Tamsin Greenway analyses Vitality Netball Superleague Round 11 and the top-four battle
Thursday 28 March 2019 16:37, UK
Tamsin Greenway reflects on an action-packed weekend of Vitality Superleague action in round 11, including Manchester Thunder's dramatic victory against Wasps and analysis of the battle for the top four.
Thunder moved three points clear at the top of the Superleague table with a 50-49 victory against back-to-back league champions and title rivals Wasps.
There was also a narrow 54-53 success for Lightning against a battling Severn Stars, while Tamsin saw further evidence of the strength in competition between the sides as she takes you through her talking points...
Inconsistency letting down top four
Inconsistency is probably the biggest talking point in the two games decided by one goal.
It is not how close the games were but just the lack of consistency by some of the top teams. If you look at Bath, Loughborough and Wasps in their games, they all had a quarter in their games where they scored under 10 goals in the tram.
At that level with some of the shooters you are now talking about, including Mary Cholhok, Rachel Dunn and Kim Commane that is unacceptable.
The reality is for me that teams have to be more consistent at the top and that is going to pay when we talk about who is going to make the final four.
Bath, Loughborough and Wasps have got to have a look at that now and start thinking really hard about what they do.
Competition between the teams unlike never before
We have got the league that everybody wanted - this really tight league where the top four is separated by three points.
Thunder are quite happy in saying they are top of the league but they are only three points ahead and all the teams have still got everybody else to play.
This is probably the tightest the league has ever been and I don't think any of us can call who is going to make it in. Purely because of that lack of consistency.
We have got a real split with the top five and bottom five. However those bottom teams are really pushing the other teams and that has just never been the case.
This is the closest league we have ever seen. That is down to a couple of things; the even spread of the players in movement has been quite interesting this year, and imports are being recruited really well. I don't think that has happened before.
Across the board the imports are making a real impact. The level of the players from outside England has just improved massively and that has gone to show with the step-up in the professionalism of the teams and how players are playing in the league now.
Thrillers can't be expected week in week out
You always remember the last-gasp winner in a game where a team clutches it out of the jaws of the other team and goes on to win.
But there are thousands of sporting games that go on across the weekend that are just a bit poor. We have to be a little realistic about that.
Netball is a goal-for-goal game. But you can't also mix it. How did two weeks ago when Wasps were down by 20 by Thunder and this week it went goal-for-goal. They are the same players - it is just the way the sport works.
Because of the nature the sport works everybody needs to be performing at the same time and that is the difference in a goal-for-goal game.
It is really exciting to see where the league is at and it is just one of those freak years where we have got a real even spread and actually players are performing and maintaining for a lot longer.
Top teams can't afford to underestimate opposition
What teams can't start to do is underestimate the teams that aren't going to make the finals but can still dictate whether you do or not.
Celtic Dragons are a massive threat for me, Severn Stars, the work of Sam Cook, Jodi-Ann Ward are a massive threat to any team as well.
Storm, with Shadine Van Der Merwe and Sigi Burger turn up week in, week out. Mikki Austin has got them very regimented and playing really well so I think teams looking ahead have to look at their run-in and think we have got to pull out some performances.
They have all got to play each other but they have also got to play some bottom teams that could really slip up against.
If I was coaching now I would be having a lot of meetings. There are no bankers - there is no clear victory. You are going to have do things tactically for each game, which means you need players that are fit and available.
Training becomes really important now - there is no backing off from the players - they are going to have to be in each week. For a coach it is actually a very stressful situation.
Loughbourough vs Mavericks is a big game this weekend because that is where the pressure comes on. If you get a win against another top team then that can take the pressure off for another week.
Mavericks are still the most consistent along with Thunder. I would expect Mavericks to come out with a win but you never say never with the way Loughborough have managed to drag themselves through.
If you look at Sara Bayman then that is very much down to her winning mentality. They have brought Zara Everitt back in and that has helped their defensive problems. They did have the worst defensive record in that top five.
Over the next few weeks it is going to start evening itself out and we are in for an intriguing run in to the final.
Watch more live Vitality Netball Superleague when Strathclyde Sirens host Manchester Thunder on Monday, April 1 live on Sky Sports Mix & Action from 7.15pm. Also, Sky Sports will be showing every game of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup in July.
