The Melbourne Mavericks have gone down to not only the reigning premiers but also the team with the home crowd advantage, the Adelaide Thunderbirds in their first game of Team Girls Cup.
The Mavs had a shaky start with the Thunderbirds capitalising on this with a firing start. Sasha Glasgow represented the Mavs for the first time in her own state and scored the Mavs first goal of the game, with other South Australians like Jessie Grenvold, Nyah Allen and Maisie Nankivell also playing in front of a home crowd. Shamera Sterling-Humphry made life difficult for the Mavericks' shooters, but a late rally, sparked by a crucial pick-up from captain Amy Parmenter, saw the Mavs close the gap to just three goals by the end of the first quarter, trailing 12-9
The second quarter saw no changes to the lineup, and the Mavericks came out with more discipline, particularly in their feed to the shooters. Tayla Fraser made a big impact with a tip and chase-down, and Sasha Glasgow nearly pulled off intercept of the game. After a timeout, Nyah Allen entered the game at goal attack (GA) and sinking her first shot. Despite a strong start to the quarter, the Mavericks struggled to maintain their momentum, and by halftime, the score was 23-17 in favour of the Thunderbirds.
The Mavericks came out strong in the third quarter, immediately breaking the Thunderbirds' centre pass. The intensity of the game picked up, with the Mavericks showing more grit and determination. Jessie Grenvold made an immediate impact, getting key tips and forcing turnovers. Amy Parmenter, now in centre, played a pivotal ball carrying role and finding Sasha and Shimona in the circle nicely. Sasha’s accuracy from range was on full display as she nailed two two-pointers, bringing the Mavs within one goal by the end of a very strong quarter, 29-30.
In the final quarter, the Mavericks introduced fresh legs, with Uneeq, Emma, and Montana coming into the game. Liv Lewis pulled off two critical intercepts in a row, but unfortunately, the Mavericks were unable to capitalize on those opportunities. Maisie Nankivell, the only Mavericks player to play out the full game showed extreme athleticism and grit. While the Mavs showed defensive resilience in the final term, they struggled to convert their chances, and the Thunderbirds eventually pulled away to win 42-31.
Mavericks head coach Tracey Neville shared her thoughts on the match:
“We had a slow start, but I’m really pleased with the way we fought our way back into the game. There were some really positive moments where we executed things we’ve been working on in training. It was a great opportunity to get everyone on the court.”
The Mavericks will be back in action tomorrow, taking on both the Sunshine Coast Lightning at 2:30pm AEDT and the Giants at 7:30pm AEDT.
Catch every game live on Kayo Sports, Foxtel Plus, and for the first time, now on Binge.
