NSL Unwrapped: Mavericks end Forest's home unbeaten run in Round 5

London Mavericks brought Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten home streak to an end in Round 5 of the Netball Super League.

Manchester Thunder relied on a late push to secure their win against NIC Leeds Rhinos but LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons could not come back against Loughborough Lightning despite a late surge.

Elsewhere, London Pulse sustained their perfect record in the league as they took a fifth win against Birmingham Panthers.

Forest’s home unbeaten run comes to an end

London Mavericks beat Nottingham Forest 67-56 at the Motorpoint Arena to deliver their first home loss of the season.

Mavericks set their stall out early and were ahead after the first quarter and half-time for the first time this season.

It was a dominant start which saw them ahead 35-27 at the midway point, aided by a flying second quarter from Emma Thacker who scored five Soft & Gentle Super Shots.

Forest made a strong bid to preserve their home record in the third quarter, bringing scores back to a two-goal margin at 47-45 boosted by Rolene Streutker’s 30-goal and 10-Super-Shot match total.

But London Mavericks proved too strong with a superb display from Emily Andrew who racked up 41 goals and three super shots to contribute over two-thirds of their winning total.

It saw the London side pull away to an 11-goal deficit to move five points ahead of Forest and remain in contention in third.

Thunder set up top of the table clash

A late surge from Manchester Thunder saw them emerge 70-57 winners against NIC Leeds Rhinos at the Belle Vue Arena.

The game proved evenly matched for much of the duration with Thunder marginally ahead 32-28 at the halfway point.

Joyce Mvula led the way for Leeds with 30 goals and four Super Shots while Elmeré van der Berg matched her goal total and added eight Super Shots for Thunder.

After the two sides had drawn the third quarter with 17 a piece, Rhinos attempted a comeback and brought scores within two goals with eight minutes remaining.

But Thunder demonstrated why they have won four out of their five matches to pull away in the closing stages.

It sets up a top of the table clash with league leaders London Pulse who are currently ahead by three points in the standings.

Lightning fend off Dragons

Samantha Wallace-Joseph helped Loughborough Lightning to their third win of the season as they defeated LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 70-63 following a strong start.

In just her second appearance of the season, Wallace-Joseph scored 40 goals and five Super Shots to help Lightning consolidate their fourth place spot and remain with two points of second.

The East Midlands outfit got off to a strong start that saw them 40-31 up at the midway point.

But Cardiff Dragons came out with renewed impetus in the third quarter as they matched Lightning 17-17 before edging the final quarter 13-14.

It was a resurgence inspired by Georgia Rowe, who sank 34 goals across the duration.

It was not enough, however, to overturn Lightning’s first-half lead as they held onto an eight-goal advantage to secure all three points.

It means Dragons remain in search of their first win of the season.

Pulse remain perfect

London Pulse continued their perfect record in the league as they beat Birmingham Panthers 58-68 at Worcester Arena.

Pulse stormed ahead in the first quarter to take a 21-13 lead thanks to a clinical performance from Olivia Tchine who sank 40 goals and five Super Shots in total.

But Birmingham Panthers fought back, winning the second quarter and coming within two goals of the league leaders during the third quarter.

Their efforts were led by Sigi Burger who scored 25 goals and one Super Shot, and supported by some super shooting from Betsy Creak and Gabrielle Sinclair who delivered on the Super Shots.

Following a delay for injury, Pulse proved why they top the table as they eased ahead to take a convincing win.