sunday Aryang in goal defence, enhancing the Fever’s multitude of weapons. 

FIREBIRDS 
Need to act on instinct. 

For the past three weeks, the Queensland Firebirds offence has played with a hint of hesitancy.  

In total, across Rounds 8-10, the Firebirds have accumulated 264 feeds into the circle for just 183 attempts, a stat which highlights their self-doubt in the goal circle. 

There are some reasonable explanations for this stat line of course. Often the Firebirds are chasing super shots and will re-feed to find the perfect shooting position, but generally there is a sense that they aren’t moving the ball with confidence and will ignore an obvious first option in an attempt to find the perfect pass. 

This hesitancy has a twofold effect.  

It both allows the defenders a second look at getting ball, while also sending mixed signals to their teammates and mixing up their timing. 

Sometimes, you’ve just got to trust your gut. 

GIANTS 

This six-week period could lay the foundation for future success. 

Good things take time.  

That’s what GIANTS fans will be telling people this week after Julie Fitzgerald’s crew made it back-to-back victories for the first time since Round 10, 2023, with a 10-goal win over the Lightning.  

Suddenly, the nailed-on favourites for the wooden spoon are playing some of the best netball in the competition.  

The recruitment of Casey Kopua has been a major success. Not only has she been performing well herself, she has clearly brought the best out of her much younger teammates in Erin O’Brien and Amy Sligar. Meanwhile, Jo Harten has a spring in her step and is playing some inspired netball, alongside an energised Sophie Dwyer. 

Winning is a habit, and most importantly, the GIANTS now have players in Kopua, Harten and Jamie-Lee Price, who know how to win across every line, something they didn't have earlier this season. 

LIGHTNING 

A season-defining month looms. 

The Lightning’s season rests on a knife-edge. 

Despite still sitting third on the ladder, the Lightning’s 10-goal loss to the GIANTS on Sunday has left them in finals purgatory.  

Belinda Reynolds’ side has the toughest run home in the competition, facing the Vixens (home), Fever (home), Swifts (away) and the Thunderbirds (away) to finish the regular season. 

Should they manage to make the finals, they’ll enter the finals series with confidence having discarded their ‘haven’t beaten a top four side’ hoodoo. 

Miss the finals and they’ll have some very big questions to answer given the overwhelming talent on their list. 

One thing is for sure, we're about to find out what the Lightning are made of. 

MAVERICKS 
Jessie Grenvold is continuing the Mavericks love affair with the 11th player. 

If the Mavericks’ two-season long injury crisis has had at least one silver lining, it’s the fact they have nailed both of their 11th player selections. 

Famously, the Mavericks selected Shimona Jok in 2024, with the powerful goal shooter going on to claim the club’s inaugural MVP award. 

This year they’ve kept up the tradition of finding high quality players with their final list spot, with circle defender Jessie Grenvold. 

Grenvold has made an impact every time she’s stepped on court for the SSN’s newest club, notably collecting seven deflections against the Swifts in Round 2and six against cross-town rivals the Vixens in Round 4. 

In just 203 minutes of netball this season, Grenvold has collected 21 deflections (third most for the Mavericks) and nine gains (fourth most for the Mavericks), providing Tracey Neville and co with another ball-winner in defence and showcasing the level of netballing depth across Australia.

SWIFTS 

Paige can’t do it all. 

There is a Maddy Proud shaped hole appearing at the Swifts. 

For most of the 2025 season it has been smooth sailing for the Swifts, despite missing their co-captain Proud, but in recent weeks her absence has been duly noted and the reliance on her partner in crime Paige Hadley has intensified. 

In recent weeks, Briony Akle has struggled to find her best attacking mid-court combination, rotating the likes of Verity Simmons, Grace Whyte and Hadley through wing attack in an attempt to arrest their recent form slump. 

Hadley’s output remains elite. She has tallied 176 assists this season (fifth most league wide), with only Helen Housby creating more goal scoring opportunities with 192 (third most).  

It’s the next layer of attacking craft that is letting the Swifts down. 

Simmons, Whyte and Allie Smith have combined for just 174 assists between them this season. While they obviously share court time, this number is damning and explains why Housby has had to take on more of play-making load. 

This in turn limits the England international’s ability to hit the scoreboard herself, leaving defenders to turn their attention to Grace Nweke under the post. 

THUNDERBIRDS 
Shamera or not, their defence stands tall. 

There were concerns earlier in the season that the Thunderbirds famously resolute defence would be severely weakened by the departure of superstar goal keeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey. 

While no one is debating the Thunderbirds would be better off with Sterling-Humphrey on the court, the stats suggest they’re still the best defence in the league. 

They’ve conceded just 596 goals this season (ranked first), have the most goals from gains (92) and have recorded the most intercepts with 66. 

Meanwhile they’re ranked second for deflections (165), pick-ups (95) and penalties conceded (498). 

Tania Obst’s side will be eager to see Sterling-Humphrey back in Thunderbirds pink, but they’re doing alright without her too. 

VIXENS 

Are a real threat. 

The Vixens’ tight win against the Swifts was big for several reasons. 

It not only kept the 2024 runners-up inside the top four for another week, but it was also their fourth win in a row and their first victory against one of the other top five sides this season. 

Diamonds shooting combination Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin have hit their straps in the last month, with Austin back to her stat sheet filling best, while Garbin has notched 180 goals in their past four games. 

The rest of their starting seven is scary too. 

Kate Eddy and skipper Kate Moloney have combined for 37 pick-ups this season, Hannah Mundy’s work rate continues to impress, and the Weston-Ellis pairing have found their groove, recording eight gains against the ladder leaders on Sunday. 

The McKinnis fairytale lives on.