By Stephanie Smarrelli
Round 13 shapes as one of the biggest weekends of the season.
With finals spots, hosting rights and seasons hanging in the balance every result could have major ramifications in the coming weeks.
But all eyes will be on John Cain Arena on Sunday afternoon where a packed house is expected to witness a Melbourne derby with high stakes.
The Mavericks are just one win away from securing their first-ever Suncorp Super Netball Finals Series berth, while the Melbourne Vixens need victory to keep their hopes of hosting the Major Semi Final alive.
The last time these two sides met it was an absolute thriller, with fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish as the match went into extra time.
It was the Vixens who got it done by a goal; the match was marred by a devasting injury to Maverick Tara Hinchliffe which no doubt shook her teammates.
But this time the Mavs will be determined to turn the tables.
Fresh off a statement win against the West Coast Fever, confidence and belief within the group will be sky high.
It was the first time the Mavericks had defeated one of the competition's top three teams and, having pushed the Vixens all the way in Round 3, they'll back themselves to go one better this weekend.
But the Vixens are never a side you can afford to underestimate. With finals a few weeks away they’ll want to bury last weekend’s loss to the Thunderbirds in the past and carry momentum with them into the Finals Series as they look to go back-to-back.
Fresh off a big injection into the Australian Diamonds squad Jessie Grenvold looms as a key player this weekend.
Grenvold has been selected into the Aussie Diamonds squad.
The 23-year-old is stamping her authority as one of the league’s best defenders. She’s tallied 48 gains, 45 deflections, 29 intercepts (one behind league-leader Latanya Wilson) and 14 rebounds this season.
This weekend she’ll come up against a tough opponent in Vixen Sophie Garbin.
Garbin has put up 432 goals at 91 per cent this season and while she’s known as a strong holding shooter, her ability to switch into a more dynamic moving role can make life difficult for defenders.
Her partnership with Kiera Austin remains one of the Vixens' greatest strengths and, after a difficult outing last weekend, it's hard to imagine the pair producing two quiet performances in a row.
Through the midcourt all eyes will be on the battle between Kate Moloney and Jamie-Lee Price.
Price and Moloney rank first and second in the league for Net Points and are among the fiercest competitors in the game.
They also sit atop the competition for pickups, highlighting their ability to impact both attack and defence.
It’s a battle we’ve seen time and time again, the last time they met Price finished the game with 35 feeds, 22 goal assists and one deflection while Moloney had 21 feeds and 12 goals assists.
There wasn't much separating the teams in their Round 3 clash, but one area that could prove decisive is gain-to-goal conversion.
The Mavericks converted 71 per cent of their gains into goals compared to the Vixens' 60 per cent. It's hardly a landslide margin, but in a contest expected to be decided by the finest of margins, it could make all the difference.
The battle in the midcourt will be one to watch.
The Mavericks recorded 14 unforced turnovers compared to the Vixens' 10 in Round 3, and it ultimately proved costly.
The Vixens converted all three of the Mavericks' unforced turnovers during extra time which played a hand in the final result.
While Uneeq Palavi was thrown into the deep end during that clash, she's gone from strength to strength ever since.
Palavi brings an infectious energy to the Mavericks line-up and when she's firing, the entire team seems to lift around her.
Last weekend she had a major impact against Fever, scoring 19 goals from 20 attempts, including a crucial Suncorp Super Shot.
This weekend she'll come up against Emily Mannix, who collected four gains in the Round 3 meeting, two of them coming during extra time when the match was there to be won.
With a sold-out crowd expected to pack John Cain Arena and finals ramifications hanging over every quarter, this is a match you simply won't want to miss.
REST OF THE WEEKEND
Round 13 gets underway with a do-or-die clash for the NSW Swifts against the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds have already locked in another finals appearance, but the Swifts must win and rely on other results falling their way to keep their season alive.
The Swifts need to win on Saturday to keep their finals chances alive.
Likewise, it's now or never for the Sunshine Coast Lightning, who remain in the hunt but can’t afford to lose against the Firebirds.
Then on Sunday, the GIANTS will be chasing their first win of the season when they take on West Coast Fever.
But it won’t be easy. Fever will be determined to cement their place in the top four and bounce back strongly after last week's defeat.
