Jo Harten in action for GIANTS Netball against West Coast Fever in Round 3 of the 2020 Super Netball season. Photo credit: GIANTS Netball (website)
Vitality Roses Jo Harten (GIANTS Netball) and Geva Mentor (Collingwood Magpies) secured their first wins of the season while Layla Guscoth (Adelaide Thunderbirds) made her comeback from injury as she took to the court in Round 3 of Super Netball.
GIANTS Netball 75-68 West Coast Fever
Vitality Roses involved: Jo Harten (GIANTS Netball) and Stacey Francis (West Coast Fever)
Jo Harten delivered a Player of the Match performance as GIANTS Netball secured their first win of the 2020 season, beating West Coast Fever 75-68.
It was a night of milestones as GIANTS celebrated their 50th game with Harten one of just three players to have taken to the court – and started – in every one of those matches.
Stacey Francis started at WD for West Coast Fever, who were looking to bounce back from their narrow Round 2 defeat to Swifts and edged the opening quarter.
But GIANTS came out on top in the second quarter (22-15) to turn things around and led by four at the half-time break, before going on to take the third and fourth quarters too.
Goal attack Harten notched up 22 goals (16 goals, 6 Super Shots) and 19 feeds while her circle partner Caitlin Bassett, who was playing in her 200th game, scored 47 goals at 89 percent accuracy.
Jhaniele Fowler’s 58 goals gave Fever a chance, and they closed the gap to five with three minutes remaining before GIANTS steadied to get their first points of the campaign.
Speaking after the victory, captain Harten said: “It was our third game, make or break, everything was on the line and we had to win.”
Score breakdown
Q1: GIANTS 17 v Fever 20
Q2: GIANTS 22 v Fever 15
Q3: GIANTS 19 v Fever 17
Q4: GIANTS 17 v Fever 16
Vitality Roses shooting stats
Jo Harten – G1 – 16/18 (89%); G2 – 6/7 (86%)
G1 = shots during normal play | G2 = Super Shots taken
Nissan Player of The Match: Jo Harten (GIANTS Netball)
Queensland Firebirds 54-58 Collingwood Magpies
Vitality Rose involved: Geva Mentor (Collingwood Magpies)
Geva Mentor’s Collingwood Magpies came from behind against Queensland Firebirds to secure a 54-58 victory.
Vitality Rose and Magpies co-captain Mentor played the full 60 minutes at goal keeper as her side registered their first win of the season.
Firebirds led for three quarters, going into the fourth quarter 45-43 up, but faltered under pressure in the final 15 minutes and they’re now the only winless team in the league.
Home side Firebirds were four goals to the good at half-time and extended their advantage to lead by seven in the third quarter.
But a run of seven quickfire unanswered goals, thanks to strong defensive pressure and the pinpoint accuracy of Shimona Nelson and Nyah Allen, brought Magpies back on level terms.
Firebirds re-established a slender lead at the end of the third quarter but Nelson quickly made things all square in the fourth and after putting her side in front, Magpies never relinquished their advantage.
It was a tense finale however with Firebirds coming back to within one but Magpies successfully got over the line.
Score breakdown
Q1: Firebirds 17 v Magpies 14
Q2: Firebirds 15 v Magpies 14
Q3: Firebirds 13 v Magpies 15
Q4: Firebirds 9 v Magpies 15
NSW Swifts 66-51 Adelaide Thunderbirds
Vitality Roses involved: Helen Housby, Natalie Haythornthwaite (both NSW Swifts), Chelsea Pitman, Kate Shimmin and Layla Guscoth (all three Adelaide Thunderbirds)
NSW Swifts maintained their perfect start to the season with a 66-51 win over Adelaide Thunderbirds.
There was plenty of England interest in the game, including the return of Vitality Rose Layla Guscoth after she ruptured her Achilles during the Vitality Netball World Cup 2019.
Helen Housby (GA), who was Game Changer of the Round for Round Two, and Natalie Haythornthwaite (WA) both lined up for the defending champions who made a dominant start to take the opening quarter 18-10.
And they came up against some familiar faces in the opposition with Chelsea Pitman (WA) and Kate Shimmin (GD) in Thunderbirds’ starting seven before Guscoth entered the game in the first quarter at wing defence.
Despite two Super Shots for Guscoth’s fellow Thunderbirds returnee Sasha Glasgow on the stroke of half-time, it was Swifts who had established a comfortable 12-goal lead (35-23).
A run of three unanswered Thunderbirds goals, with co-captain Pitman helping to swing momentum the way of her side, cut the gap in the third quarter but Housby’s Super Shot once again put Swifts 12 goals to the good heading into the final 15.
Swifts kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter to run out 66-51 winners and make it three from three as they look to defend their title.
Haythornthwaite was named in the Team of the Round, alongside fellow Vitality Rose Harten, after 26 feeds and 11 goal assists during her side’s win.
Score breakdown
Q1: Swifts 18 v Thunderbirds 10
Q2: Swifts 17 v Thunderbirds 13
Q3: Swifts 12 v Thunderbirds 12
Q4: Swifts 19 v Thunderbirds 16
Vitality Roses shooting stats
Helen Housby – G1 – 16/20 (80%); G2 – 5/7 (71%)
G1 = shots during normal play | G2 = Super Shots taken
