Round three saw the Mavericks tackle the top of the ladder, West Coast Fever, at John Cain arena, and what an incredible fight they put up!
In exciting pre-game entertainment, the Mavs announced their mascot, ‘Goose’ the Unicorn, and the trailblazers were stoked to see this mythical creature rock the court! Goose will be at all home games, spreading the magic and netball love with a sparkly pink hairdo, hardcore muscles and some incredible dance moves!
Q1:
Come game time, the Mavs starting seven, wearing bright orange bibs in solidarity with women who have suffered against gender based violence, saw Shimona Jok take to the court playing Goal Shooter in her debut game for the club. The Trailblazers adore Jok as much as her teammates, with the crowd at John Cain Arena erupting as she took to the court and shot the goal that put the Mavs on the scoreboard.
It was stars right across the court, however, as the Mavs dominated the first quarter. As predicted, Kelsey Browne’s connection with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembrand was textbook. However, Maisie Nankivell and Molly Jovic joined forces and proved themselves unstoppable in their connection with Jok and Cardwell.
With team connectivity at an all time high, there was incredible vision and trust to go to post, as well as incredible cross court defence, forcing errors into the Fever’s game. The team took home the first quarter 17-14.
Q2:
The second quarter saw a change in momentum with the Fever getting a head start. The Mavs, refusing to give up, dug deep with Cardwell confident to post, shooting three two point shots to get the team up and about.
However, Cardwell’s impeccable shooting was not the only exciting development coming from John Cain Arena. Shimona Jok, having played an incredible first quarter in Goal Shooter, donned the Goal Keeper position to come up against her fellow Jamaican superstar, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. Jok proved herself an exceptional opponent, snagging an intercept in the first two minutes of entering the court.
Despite their best efforts and unpredictable position swaps, the Fever proved two strong for the Mavericks, leaving the team trailing 32-40.
Q3:
Coming out of half time, Amy Parmenter elevated her game, taking two intercepts and lifting her team as the inaugural captain. Giving Tayla Fraser a run in her preferred position of Wing Attack, her connection with Nankivell was unbeatable, and their quick thinking and trusting passages of play were nothing to complain about.
The attackers were not the only ones showcasing their skills in the third, however, as both circle defenders, Lewis and Jenner took flying intercepts, putting the Fever in the hot seat.
The Fever’s pressure was impressive, forcing the Mavericks to clock up their mid court passes before allowing it to enter the goal circle. Although this meant tough going for the Mavs, the team utilised this opportunity to move as an individual unit and back each other in despite the immense pressure they were under.
Making a slow comeback, the Mavs trailed 43-54 at three quarter time.
Q4:
Just as the game seemed to be locked away in the Fever’s pockets, the Mavericks responded with perseverance, refusing to go down without a fight.
Molly Jovic and Amy Parmenter put their bodies on the line in, contesting every ball, forcing the likes of Kelsey Browne and Jess Anstiss to turn on the jets in the dying minutes of the match.
Come the power five, the Mavericks saw themselves 10 goals down. With some work to do, Cardwell took to shooting one two point shot, and Sinclair sinking two. Suddenly, the comeback was on and the Mavericks found that first quarter spark.
In a nail biting finish with some close game nerves getting the better of both sides, the Fever only just came away with the game, with the scores sitting at 62-69.
Despite another tough loss, it is clear the Mavs are fighting for each other, accentuating their on court connections and becoming more and more of a single unit each and every week. With such a close result against the top of the ladder, nothing is impossible for these superstars!
Round Four sees the Mavs take a trip to the Sunshine Coast to take on the Lightning on Sat May 4, 5:00pm AEST, UniSC Arena.
