Greig hails Thunder’s determination as they book Grand Final spot

The hosts started at a blistering pace, setting the bar high through Lois Pearson and Paige Reed who linked up perfectly to open a gap in the first quarter.

Four-time champions Thunder continued their momentum for much of the first half but maiden semi-finalists Stars fought back after half-time and reduced the deficit to just three in an electric third quarter.

Thunder clinched victory with a superb final quarter as reinforcements proved the difference in an end-to-end affair.

With a Grand Final spot secured, Greig believed her side’s intensity was the key in a tough semi-final battle.

She said: “We went 12 up and let them back in and that certainly isn’t acceptable at that point when you’re letting a team back with eight goals.

“Through quarter-time there was a few [calls of], ‘How much do you want this? You’ve got to go out there and do it for yourselves”.

“They certainly did do that and took some real opportunities, I thought the injection of the changes worked really well of Elmere [van der Berg] in goal attack and Lois into wing attack opened up that space for us.

“Semi-finals day is always the toughest one and credit to Jo [Trip] and Stars, they came out and played a great game, they really brought it to us and they should be really proud of what they’ve achieved.

“These girls want it, I hedge no bets on that but they’ve got to get out there and show how much they want it.

“The intensity that they came out with at the start of that fourth quarter where we got some really good turnover and we punished them.”

Table-toppers Thunder took the first quarter 17-13 following a back-and-forth affair in the early stages.

Pearson and Reed undid a solid Severn Stars defence, recording a 100% shooting record inside the circle, netting 11 times in eight minutes to build up an early lead.

The visitors were playing Thunder at their own game and soon stormed to reduce the deficit from nine to three thanks to multiple impressive turnovers.

The Belle Vue Arena crowd roared on the hosts but formidable duo Rademan and Burger turned the tables to make it a tight tussle in the North West.

Burger, still at a 100% shooting record with 32 goals, led Stars to an inspired third quarter leaving it all to play for in the closing stages with the scores at 44-40 following a 17-11 third-quarter win.

Into the final quarter, Trip caught an early rebound to help Stars surge up court but Thunder remained clinical when it mattered.

Reed proved her speed on entry into the circle as the home side racked up the goals to etch closer and closer to booking a place in the Grand Final.

Clinical work from reinforcement Van Der Berg spurred Thunder on to extend their lead to nine goals and help the hosts punch their Netball Super League Grand Final ticket with a convincing 63-54 win.

Stars will still be on the hunt for a bronze medal at the Resorts World Arena next week as they mark a historic run with a third place play-off in Birmingham.

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