THE KIM GREEN AND JO HARTEN SHOW CLICKED INTO GEAR TO INSPIRE GIANTS NETBALL TO THE FIRST BLOWOUT VICTORY IN SUNCORP SUPER NETBALL AT SYDNEY’S QUDOS BANK ARENA.
Green and her teammates were a class above West Coast Fever in the 63-49 win to make it two from two for the expansion club.
The Giants had winners in each third of the court, with Rebecca Bulley winning the showdown with her former Australian Diamonds teammate Natalie Medhurst.
But the understanding between captain Green and goal shooter Harten was frighteningly good.
English goaler Harten finished with 29 goals at 85 per cent, a tally which could have been far greater had she not been rested in the third quarter.
Despite the wide margin, Green wanted even more from her side but was satisfied with the improvement made since Round 1.
“It gives a lot of confidence for the girls,” she said.
“We’ll be really excited with that performance.”
Combinations mean everything in netball and that is where the giants flexed their muscles in the opening term.
For a team in its infancy, the Giants had firm connections everywhere on court.
Wing attack Green and Harten looked like they’d been in partnership for two decades, not two games.
Green’s touch was reflected in everything her side did well, with her bullet passes into Harten a joy to watch.
There was also a slick combination brewing between Green and Serena Guthrie whose quick hands made life tough for the Fever defenders.
The Giants had command of the contest by quarter-time.
One of the key match-ups was between Fever skipper Medhurst and defender Rebecca Bulley.
Bulley’s confidence and one-on-one tenacity grated away at Medhurst who is so often a barometer for her team.
The goal attack’s percentage was low as a consequence of Bulley’s pressure, but Medhurst did have at least one little victory, a one-handed, around the shoulder assist to set up a second-quarter goal for Kate Beveridge.
Such was the Giants’ dominance, they rotated their starting shooters after halftime to give Kristina Brice another run in the shooting circle.
After a promising start in Round 1, Brice again made the most of her opportunity to score 22 goals at 92 per cent.
MVP: Kimberlee Green (Giants)
