Round four of the Suncorp Super Netball has come to an end. For the first time in Super Netball, the round finished with an Easter Monday clash between the Swifts and the Fever at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Fever got an early scare from the Swifts with the home side getting out to a five goal lead in the first half but the Fever came home strong winning by nine goals with Sasha Glasgow and Alice Teauge-Neeld cementing themselves as real key players in the Fever attack.
The combination of Steph Wood and Cara Koenen at the Lightning was strong in the opening half against the Vixens, with the pair once again sending a reminder of how dangerous they can be which excited not just Lightning fans but Diamonds fans too.
ESPN takes a look at the four biggest talking points of Round Four.
CONCUSSION ONCE AGAIN AT THE FOREFRONT
Once again concussion has become a big talking point in the netball world, after both Sunshine Coast Lightning's Mahalia Cassidy and Collingwood's Ash Brazill were sent from the court after receiving head knocks.
Under the concussion framework, umpires are to send players from the court after a knock to the head, like what fans saw in round one when Emily Mannix was sent from the court after a head knock with Fever midcourter Verity Simmons.
Both players in round four were thankfully able to return to the court but it begs the question whether there should be more put in place for players that do show concussion symptoms or have received really heavy head knocks.
In other sports like AFL and AFLW when a player shows symptoms even in the slightest, they're required to come from the field for at least 15 minutes to undergo a concussion test. There is also technology on the bench called hawkeye that will allow the medical team to have footage in real time, to see the mechanisms of the incident.
SCAT5 is a tool used to evaluate concussion but can't be done properly in under 10 minutes, which could see players ruled out for 10 minutes or more but with concussion becoming more of an issue, could we see SCAT5 tests used more frequently in-game when it comes to players showing minor symptoms or in cases of real heavy collisions to make sure that player safety is at the forefront?
SECOND HALF DOMINATION
Second half domination was the theme at John Cain Arena this round with both the Magpies and the Vixens having strong second halves to get back into the contest against the Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning respectively.
Whilst the Vixens struggled in the opening half, they've really cemented themselves as the second half specialists with this being a common theme over their previous two matches.
The surge was led in defence, especially from wing defence Kate Eddy. After starting on the bench for the first time this season, she had a strong impact finishing the match with two interceptions and really lifted the defensive end.
Whilst on Sunday it was a third quarter masterclass from the Magpies. After the Firebirds were out to a five goal lead going into the third quarter, a wave of Magpies momentum stunned the winless team, with a 28-3 third quarter in favour of the home side setting them up for their second win of the season.
The surge was led by in-form defender Jodi-Ann Ward who really shut down the impact of the Firebirds attack end, finishing the match with five intercepts, three of which came in that third quarter, as well as four deflections.
BIG BIG WIN
The Giants are on the board for the first time in 2023, after a strong final quarter saw them get the chocolates over the red hot Adelaide Thunderbirds.
It was a comprehensive battle that was ultimately won in the midcourt, with Jamie-Lee Price (two intercepts, three deflections, 13 goal assists) and Amy Parmenter (two intercepts, four deflections) preventing the Thunderbirds midcourt from getting any momentum, with Parmenter shutting down Georgie Horjus and Price forcing a change with Maisie Nankivell coming on into centre at the end of the first quarter.
The Giants defensive end of April Brandley and Tilly McDonnell also played a key role, shutting down what was an unstoppable combination last week in Tippah Dwan and Eleanor Cardwell. The Giants defence prevented Dwan from making the most of the baseline and played in front of Eleanor Cardwell, pushing her deep into the circle.
This forced Tania Obst's hand, having to make another change bringing Cardwell to goal attack and bringing on Lucy Austin which seemed to get the Thunderbirds back into the game for some time, while the Giants looked to work out the combination but later on in the game with Parmenter and Price wearing down the midcourt it saw either held balls or airy passes that would go out of court.
MIDCOURT BATTLE IN MELBOURNE
It was a battle for the ages, with Gabi Simpson winding back the clock in what was a vintage performance when coming head-to-head with an in form Kelsey Browne.
Simpson was outstanding in the opening half of the match, really starving Browne of the ball in the second phase, with Simpson limiting Browne to just 2.5 Nissan Net Points at half time.
By applying the pressure when Browne got the ball, the Firebirds defence were to come up with the ball. Firebirds rookie Remi Kamo had a solid performance, finishing the match with four intercepts and five deflections.
Although going into the second half, Browne started to get off the chain. She finished with 71 Nissan Net Points and broke the record for most centre pass receives in a match with 28.
Firebirds coach Bec Bulley made the decision to bring Simpson and Kim Ravallion to the bench during the third quarter and, although she brought Simpson back on in the fourth, Browne already had the momentum and the confidence to continue her dominance.