In a nail-biting finish, the Mavericks edged the GIANTS by a single point in Sydney, propelling themselves into the top four and notching their first-ever back-to-back victories in the First Nations Round opener.
The GIANTS came into Saturday night’s game brimming with confidence after their last win over the Mavericks, but they needed to shake off recent inconsistency. Meanwhile the Mavericks last week pulled off a thrilling 72-71 last-minute win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Hobart.
In the final minute, the GIANTS were pushing for a winning goal until Player of the Match Kim Jenner made a crucial intercept and masterfully keeping it in play after a collision with Amy Sligar, setting up Cardwell to score the winning goal.
“It’s always body on the line for the final minutes and that was our finals right there so we really needed everything to get over the line,” Kim Jenner said post-match.
After the GIANTS jumped out to an early lead with three quick goals from Harten, the Mavericks responded in kind, with Cardwell and Jok each scoring three to keep the contest intense.
The GIANTS excelled in clogging up the defence, stifling the Mavericks' drives and with both teams fighting to keep their seasons alive, bodies were on the line in every contest.
Sligar made an impact early, snatching a key intercept and displaying dominant physicality against Tayla Fraser.
Meanwhile, for the Mavs Lewis and Jenner were up and about defensively against Harten and Dwyer – raking in a combined 39.5 Nissan Net Points, three rebounds, an intercept, and three deflections between them in the first term.
It’s no surprise Olivia Lewis topped the Nissan Net Points at quarter time with 30.5, thanks to her superb defensive work on Jo Harten—restricting her to 60% shooting accuracy and shutting her out in the latter part of the term.
The Mavericks also excelled as a team, boasting a 30% higher centre pass-to-goal rate than the GIANTS in the first term despite a few unforced errors.
A pair of late goals to the Mavs and a Super Shot miss from Harten meant it was a two goal lead (14-12) to the away side at the first change.
It was another rollercoaster quarter, with the GIANTS lifting their intensity and scoring the first three goals of the term once again. Jodi-Ann Ward made a crucial intercept, which was converted, but a misplaced pass soon allowed the Mavericks to regain possession.
The midcourt trio of Price, Hay, and Sligar continued to excel, combining for 110 Nissan Net Points and 32 feeds, with Price alone tallying 57 NNP by half time.
Matisse Letherbarrow entered for Jo Harten just before Power Five, aiming to add more Super Shots and the midcourt battle heated up as Maisie Nankivell replaced Tayla Fraser in Wing Attack.
Following a suspected dislocated finger, Jenner was forced off the court, prompting a Mavericks reshuffle. Lewis moved to GD, and Tracey Neville called a tactical timeout to disrupt the GIANTS' momentum.
Despite the turnovers keep mounting up for Mavs, they lead by a point. Letherbarrow nailed her first Super Shot, while Cardwell returned to GS and Sinclair, the Super Shot specialist, was brought into the game.
A standout moment came when Parmenter delivered a spectacular intercept, levelling the score at 25 apiece.
The Mavs were winning plenty of ball, but their conversion rate was low. They struggled to advance the ball down the court efficiently, often taking wide drives and long passes.
It was all square at the break, with both teams making mistakes but also demonstrating strong defensive efforts. Jamie-Lee Price stood out for the GIANTS.
The Mavericks sought a spark to ignite the third term as the GIANTS began to put pressure on the away side.
After a tight first half with 25 goals apiece, the game finally opened up for the Mavericks with five minutes remaining in the third term.
Jamie-Lee Price delivered another standout performance for the GIANTS, leading with 40.5 Nissan Net Points in the third term alone, though the team's gain-to-goal rate was below par. Meanwhile, the Mavericks boasted a flawless turnover-to-goal rate.
Sligar made a key intercept for the GIANTS, but Jenner quickly reclaimed possession for the Mavs. The quarter ended in high tension, with the Mavericks holding a five-point lead as they headed into the final term.
Harten started the final quarter on the bench, directing her team from the sidelines, while Sligar returned to the court in wing defence.
The GIANTS needed to make an early impact to close the five-goal deficit and did just that, scoring the first two goals after a missed shot by Cardwell. Sligar made a crucial intercept, and Cardwell's physical play went without controversy despite some calls for a suspension.
Former GIANT Kristiana Manu’a entered the game for Lewis following a tactical timeout at the 10-minute mark. After a missed shot, Ward, who had been dominant, grabbed the rebound and sent the ball down the court. However, the GIANTS struggled with composure, allowing the Mavericks to regain possession.
Jok was benched as Sinclair came on for the Mavs just before Power Five time. The score quickly levelled at 51-all. A missed shot by Cardwell saw Ward recover the rebound, but the GIANTS couldn’t capitalise as the Mavericks snatched back possession.
Letherbarrow then delivered a crucial Super Shot, putting the GIANTS ahead with 90 seconds left. Cardwell responded with a Super Shot of her own, leveling the score once more.
With the GIANTS looking to score the winning goal, Jenner made a critical intercept, maintaining possession after a massive sideline hit from Sligar and the Mavericks scored the winning goal - rocketing them to fourth on the leaderboard and keeping their final hopes alive.
