Netball Super League: London Mavericks could be under threat as the race for the play-offs heats up

With just five rounds left, the battle to reach the play-offs is heating up in the Netball Super League, with just eight points separating the teams between seventh and fourth.

London Pulse lead the standings with just one loss and are searching for their first league title, while debutants Nottingham Forest and Birmingham Panthers sit on the cusp of making the semi-finals, with all the games broadcast this Sunday, live on Sky Sports+ from 4pm.

London Mavericks are currently in the crucial fourth spot and wing defence Izzi Phillips told Sky Sports' Off the Court Podcast about their hopes for securing a top-four finish.

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"Success for us is to be a top-four team, that's where we want to be in the league," Phillips said. "Once you get to the top four, anything can happen.

"So I think for us, our biggest push is to get there and I know we have the ability to get there.

"We've shown in our recent games playing against other top-four teams like Thunder and Pulse that we can push them all the way, and it's just getting that consistency in those closing quarters and when we're in touching distance to push on.

"I 100 per cent believe that we can get there."

Who can still make the Super League play-offs?

Mavericks currently occupy fourth, the last remaining play-off place, but there are several teams hunting the top four in the remaining game weeks.

Pulse seem to be a solid team for a spot in the semi-finals having only lost one game so far this season.

But on Sunday the league leaders will face Loughborough Lightning, who took two early losses in rounds two and four but have been on a win streak since to climb to second in the table.

Lightning will be looking to reclaim their crown by topping the table as they fight to make history as the first team to win three years in a row.

Manchester Thunder were bumped to third by the reigning champions Lightning after their defeat in round eight.

In their pursuit of a seventh final, Thunder will face Panthers on Sunday and are still yet to play their second game against Pulse and Mavericks.

Following another loss in the London derby last weekend, Mavericks are just grasping onto fourth.

But in the next few weeks they will face Forest and Panthers, who are trying to claw their way into that top four in their debut season.

Forest have also defeated giants Pulse and Lightning this season, but do not have an easy final five rounds as they are still yet to play Mavericks, Lightning and Panthers again.

Panthers may be sat seven points away from fourth but they also have a game in hand due to an injury stopping their round-three fixture against LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons.

The new franchise have tallied up the most bonus points out of all sides, having lost by five points or fewer three times - crucial points that could make all the difference in the closing stages of the season.

NIC Leeds Rhinos may have won just two games, but with 15 points up for grabs they are technically still in the race. However, they are set to play three of the current top four teams so face a difficult climb to make the semi-finals.

Dragons have faced a challenging season, winning their first game just last week, so they will be hoping to finish the campaign strong and start assessing their tactics for next season.

All games this Sunday will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ from 4pm.