Netball Super League | Where to Watch: Round 5

With another match up between two of last year’s top four teams to look out for, there is plenty to look forward to as we enter round five of the Netball Super League (NSL).

Fans can watch Manchester Thunder take on Surrey Storm on Sky Sports on Friday night, as well as Loughborough Lightning versus Leeds Rhinos on BBC Sport on Saturday.

Make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action with both streaming links below as well as all the details of the other games happening across the weekend, including where you can buy tickets and follow online.

Manchester Thunder v Surrey Storm – First Centre Pass at 19:30, Friday 15 March

Manchester Thunder made a statement with their 65-50 win over Severn Stars in round four, making Thunder the only team to remain unbeaten so far in NSL 2024. Can they continue this winning streak at home against Surrey Storm who are enjoying the confidence built from back-to-back wins over the past two rounds?

Manchester Thunder player to watch: Lois Pearson stood out in Thunder’s win over Severn Stars, where she combined with Paige Reed to produce a rotating shooting circle that was able to cut through Stars’ trademark style of defence. Expect the young Future Rose to put out a similarly impressive performance against Storm’s defence end in front of her home crowd at Belle Vue.

Surrey Storm player to watch: Haniisha Muhameed earned an impressive ten deflections and seven gains in Storm’s round four win. This ability to win ball at crucial moments will be critical against a clinical Manchester Thunder attacking end to ensure that Surrey Storm are able to provide their shooters with plenty of opportunities to score.

Where can I watch?

You can watch on Sky Sports YouTube, the first centre pass is at 19:30. Click below to watch:

International viewers can watch on NetballPass here.

Loughborough Lightning v Leeds Rhinos – First Centre Pass at 18:00, Saturday 16 March

After a painful one-goal loss in round three against London Pulse, Loughborough Lightning put out a performance to be proud of against Saracens Mavericks in round four, securing the win 66-46. With Alice Harvey topping the leaderboard for intercepts and Mary Cholhok ever-present at the top of the Gilbert top scorer leaderboard, the team are ready to face the next challenge. Leeds Rhinos are also heading into this game with the confidence of a significant win, after they picked up their first victory of the season against Strathclyde Sirens with a dominant scoreline of 73-34. Liana Leota will want to see her team continue to show what they can do when they come up against the reigning NSL champions.

Loughborough Lightning player to watch: Rhea Dixon will be eager to put out a strong performance against her old club in this game. She spent two seasons at Leeds Rhinos, including the club’s inaugural season in 2021 and, after picking up the player of the match award in round four, will need to continue playing with speed and agility to disrupt her opponents’ defence.

Leeds Rhinos player to watch: Geva Mentor returned to the NSL this year and had to wait until round four until she could celebrate her first win of the season with her side. Now that they have a confidence building win under their belt, Leeds Rhinos will need to show that they can build on this, and they will look to Mentor as captain for guidance as they do this. Mentor also combined beautifully with Zoe Davies in round four, picking up a combined twelve gains and eight deflections, so look out for a dynamic defence end this Saturday!

Where can I watch?

You can watch on BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer, the first centre pass is at 18:00. Click here to watch.

International viewers can watch on NetballPass here.

The rest of the round

Round five promises to deliver plenty more exciting matches. To begin, Strathclyde Sirens continue their hunt for their first win of NSL 2024 as they host the LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons in Glasgow at 7:30pm on Friday 15 March. This resilient Sirens side have developed a defensive structure which has challenged their opposition teams, but can they convert these defensive wins to more goals on the scoreboard and take the win against Dragons?

At the same time, Team Bath take on Saracens Mavericks, where both teams will be looking to bounce back from a loss in round four. Team Bath were pleased with the first three quarters that they put out against London Pulse in round four, but they will want to deliver a consistent four-quarter performance this week. They’ll face a Saracens Mavericks side with something to prove after a disappointing loss at home to Loughborough Lightning last week.

Finally, Severn Stars travel to the Copper Box Arena to face London Pulse at 7pm on Saturday 16 March. Stars lost their spot at the top of the table after losing to Manchester Thunder last week, but this game gives them another opportunity to play one of last year’s NSL finalists. Can they take the win this time?

If you would like to go down to any of this weekend’s games, head over to our tickets page where you will find links to all of the team’s ticket pages.

If you can’t make it to the games, you can keep up to date with all the action with updates at half time and full time on the @NetballSL Twitter account. You can also see all the results from round two as they come in on our fixtures & results page.

To keep up with the latest news, make sure to follow the @NetballSL on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, Netball Super League on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter.

Photo credit: Eva Gilbert