The Melbourne Mavericks have concluded their preseason campaign with a convincing win against New Zealand’s Northern Mystics; 90-55.
The Mystics travelled across the Tasman to take on the Mavs at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, ahead of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) season beginning in just over a week’s time, on April 5.
“Last year we were working out our values and now we are living them,” Molly Jovic said in a quarter time interview, a comment that aptly surmises the game.
The game started as a close match, with Amy Parmenter leading the team wearing the centre bib with trust in the other midcourters as they seamlessly moved through the court. Kim Brown caused strong defensive pressure with big intercepts, and was utilised in transitioning down from the defence end. Verging on finally earning her first Mavs cap, Sasha Glasglow continued to make her presence felt on court, with two Super Shots getting the Mavs in front to finish the first quarter; 19-15.
The Mavs’ defensive pressure through the whole court stepped up in the second quarter causing several held ball calls to be made for the Mystics. Shimona Jok stayed strong under the ring creating an easy space to feed into, with the goaling circle still staying consistent when Uneeq Palavi stepped into GA, stretching the lead out to 41-34 at the main break.
The third quarter saw a few substitutions made by the Mavs, with Jessie Grenvold making an impact in GD straight away with a strong intercept, proving why she has earnt the Mavs’ 11th Player contract. The versatility of the Mavs midcourters was shown with Parmenter, Tayla Fraser and Maisie Nankivell all switching positions but still keeping that connection through the middle. Heading into the final term, the Mavs had extended their lead to 62-46.
The Mavs continued to move from strength-to-strength in the fourth quarter. Grenvold continued to show her progression with a flying intercept, with Olivia Lewis joining in to bring the crowd to their feet, causing an excellent turnover against Mystics’ and Australian Diamonds’ goaler, Donnell Wallam.
Montana Holmes came on into WD in the last 10 minutes of the game, feeding into the dynamic work of Palavi (now in at GS) and Glasgow, with three Super Shots between the two of them, securing the 35-goal win for the Mavs.
Post-match Mavs head coach, Tracey Neville, shared her thoughts on the team’s last practice match ahead of Round 1.
“We really needed to nail down some of our basics we have been working on, and I think today was a really great performance from all the girls. We really cemented a lot, and that was really what I wanted to bring into training and competition, [and] I think they did that beautifully today. Hopefully we can go into the game next week as positive as we started tonight.”
Round 1 of the 2025 SSN season for the mighty Mavs kicks off next week, Saturday 5 April, when they take on their ‘bunnies’ from 2024, the Sunshine Coast Lightning at John Cain Arena.
The match is scheduled for 7pm, with Delta Goodrem confirmed as the pre-match entertainment.
Tickets are now available for purchase via Ticketek.
