Well, the Suncorp Super Netball is over for another year. If you are a netball nerd, or just the casual watcher and tuned into the Grand Final on Sunday, you would have been treated to an edge of your seat kind of game (along with the 13,722 people who attended the game and 1.070 millions viewers who tuned in – with both numbers breaking the record for Netball!).

We tuned in and this is what we loved about the game:

Sportsmanship

The moment when both teams were called onto court and Geva Mentor (Lightning GK) and Jhaniele Fowler (West Coast Fever GS) both shared a laugh right before the whistle blew to start the Grand Final. Moments like these are sometimes just as good as the game itself, it reminds you that there is so much more to the sport and to the players it is more than a game. It is about the friendships and camaraderie that are developed along the way.

Injury Scare

Seeing any of your players hurt is not ideal, but when Steph Wood collided with post and looked in a lot of pain, the panic must of set in with not only the Lightning, but netball fans watching on. You see her teammates consoling her as she was taken from the court, everyone unsure if she would return to the game. Thankfully Steph was treated my medical staff we saw her back on the court, when she returned we saw her opponent Stacey Francis give her a tap on the back as she ran on. Support from your team mates as well as your opponents – how unique is that.

History Making Moment

West Coast Fever in their first ever Grand Final appearance and with the home court advantage and Sunshine Coast Lightning in their second grand final appearance in as many years the club has existed is history making. Sunshine Coast Lightning managed to pull off their second consecutive win, meaning a Queensland team has won the trophy for the past four years. (QLD Firebirds won the 2015-2016 ANZ Championship)

Leading by Example

Courtney Bruce (West Coast Fever Captain) was interviewed straight after the game, which is never easy, but the way she spoke and delivered how she was feeling is a true testament to the sportsmanship of the spirit of the grand final. Courtney emphasised that a loss can provide you with so many learnings. “It’s a big learning curve, we’re going to takeaway a lot from this.”

What about the game itself, well there were contests, slick ball movement, sharp shooting and displays of athleticism, but what else would you expect from the Number One Netball competition in the world. We can’t wait until next season, thankfully we’ll also get a netball fix when the Australian Diamonds compete in the Quad Series in September and the Constellation Cup in October.