NSL Unwrapped: Thunder and Forest win big in Round 7

Nottingham Forest and Manchester Thunder clinched big wins in Round 7 of the Netball Super League.

Loughborough Lightning beat Birmingham Panthers whilst London Pulse downed LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons to make it seven wins from seven matches.

Forest take the spoils over Rhinos

Nottingham Forest moved within two points of the top four with a brilliant 74-60 win over NIC Leeds Rhinos in Round 7 of the Netball Super League.

Rhinos came out stronger and took the first quarter 19-12, with Cassie Howard's defensive play wreaking havoc on the travelling side.

But the hosts struggled to find consistency and soon fell away as their opposition closed the gap to just a two-point gap at the break.

Falling into a comfortable rhythm and supported by Rolene Streutker's shooting skills during the Soft & Gentle Super Shot and Tash Pavelin's interceptions, Forest took the lead for the first time in the third quarter and continued to soar.

Pavelin was eventually named Kissimmee Player of the Match with an impressive six gains, five interceptions and five deflections.

Thunder take second in the table

Manchester Thunder moved to second in the 2024 Netball Super League table with a 59-54 victory over London Mavericks.

Both teams were made to work hard defensively in the early stages, with Razia Quashie causing problems in the circle for the home side who held a 13-10 lead after the first quarter.

Elmere van der Berg, second in the league for the Soft and Gentle Super Shot, continued dominating in the final stages of each quarter and extended Thunder's lead to 31-24 at the break.

Mavericks came out for the second half with a new spark and played a patient game to sneak up on their hosts and close the gap two just two shots with 15 minutes to go.

An all or nothing final quarter saw Thunder once again pull ahead but it went down to the line as Mavericks battled for a bonus point, with Thunder ultimately coming out on top with victory.

Lightning edge a close battle with Panthers

Loughborough Lightning clinched a narrow 72-68 victory over Birmingham Panthers as East met West Midlands.

Both sides came into the match off the back of Round 6 wins and Panthers channelled that energy at the Sir David Wallace Arena, coming out all guns blazing but were quickly caught by their hosts as a back-and-forth battle ensued.

A high-scoring second quarter for both sides meant that there was just one shot in it at half-time, but the defending champions extended their lead after the break and expertly held their opposition off for the win.

Samantha Wallace-Joseph was awarded the Kissimmee Player of the Match after a brilliant performance saw her slot 34 goals and nine super shots, while Gabrielle Coffey shone in defence for the Birmingham side and Betsy Creak continued her impressive run in the shooting circle.

After taking their maiden Netball Super League win against Nottingham Forest in Round 6, Panthers are forced to wait for another victory as they continue to challenge the top teams.

Pulse push past Dragons

League leaders London Pulse kept alive their unbeaten streak to make it seven wins from seven matches after downing LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons 67-52.

The two teams entered the match at opposite ends of the table but Pulse were pushed all the way by Dragons in the opening quarter, only leading the bottom-placed side by four points after the opening quarter.

By half time, the lead had extended but only just as Pulse entered the interval 32-25 up as Jacqui Newton and Elle McDonald put defensive pressure on the hosts' attach.

The London-based side pulled away in the second half, led by Kissimmee Player of the Match Sophie Kelly after a superlative display saw her rain down seven Super Shots along with eight goals.

The result sees Pulse move to 21 points at the summit of the standings, while Dragons remain without a win but have a game in hand on most of the table.