Super Netball the most competitive it has ever been

Reigning premier West Coast Fever have opened their season with two nailbiting wins, beating the Melbourne Vixens by one goal in the season opener at RAC Arena before defeating the Giants by the same margin at Ken Rosewall Arena last Sunday.

West Coast Fever general manager Sue Gaudion believes the Super Netball competition is as competitive as it has ever been.

Gaudion told Sports Breakfast there would be no easy wins.

“We knew season 2023, we were going to be starting down the barrel of a very, very tight season, and round 2 was a real reflection of that,” Gaudion said.

“It may not make the fans or the CEO thrilled about the fact that we’re only winning by a goal because it’s tough to watch, but the reality of it is people probably need to get used to it this season, because I do think the competition is tight.

“If we can take some real strengths in those lessons that we’ve learned in the first two rounds about how we can remain composed under pressure and still be able to find a win, I think [that] will be critically important for us as the season unfolds.”

Gaudion said the win over the Giants was well-earned.

“The first half for us, it was a bit of a blow-for-blow battle, we were probably a little off defensively and they certainly found their moments in the Super Shot period to pull back any sort of lead that we chipped away at,” she said.

“The third quarter was good, I thought we rectified the game plan and were able to stick to task a little bit longer under the pressure, but the fourth quarter for us was a real disappointment and I think we fell away. Credit to the Giants, they threw caution into the wind and went hell for leather.

“Brilliant to be able to hold on by that goal. Not necessarily an ideal game for us but as Dan [Ryan], the head coach, said, you take the wins, right? I mean, that’s what it’s all about. We showed some real class in critical moments to be able to hold on and take the four points.”

The Fever’s next assignment comes in the form of Collingwood at RAC Arena on Sunday, with Gaudion saying she was expecting another tough game.

“They have a very similar game to ours, they’ve a big strong target in Shimona Nelson up front and some real speed out the front of her,” she said.

“They can put scoreboard pressure on, which is not dissimilar to how Fever go about their business.

“We’ve got a real task in terms of our defensive pressure and to understand that the little one–percent moments could become critical in a game like this, particularly for our defenders.”

The clash with the Magpies starts at 12pm on Sunday.

IMAGE: FILE