The SSN season is a marathon, not a sprint.
And deep down all fans will tell themselves not to overreact to one win, one loss, one quarter or even one moment.
Basically, don’t ride the rollercoaster.
Thursday Takes flies in the face of that logic.
Each week you’ll find our raw, unfiltered views on your club and what the weekend’s performance means for them going forward.
Check it out below.
MELBOURNE MAVERICKS
Uneeq Palavi will find herself on an SSN list sooner rather than later.
Called into the Mavericks starting seven to cover the injured Eleanor Cardwell and Sasha Glasgow, the Tongan international played a key role in the Mavericks 15 goal victory over the GIANTS.
Playing out of position and tasked with the challenge of being marked by Jamaican star Jodi-Ann Ward, Palavi did a power of work out in front of reigning Mavericks MVP Shimona Jok.
She played the full 60 minutes for the first time in her SSN career and finished the match with 24 feeds and 23 assists to go with nine goals (including two super shots), complementing Jok (60 goals) beautifully.
Palavi will likely be squeezed to the bench after the Mavericks weekend off with Sasha Glasgow slated to return, but her performance on the weekend will have piqued the interest of plenty of coaches and list managers across both the SSN, the UK and New Zealand.
Uneeq Palavi put in another impressive performance on Sunday.ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS
There was plenty to take out of Sunday's loss to the Swifts, especially the emergence of Kayla Graham as an attacking point of difference.
Injected into the game late in the third quarter, Graham immediately nailed a super shot, before going on to finish the game with five goals from five attempts, including three super shots.
The homegrown hybrid attacker also claimed an intercept, a rebound and an assist.
Ultimately her late flurry wasn’t enough to impact the result, but her 16 minutes on court showed both Tania Obst and the rest of the competition that the Thunderbirds have another yet weapon up their sleeve.
Thunderbirds young gun Kayla Graham had an immediate impact on the weekend.NSW SWIFTS
Teigan O’Shannassy has arrived.
The tall intercept defender has been highly regarded in Australian netball circles for quite a while, having been named in multiple Fast5 squads despite having limited court time with the Swifts in recent seasons.
There will be plenty more court time coming her way from now on.
In just 35 minutes of netball against the Thunderbirds, O’Shannassy claimed seven gains and six intercepts, working in combination with Sharni Lambden and Sarah Klau to help swing the game in the Swifts favour.
This performance followed on from her impressive showing against the Melbourne Mavericks in Round 2, where she nabbed three gains and two intercepts in just 24 minutes of game time.
In an era of the all-conquering tall goal shooters, O’Shannassy’s off the body prowess will be key to the Swifts title chances.
