Round 15 has been and gone in the Providoor Premier League and with just three weeks left to play in the regular season, the Opens Top 4 have been locked in.
On Wednesday night, newcomers the South West Mounties MAGIC managed to cement a finals berth in their inaugural season.
With a total 22 points, they remain fourth and are now too far ahead for the fifth-placed UTS Randwick Sparks to catch up.
Joining them in the finals, will be the same top three as last year – North Shore United, Manly Warringah Sapphires and the ERNA Hawks.
These three teams currently sit in a different order than they finished the 2023 season, but there’s still plenty of time for change with only six points separating 1st and 4th.
Ladder leaders United are on 28 points and right now, are the frontrunners for the minor premiership. They have set the standard all season, with 14 wins to their name.
Coached by Australian Men’s captain Dylan Nexhip, United got off to a 13-round undefeated streak, before they suffered their one and only loss to the Sapphires, 64-56.
They’ve only conceded 681 goals to claim the tag as the best defensive side, featuring players like GIANTS star Erin O’Brien and previous Grand Final MVP Ash Fong in their back line.
United have been a dominant force throughout Providoor Premier League history, clinching the title twice before in 2020 and 2022; and reaching the finals for the past four seasons straight.
Meanwhile, the Sapphires are the defending champions in the Opens, with former Canberra Giants ANL coach Mel Clarke hoping to guide them to back-to-back victories.
Sitting second on 25 points, their team includes well-known NSW stars like Kelly Singleton, Jemma Donoghue and the Little sisters. It’s also captained by Latika Tombs – the daughter of three-time world champion Diamond, Carissa Tombs.
Having sunk 893 goals, the navy blues are the highest-scoring team in the competition this year, averaging 60 goals a game.
But they started their campaign a little shaky, registering two losses and a draw in the opening three rounds, before they found form. They’re now on a 12-match winning streak.
Their two losses were at the hands of the Hawks, 55-48, and United, 61-59.
But the Sapphires were able to flip the script in their second meeting with both opponents later on, showing just how tight the finals should be.
This will be the seventh time in nine Premier League seasons that they’ve finished in the Top 4 as they aim for a third title, having lifted the trophy back in 2017 and 2023.
In third place, are the Hawks – last year’s runners up – who have their own storied history.
The Hawks have reached the grand final more times than any other team in the league throughout history and had their name etched on the trophy in 2019.
The Hawks have only lost three games so far and charging home on 24 points.
However, all of their losses have come against the Sapphires or United. In fact, they’ve fallen to United twice by the same five-goal margin in Round 2, 53-48, and in Round 11, 45-40.
For coach Karen Stonnill, it’ll be a second finals appearance in as many years, after making a successful switch from last year’s U23s runners up the Sparks, to the Hawks Opens side.
She also has a stacked roster filled with Swifts talent, such as Grace Whyte, Dakota Thomas, Jess Conlan and Freddie Schneidemann.
Rounding out the Top 4, the MAGIC should be super proud of their ability to reach finals in their first year joining the league.
Boasting a kiwi flavour in their inaugural campaign, the team features Silver Ferns capped players like Gina Crampton and Elle Temu, as well as NZ development player Jamie Hume.
Their coach Virginia Welsh also managed to attract the likes of Samoan shooter and U23s champion Papi Alaalatoa to spearhead her new team.
The only thing that doesn’t bode well for them ahead of finals, is that like the Hawks, they’ve been unable to beat any of the teams yet above them on the ladder.
MAGIC have lost to the Sapphires twice, and to both Hawks and United once, with games against the latter two still to come in the next few weeks.
United face: Stingrays, Magic, Heart
Sapphires face: Heart, Panthers, Blaze
Hawks face: Magic, Sparks, Fury
MAGIC face: Hawks, United, Sparks
Providoor Premier League continues every Wednesday Night at Netball Central and every centre pass, intercept and goal will be streamed live and on demand via netballnsw.tv. Tickets available here
