Five vie for finals places with one eye on calculator
DO not be surprised if you see calculators on the netball court this weekend.
The final round of the Super Netball season is set to be a cracker with percentage and bonus points to play a vital role in deciding the top four.
Five teams are still in the hunt for a finals berth with only Adelaide, NSW and Collingwood out of the picture.
West Coast (70 points) and GWS (69) will slog it out in Sydney tonight with the win- ner to finish on top and earn two home finals.
The loser could finish as high as second or as low as fourth. Third-placed Sunshine Coast Lightning (63) and fourth-placed Queensland Firebirds (62) will guarantee finals berths with victory in their respective games.
The fifth-placed Melbourne Vixens (57 points) have the highest mountain to climb.
To guarantee a berth, they need to defeat the Lightning in Melbourne tomorrow and claim all four bonus points.
A team claims a bonus point for each quarter it wins.
If the Vixens claim only three bonus points they will need to eclipse the Lightning on percentage — with a fivegoal win probably being enough.
A win but only two bonus points is unlikely to be enough for the Vixens — barring a mini miracle in the Queensland versus Collingwood game in Brisbane tonight.
Queensland needs a lot to go right to have a chance of sneaking into second spot, so a charge for third spot is its most realistic option.
Whoever finishes third earns hosting rights for the third versus fourth playoff in week one of the finals.
Only one competition point separates Queensland and defending premier Sunshine Coast, meaning their tussle for third could come down to bonus points and percentage.
Sunshine Coast is still in the hunt to snare second spot but the defending champions will probably need to claim all four bonus points.
With every goal set to be critical over the weekend fans can expect some fiery tussles.