Netball Australia’s new concussion protocols will again be in the spotlight after the opening match of Round 4.
In a tightly contested game, the Melbourne Vixens claimed another come-from-behind win, this time beating the Sunshine Coast Lightning by four goals (60-56). However, the result will not be the only focus.
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In the third term, Lightning’s Mahalia Cassidy took a heavy bump and was sent from the court by the umpires. Concussion protocols dictate that any athlete who sustains a suspected head knock must be immediately assessed. However, in this instance, Cassidy confirmed she didn’t hit her head and was able to return to court after a few minutes on the sidelines.
However, there was some inconsistency with umpire intervention, as early in the match Vixens’ goal attack, and match MVP Kiera Austin took a knock to the face. Her lip appeared to bleed for a few minutes, and for the remainder of the term she sucked on her mouth, avoiding the umpire’s eye so she wasn’t sent off.
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In other match news, Hannah Mundy started at wing attack for the Vixens, causing captain Liz Watson to shift into her second position of centre. However, Watson didn’t look comfortable and it showed in the form of penalties as she notched up more than any other player during the first half.
Watson’s problems worsened before half time when she was cautioned for intentional contact.
After the match, Vixens coach Simone McKinnis acknowledged the high penalty count.
She said, “The main thing is we were staying in play in that last quarter. Too many penalties, too much out of play early on, and that makes a difference to the pressure that was built..”
At the other end, Lightning shooters Steph Wood and Cara Koenen appeared to have put last week’s shocker behind them as they fired precision passes and worked seamlessly to find each other under the post.
Vixens didn’t hit the lead until just before three quarter time, but heavy defensive pressure allowed them to build a winning margin which Lightning couldn’t bridge.
NEGATIVE TREND
Sunshine Coast Lightning is in a negative spiral in a few key stats. Their 2 point goal conversion of 18 per cent is the worst in the league, while they are also registering one of the lowest missed shot conversion rates (25 per cent). But, most concerning is their centre pass to goal rate, which started at a respectable 81 per cent but dropped to 53 per cent in their last match. These are areas that they will need to correct if they are to contest finals.
MAGICAL MWAI
This is the third year of the supershot, so shooters have had time to get comfortable with the controversial two point goal option. One such shooter is Vixen’s Mwai Kumwenda who, last season only shot eight supershots. This season she has already shot 10. Her accuracy rate with the supershot is also quite high, shooting 2 from 3 this match.
