The GIANTS prepare for one of their most important matches of the season when they take on the Adelaide Thunderbirds in South Australia.
A third consecutive finals appearance is currently on the line every week, dependent not only on the GIANTS results, but also the fifth placed Collingwood Magpies who sit outside the four by just one point.
The GIANTS and the Thunderbirds last met in Round 6 at Qudos Bank Arena. A dominant performance on court from the GIANTS saw them take an 11-goal victory as well as the four bonus points. GIANTS fans were also impressive this day recording the largest home crowd so far this season (10,635).
The Thunderbirds are yet to defeat the GIANTS in Suncorp Super Netball – the GIANTS winning all five of the previous encounters by an average margin of 14 goals.
The GIANTS come off a four-goal loss to the Lightning – their first defeat since the return from the World Cup break.
Last weekend the Thunderbirds recorded just their third win of the season, defeating the winless Queensland Firebirds by 12 goals.
Both Julie Fitzgerald and Kim Green acknowledged the improvement and recent stability of the Thunderbirds after a tough start to the season thanks to multiple injuries. It’s a familiar competitor for Fitzgerald with former GIANTS Assistant Coach Tania Obst nearing the end of her first season in charge of the South Australian side.
GIANTS Goal Shooter Caitlin Bassett will match up against the inform Shamera Sterling who currently leads the leagues statistics for Nissan Net Points, defensive rebounds, deflections and intercepts.
At the other end of the court the GIANTS defensive duo will look to minimise the impact that Maria Folau has on the game as well as the much improved Sasha Glascow.
GIANTS fans can watch the game live from 1:00pm (AEST) on Channel 9 or the Netball Live App.
Previous meetings:
2017 – R5, Giants 53 def Thunderbirds 38 – AIS Arena, Canberra
2017 – R11, Giants 49 def Thunderbirds 47 – Priceline Stadium, Adelaide
2018 – R2, Giants 71 def Thunderbirds 48 – Priceline Stadium, Adelaide
2018 – R9, Giants 63 def Thunderbirds 44 – AIS Arena, Canberra
2019 – R6, Giants 65 def Thunderbirds 54 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
