Super Netball Round-Up: First Nations culture celebrated, Fever’s winning streak snapped, and could this young star become a Diamonds GK?

Wow, that went fast! Week seven marked the midway point of the Super Netball season and the first half of First Nations Round.

The action began on Kabi Kabi Country, where the Sunshine Coast Lightning made it two wins in a row to claim Queensland Derby bragging rights against the Firebirds, 76-65.

A grand final re-match between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and NSW Swifts on Kaurna Country saw the visiting team succumb to the lowest-ever Super Netball score in history, 58-33. Yes, you read that right.

The Melbourne Mavericks’ drought at home continued as they lost 66-59 to the Giants in Naarm. Before the Melbourne Vixens became the first team this season to beat the West Coast Fever in stunning fashion in Boorloo, 76-65.

If you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up.

First Nations Round, part one

One of the key differences in fixtures this season has been the split of First Nations Round.

Previously, the league held its celebration of Indigenous culture across back-to-back rounds during National Reconciliation Week (May 27- June 3) to allow each club a chance to host.

But this year, Super Netball has a larger gap between the two rounds so that the first was held right before National Reconciliation Week in round seven and the second aligns with the start of NAIDOC Week (July 7 – July 14) in round 13.

The shift on the Super Netball calendar was recommended by First Nations engagement lead and Kamilaroi woman Ali Tucker-Munro, who was appointed in her role in July 2023.

The sport has made important steps in this space since its 2020 Declaration of Commitment – such as its recent introduction of an inaugural Australian First Nations team named the Black Swans.

“The reason for separating the rounds and playing in the lead-up to National Reconciliation Week was because it sets the tone,” Tucker-Munro said.

“The week is all about reflection and for non-Indigenous Australians to recognise what they need to do to be part of the reconciliation journey.

“The intent was to give all of netball’s member organisations and Super Netball teams the opportunity to demonstrate what they’re doing in partnership with our communities, because that’s the missing piece.

“Instead of sitting there and either thinking or saying, ‘Our sport needs to do better,’ people need to recognise that they have to be part of that change as much as anyone else.

“So, what does reconciliation mean to you as a non-Indigenous Australian and what are you doing in the other 50 weeks of the year to make a change at your team, club or association level?

“That’s what’s important to our community, because we as First Nations people can sense if something is inauthentic from a mile away.”

Most grassroots associations will be hosting activities this upcoming Saturday and Sunday during the actual week, and Tucker-Munro reiterates it was Super Netball’s job to amplify its “Join in the Journey” message ahead of time to set an example for the entire ecosystem.

The fact remains that just two of Super Netball’s 80 full-time athletes are Indigenous – a ratio much lower than what we see in the footballing codes.

So, the purpose of the round should be to build a genuine relationship with the Indigenous community, celebrate their contribution to the sport and find ways to retain First Nations talent in netball.

ABC Sport has been in touch with each of the Super Netball clubs to find out more about the kinds of activities each team got up to this week. The dresses this year were stunning of course, but it can be easy to get caught up in what’s happening at that superficial level and harder to find out about the action behind the scenes.

It would be great to see clubs promote their work in this space more prominently on social media. The host broadcaster Fox Netball can also play a role in highlighting this.

For instance, Super Netball stars Leesa Mi Mi (Wakka Wakka) and Donnell Wallam (Noongar) were talked about on the coverage, but Vixens training partner Gabby Coffey (Wiradjuri) less so, even after she was elevated to the team’s game-day squad through injury.

To focus on the positives, two great examples of connection that caught our eye included Lightning’s Welcome to Country video and Netball Queensland taking the next step in their Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Lightning’s video was filmed on Kabi Kabi Country with elders from local First Nations Group Yir’un-Yalangi and has been played at every one of the club’s home games this season.

Meanwhile, Netball Queensland moved on to the second part of its RAP process “Innovate” last week and for a second straight year, the Firebirds First Nations dresses will be auctioned off to raise money for their Diamond Spirit program.

Fever’s winning streak finally broken

It may have taken seven rounds to find a side that could dismantle Fever’s attacking dominance, but from an entertainment perspective, it was worth the wait.

The Vixens, sitting second in the league, had their five-game unbeaten streak snapped last week in round six against the Lightning. Yet they bounced back from that loss to put on their best performance so far in 2024 – despite missing a couple of players.

Defender Kate Eddy was out for a second straight week with a leg injury, while midcourter Zara Walters was missing for a fourth round in a row as she continues to rehab a lower back issue.

These omissions didn’t stop the Vixens from running rampant at the back of the court and head coach Simone McKinnis didn’t even make a single change to her starting seven.

Experienced defenders Emily Mannix and Jo Weston got their usual starts, this time at goal defence and wing defence, allowing Rudi Ellis to occupy the goal keeper bib.

Ellis played two seasons at the Fever before heading back to Vixens this year and her insights into the workings of her former club truly came in handy.

Playing against the tallest shooter in the competition, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Ellis used her footwork and timing to overcome the 8-centimetre difference in the match-up.

There’s a reason Fowler-Nembhard is a five-time Super Netball MVP and her team’s ball speed and incredible work rate have made it difficult to stop the feed heading into her in their shooting circle.

Enter Mannix, Weston and Ellis at the peak of their powers and suddenly Fever were the most unsteady we’ve seen them this season, panicking and trying to force the ball long.

That pressure crept into Fowler-Nembhard’s game too, as she had her first miss midway through the first quarter and went on to finish the game with 43/47 at 92 per cent accuracy.

It seems crazy to suggest a player had an off game while shooting in the 90 percentile, and that’s a compliment to Fowler-Nembhard’s standards – because she is just so tough to face.

But when we see her typically tallying 60-plus goals each week and only ever missing one or two goals in a match, it shows how much of a thorn Ellis was in her side for round seven.

So huge kudos to Ellis (four gains, one rebound, one deflection, three intercepts) is in order, as well to her teammates Mannix, Weston and Kate Moloney at centre for their work out front.

It’s no surprise that the team is excelling under the guidance of Vixens’ specialist defence coach and two-time world champion Sharni Norder (née Layton), who was rightly tight-lipped and unwilling to share much about their game plan.

Crowds are on the up

We’ve already alluded to this in a previous one of our Round-Ups this season, but it has been great to see a boom in crowd numbers.

At the halfway point, there has been a 34 per cent increase in the average attendance per round (now up to 21,613) in comparison with crowd numbers at this point last year.

This is partly due to the move for Super Netball teams to play at larger venues – such as the Thunderbirds permanent shift to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for their home games, thanks to a leg-up offered by their state government to underwrite the costs.

In round seven, 8,447 people turned up to watch their side take on the Swifts, marking the biggest turnout they’ve had so far this season. Other state governments should take notice.

For instance, the Lightning had a sell-out crowd on Saturday for the Queensland Derby, but the USC stadium capacity only holds 3,000 people. Imagine how many fans would have come through the gates for the Battle of the Bruce Highway if they had played at a larger venue.

However, the club that has truly been leading the way ever since the Super Netball era began is the Fever.

On Sunday, 11,119 fans turned up to Perth Arena to watch a top-of-the-ladder contest against the Vixens.

Their side may have lost the game, but it was a huge win for the club off the court, as that was Fever’s biggest crowd ever for a non-finals match. In fact, they’ve registered four of their top five regular season crowds over the past two years.

At a time when the sport is trying to realise its true commercial potential, whatever Fever is getting up to on the west coast should be studied because it is seriously impressive.

Is Ash Ervin our next gen Diamonds GK?

Australia has a long history of producing impressive goal keepers.

Liz Ellis, Laura Geitz and the incumbent Courtney Bruce are just some of the names on the long list of Diamonds defenders who are considered legends of the world game.

Watching 21-year-old Ash Ervin play for the Sunshine Coast Lightning this year has therefore got a lot of fans excited about the future of our national team.

Defenders typically bloom in the later stages of their careers, as it takes them a bit longer to mature into that role. It takes many years to develop the nuance required to read the game and how best to assert yourself in the contest as the last line of defence.

But Ervin – with her height (192cm), wingspan, courage and timing – is playing beyond her years.

In round seven, Ervin was recognised as the player of the match against the Firebirds, for her 11 gains including four intercepts, nine deflections and four rebounds. She was only penalised seven times.

Overall, Ervin sits second in the league for deflections (47) and fourth for intercepts (13), putting her well and truly in contention for Super Netball’s Rising Star award.

Without trying to heap too much pressure on the young goal keeper’s shoulders, it appears as if this young woman is going to be very important to Australia moving forward and that talent needs to be nurtured by the national high-performance system as much as possible.

Ervin has already got a bit of a taste for the international stage too, playing Fast 5 for the green and gold in netball’s modified version of the game last year.

Speaking after the win against the Firebirds, Ervin credited her work alongside Bruce this season – after the Diamonds GK moved to the Sunshine Coast this year and was seen giving her tips at half-time – as one of the catalysts for her form.

“She’s had such a big impact on my game, it’s amazing how she shares her intelligence, I’m really grateful for her insight,” Ervin told Fox Netball.

Next weekend Ervin faces the best shooter in the world in Fowler-Nembhard. Watch this space.