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
The Fever look unbeatable.
The Green Machine made it 11 straight wins on Sunday when they brushed aside the GIANTS to the tune of 17 goals, claiming the 2025 minor premiership in the process.
It’s really no surprise the Fever are taking the rest of the competition by storm given the talent on their list.
Their defence end is made up of a Jamaican international who exudes X-Factor in Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Australian Diamond Sunday Aryang , while England’s Fran Williams rides the bench.
The midcourt is less heralded but still high quality, with Alice Teague-Neeld, Jess Anstiss and the Cransberg sisters getting the job done with aplomb week by week, while Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard takes all before her in attack.
The title is theirs for the taking.
FIREBIRDS
Showed signs.
The result still didn’t fall in their favour, but there were signs the wheel is about to turn for the Firebirds.
Kiri Wills’ side managed to take two quarters off the Vixens at John Cain Arena, and at times in the last quarter looked likely winners.
Mary Cholhok is beginning to look more comfortable at the level and the midcourt, led by Lara Dunkley who has found some form, are getting more volume into their marquee signing and their defence were impressive once more, claiming 11 gains in the loss.
The Firebirds - and Mary Cholhok - showed some positive signs on the weekend.
GIANTS
Must win this weekend.
This is two-fold.
First, they need to win to maximise the amount of momentum they can take into the off-season.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, they need to send off one of their greatest players in a blaze of glory.
Jo Harten deserves nothing less than to leave the court as a winner one more time and her GIANTS teammates should leave it all out on the line to make that happen.
LIGHTNING
Thank God for Cara.
Cara Koenen has been much maligned at times this season, but on Saturday she stood up when it mattered most.
With her side’s season on the line, the Diamonds shooter returned to the court after a fortnight sidelined by a foot injury and willed her side to victory.
Koenen finished with 48 goals, was confident to put up super shots from the get-go and snared 10 rebounds, including eight in the second half.
Match winner.
Cara Koenen was a major part of the Lightning's win against the Swifts.MAVERICKS
More than a game.
The Mavericks winning run came to an end on Saturday night as Tarntanya Karntu put the shackles on them to keep their threepeat dream alive.
But the result somewhat paled into insignificance for the Mavericks, who were celebrating the club debut of Lauren Parkinson, who finally returned to the SSN court after 755 days of waiting, five minutes into the second quarter.
Welcome back Lauren.
SWIFTS
Lost the big moments.
The Swifts didn’t play badly. In fact, they’ve rarely played badly this season, but in recent weeks and notably on the weekend against the Lightning, they lost the big moments.
With less than two minutes left in the match the Swifts led 69-67. They then proceeded to give Steph Fretwell four attempts at the tying shot, before lacking the on-court clarity to run down the clock and close out the game.
Their best netball is not as far away as it seems, but with finals on the doorstep, managing those big moments will become even more important.
The Swifts' best netball isn't far away.TARNTANYA KARNTU
Banana skin avoided.
The overarching narrative was against the Karntu on Saturday afternoon.
First off, they were they playing a Mavericks side buoyed by their win against the Swifts the week before and the return of Lauren Parkinson.
Then seemingly out of nowhere, the Lightning snapped their top four hoodoo and claimed a last second victory in Sydney to squeeze the Karntu out of the top four.
Everything was in place for another Mavericks upset.
But that’s not the way the Karntu roll, snuffing out any chance of a Mavericks win in the second quarter, keeping the visitors to just seven goals, picking up seven gains and six intercepts in that quarter alone.
A statement win.
VIXENS
Are playing with house money.
It is the dictionary definition of a free hit for the Vixens this weekend.
With finals locked away following their win against the Firebirds, the 2024 runners up turn their attention to the toughest road trip in Australian sport right now, as they take on the Fever in Perth.
They should be buoyed by the freedom of their situation though.
They’ve already made finals, and no one expects them to win.
Take the shackles off, because there is nothing to lose.
