The Melbourne Mavericks would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land in which they compete, Naarm (Melbourne), on Wurundjeri Country, and would like to pay our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.
As part of this weekend’s First Nations’ Round, the Melbourne Mavericks donned their stunning inaugural First Nations dress as designed by Bayley Mifsud (Merindah-Gunyah).
To mark this special occasion, both teams met in the centre of the court where Aunty M’arwee’t and introduced the Welcome to Country ceremony, accompanied by the Djarlo Dance group.
Set to be an extremely tight game, both teams were ready to leave it all on the court, and, having a home crowd of Trailblazers, the Mavericks had a point to prove against their opposition, the Giants.
Q1: 17-19, Mavs Down.
The first quarter certainly brought the heat, with both teams testing the waters. The Mavericks connection grows week in week out, but the start of this match proved that they truly are coming together as a singular unit. The connection from Jovic to Nankivell at the centre pass was unmatched, followed by their goal assists into Shimona Jok, who was nothing but net following last week’s stellar performance, shooting 50 goals.
The Mavs connection proved to test the Giants willpower as they called two timeouts in the first quarter, trying to slow the momentum of their opposition. With nothing slowing the Mavs down, Olivia Lewis and Kim Jenner came flying in two deflections a piece. Despite the Mavs applying pressure to every pass, Jo Harten put the first supershot on the board. However, her English counterpart, Eleanor Cardwell, slotted a two pointer to match. After a tough battle, the Mavs, despite shooting at 100%, fell two goals short at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Q2: 29-33, Mavs down.
The second quarter saw both teams elevate their game, desperate to secure the win. The Mavericks defence brought the heat as Jovic, Jenner, Lewis and Parmenter all joined forces to shut the Giants out of the game. Team captain Amy Parmenter stood up and came away with an intercept and three deflections, allowing her team to pounce on the opportunity, and work the ball down the court in an attempt to get ahead of the Giants. Nankivell showed incredible speed and force as she ploughed down the court for her side, showing patience and never forcing the ball into her teammates.
Despite their best efforts, Dwyer and Harten’s super shooting proved too good, allowing the Giants to sneak away with the lead, 29-33.
Q3: 53-48, Mavs down
Coming into the third quarter, the Mavs welcomed Tayla Fraser into Wing Attack, moving Nankivell into Centre. Parmenter was attacking every ball against Maddie Hay, just as Jovic and Nankivell were against the force of Jamie-Lee Price.
At the eight minute mark of the quarter, the Mavericks had tied the game and were continuing to win possession. With Cardwell placing the ball perfectly for Jok, it was looking up for the home side.
An injury scare saw Parmenter come off just minutes before the power five hit, and what a show the goalers put on! Leatherbarrow sank three supershots with ease, with her goaling counterpart, Jo Harten sinking on herself. The Mavs welcomed Gabby Sinclair to the court, and in true Sinclair fashion, executed her first super shot of the game in response to the Giants showering. Kim Jenner came away with two intercepts, however both times the Giants were able to win back the ball, shifting the momentum back their way. The Mavericks fell short coming into the fourth and final quarter five goals down.
Q4: 59-66, Mavs lose.
A dance battle at three quarter time saw John Cain Arena up and moving as they pulled out their best moves and cheers for the dance schools competing on the stage! The audience loved it, and even Goose showed off some immaculate dance moves, as well as the infamous Snaffle Strut!
In positive news, Parmenter took to the court once more with some strapping of the ankle, which saw the Mavs up and about. Jenner scored a rebound that put the Mavs once again neck and neck with the Giants. However, as the quarter progressed, a few fumbles started to cost the Mavericks the win. Despite their on court connection levels above what it has been in previous weeks, showing true commitment and dedication to not only the club, but to each other, the realities of only playing together for roughly four months started to show. The Giants, a more experienced side, started to get the better of the Mavs, confident in taking their one point shots and letting the scoreboard tick over.
The Mavericks bench was up and about, and all seven athletes out on court were putting on the pressure, never giving up until the final siren sounded. Sadly, the Mavericks suffered another defeat, being taken down by their rivals, 59-66.
NOTES FROM THE COACH
In a post game interview, Head Coach Tracey Neville had a few words to say about the game.
“I feel that there were some absolutely excellent points.” Said Neville.
“We just didn’t take opportunities… and towards the end the score blew out because we were just trying to get back in the game.” Noted Neville on the two point shot struggles the Mavs faced.
Despite the loss, Neville is prepared to go back to training and work on consistency and taking the next step as a team.
“These players… have only played together for four months, consistency is not just flicked out of the air, it is a build on.” Concluded the Mavs Head Coach.
STATS TO REMEMBER:
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Jok shot at 95% accuracy.
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Kim Jenner had two intercepts, four gains and four deflections.
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Nankivell had 26 feeds, 19 goal assists and 10 centre pass receives.
The Mavericks will continue to search for their first home game win as they take on the NSW Swifts next Sunday, June 2, 4:00pm AEST, John Cain Arena.
