Latest news with #AdelaideThunderbirds
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball, round 12: Thunderbirds slay Vixens to boost three-peat hopes
Defending champions Adelaide Thunderbirds snapped Melbourne Vixens' five-game winning streak to breathe life into their finals quest and keep their three-peat dream alive. Bouncing back from last round's loss to the West Coast Fever, the Thunderbirds put the brakes on the Vixens' late-season charge to score a 56-53 Win at John Cain Arena. There was a scare for the Thunderbirds late in the game when star defender Latanya Wilson hobbled off the court with just 30 seconds left the match, but coach Tania Obst later revealed she had suffered cramps. Spearheaded by defensive menace Wilson, attacking young gun Georgie Horjus and shooting powerhouse Romelda Aiken-George, the win propelled the Thunderbirds back into the top four at the expense of the Lightning, who now sit outside on percentage. Melbourne remains in third position on the Super Netball ladder with two rounds to play. Last year's Super Netball grand final combatants, the Thunderbirds have now defeated the Vixens twice this season after their round one win in Adelaide. The Vixens had not been defeated since their round six loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning - the day Simone McKinnis announced she would be stepping down as head coach at the end of the year. Aiken-George top-scored for the Thunderbirds with 41 goals from 47 attempts, while Horjus (7/7, including two super shots) also provided plenty of drive after shifting from wing to goal attack in the second quarter. Captain Kate Moloney led the charge in the midcourt for the Vixens, while Sophie Garbin top-scored for the home team with 38 goals from 41 attempts. The Thunderbirds got off to a flying start with Aiken establishing her presence under the post and Wilson causing trouble at the other end to open an eight-goal first-quarter lead. The Vixens struck back to win the second and third quarters as Obst shuffled her line-up across the court to find an answer to Melbourne's charge. With less than a minute on the clock, the Vixens fluffed several two-point chances in a desperate late bid to get over the line as the Thunderbirds held on. The Vixens face the Queensland Firebirds at home next Sunday for the penultimate round of the season, while the Thunderbirds host the Melbourne Mavericks.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 5000-day curse broken by netball's Thunderbirds
The Adelaide Thunderbirds have bounced back into the Super Netball top four, kept their three-peat dream alive and ended one of the longest droughts in Australian sport with a gritty 56-53 victory over the Melbourne Vixens. Remarkably given all their recent successes, it was the Thunderbirds' first away win over the Vixens since June 6, 2010 - 5511 days ago - snapping a 12-game losing streak against Melbourne in their own backyard at John Cain Arena on Sunday. Adelaide (6-6) set up their drought-breaking triumph with a barnstorming start and miserly finish after being challenged by the third-ranked Vixens (7-5) in the middle. Georgie Horjus was shifted from wing attack to goal attack midway through the second quarter and finished with seven goals without a miss - including two super shots - as well as nine assists to help end Melbourne's five-game winning stretch. "We probably didn't play our best netball but we grinded it out," Horjus said. "We knew we had to win, so now we're still in the hunt for finals, which is exciting for the next couple of weeks." "We've had some really close games but this gives us confidence we can do it ugly." With Romelda Aiken-George presenting a strong target and Tayla Williams impressing through the centre, Adelaide burst out to an 18-10 lead. Kiera Austin's quickfire two-pointer on the quarter-time siren dragged the margin back to 19-14 and gave the Vixens the momentum entering the second term. Melbourne's defensive trio Jo Weston, Kate Eddy and Rudi Ellis upped the physical pressure and the T'birds dropped off their hot early level as the Vixens trimmed the deficit to 30-29 at half-time. Big buzzer beater to keep Vixens in touch 🔥Watch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 29, 2025 Adelaide superstar Latanya Wilson was creating havoc at goal defence but she lacked support as the home side continued to impose themselves. Sophie Garbin hit 11 without a miss, including the goal which gave Melbourne their first lead, 46-44 at the final change, which they held onto. The Vixens' frontcourt coughed up repeated turnovers in the fourth term while misfiring from long range. Horjus's two-pointer over Weston and Ellis gave Adelaide the lead for good as the visitors swamped Melbourne 12-7 i
News.com.au
20-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Super Netball Round 11 results: West Coast Fever 68-63 winners over Adelaide Thunderbirds
West Coast Fever's challenge for the minor premiership continues after crushing the finals hopes of the Adelaide Thunderbirds. The 68-63 match, in front of a voracious Perth crowd, is Fever's ninth win on the trot and has rocketed them up the ladder to second spot. It also equalled the record for winning the most consecutive Super Netball games. Despite the victory, the close scoreline did little to improve Fever's goal percentage which is all that is standing between them and the top spot. The Adelaide Thunderbirds will now need to rely on other results to stoke their dying hopes of limping into fourth position and a third consecutive tilt at the title. As predicted, war was waged at each end of the court as the teams' respective Jamaicans battled for supremacy. For the Fever, goal shoot Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and defender Kadie-Ann Dehaney had near instantaneous impact. Dehaney, who is in career best form, got hand to ball early and had national teammate Romelda Aiken-George looking uncomfortable on the shot. Two early misses, and a few retaliatory elbows signalled the frustration from Aiken-George who eventually steadied her emotions to net 41/47. Speaking about Aiken-George's overall performance, Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst praised her leadership: 'She is such a target for us. Loz [Lauren Frew] is learning so much from her. I think she enjoys the battle against her fellow Jamaicans and she was a real competitor again tonight for us.' As Fowler-Nembhard continued to dominate, off the back of great ball service from match MVP Alice Teague-Neeld, Thunderbirds's coach Tania Obst constantly rotated her troops in search of a winning formula. Latanya Wilson, who collected eight gains last week, was a menacing presence but could only finish with two gains for her side. Sensing the Thunderbirds were building momentum off the back of Lauren Frew's supershot ability, Fever rang in the changes adding more defence to the middle. It did little to slow the visitors as they won the third 19-15, locking the scores at 51-a-piece heading into the final term. With the Thunderbirds battling to return to the top four, and Fever looking tired after four of their past five matches on the road, both sides fought desperately for every pass in a torrid final quarter battle. As Fever pushed the scoreline out, Frew's earlier hot hand went cold, allowing the home side to run home five goal winners. Back to back Suncorp Super Shots from Lauren Frew keeps the Thunderbirds within touching distance! Watch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 20, 2025 Fever coach Dan Ryan said he thought his side was gone heading into the final term. 'It was a battle and a half. They never really let us get into any flow or gear. At times we were our worst nightmare. Then it quickly turned. It was all over the shop,' he said. DOGGED DEFENCE Thunderbirds defender Latanya Wilson is well and truly stepping out of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey's shadow. The Jamaican duo has ruled the defensive stats for a number of years but with Sterling-Humphrey now on maternity leave, Wilson is proving that she is just as formidable on her own. The 188cm defender leads the league in deflections (with 69 - 14 ahead of the second place holder) and intercepts (28 - ahead by 11). Her turnovers are also impressively low (eight) for someone who has played all but three minutes of the season so far. AIRTIME 🦅 Watch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel and Binge. — Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) June 20, 2025 DIAMONDS WATCH Fever's Alice Teague-Neeld has been in sparkling form this season. The 28-year-old leads the league for goal assists (with 211, four more than Diamonds captain Liz Watson) and is second place, behind Watson, for feeds (331) and centre pass receives (203). She was in similarly great form last season and was an invitee to the end-of-year Diamonds camp. Surely, with two years of consistently reliable form, she would again be on the selectors' radars. A VIEW FOR WOMEN'S SPORT Netball Australia and Whoopi Goldberg's All Women's Sport Network (AWSN) have entered into a multi-year deal to bring Suncorp Super Netball into 900 million homes worldwide. The partnership will see 41 matches (including finals) made available to AWSN audiences through to the end of 2027.
West Australian
19-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Super Netball: West Coast Fever want to own Friday night primetime slot in clash with Adelaide Thunderbirds
Super Netball: West Coast Fever want to own Friday night primetime slot in clash with Adelaide Thunderbirds
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Adelaide Thunderbirds' double edge defensive sword, Latanya Wilson highlights team of the week. Have your say!
They're without the great Shamera Sterling-Humphrey but the Adelaide Thunderbirds have another outstanding Jamaican defender pushing their case for a third consecutive Super Netball title. Latanya Wilson was outstanding in the Thunderbirds' 66-59 win over the Mavericks in Melbourne on Sunday, racking up an incredible 11 gains - including seven intercepts - to severely restrict the flow of ball to Mavs goal shooter Shimona Jok. With Diamonds defender Tilly Garrett also in the T-Birds' defensive unit and South African young gun gaining experience with every outing, Adelaide cannot be counted out yet. Neither can a resurgent West Coast Fever, with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard back in their ranks. Fowler-Nembhard became the first player to pass the 9000 goal mark in the ANZ Championship-Super Netball era when she sank her 12th goal against the Giants. It was one of 63 goals she made in the 75-66 victory over the Giants, showing why the Jamaicans will be such a threat at next year's Commonwealth Games.
