In the June edition of the women’s ‘Beyond Regulation’, can the Rockets win it without Lauren Mansfield? Does the Thompson-Newley combination work, and do we really need the final nine rounds? Also, keep an eye on the Team of the Month and Power Rankings – do you agree?

No Lauren, no problem

In 2012, Lauren Mansfield was the force behind the assault as the Rockets returned to the Grand Final stage for the first time since 2008. However, she left father Barry and sister Tahnee for a change of scenery, travelling overseas to play in Tasmania. It left the Rockets with a huge hole at Point Guard, the most vital position in today’s version of basketball.

It was a hole which I thought would be exposed this season – thus, in the season preview, they were left out of my final five. But I must take my hat off to these girls – what a performance against Forestville in Round 5!

Jo Hill got a huge wrap in last month’s edition of ‘Beyond Regulation’, but this time it’s kudos to all Rockets for a job well done (thus far).

Can they make another Grand Final?

At this point last season, the Southern Tigers were looking like premiership contenders, but won just three of their last nine and did not even make the finals. A bad second half for North is not entirely out of the equation.

But I do not think this Rockets team will suffer the same fate. They work extremely well as a team, they play to their strengths while forcing their opponents into playing to their weaknesses, they force opponents into difficult shots and they rarely if ever give up an O-board.

I think they are a genuine chance to be the best of the rest. However, they will have to beat Norwood at some stage, and I think it will take a very off day for the Flames to lose.

Has Officer Dibble finally caught up with Top Cat?

In the last edition of ‘Beyond Regulation’, the Sturt Sabres were back in town as the Top Cat. They were 5-0 and cruising. However, the last three weeks have yielded two lopsided losses, either side of a win over the Warriors.

The 79-95 loss to Eastern was a more respectable scoreline than it should have been (Sturt won the last quarter 24-11), while they were simply undone by 63-97 by Norwood, failing to win any quarter.
For five weeks, the Sabres looked a sincere premiership threat. They really were the Top Cat. But occasionally Officer Dibble does catch up with Top Cat.  Maybe this is one of these occasions?

However, Top Cat is resilient and always finds a way to win in the end. In other words, expect the Sabres should be back on track by the next edition of this piece. Then again, there is always a first for everything! 

Eagles winning despite dynamic duo not performing dynamically

Forestville’s Olivia Thompson was a force to be reckoned with in Season 2012. Virtually unstoppable in the post, she averaged 24.4 ppg and 15.4 rpg. Even when Carla Borrego suited up, her impact did not fade, and she finished as a league All Star Five member.

When Mia Newley last suited up for Forestville in 2010, she averaged 18.2 ppg and 12.6 rpg, making the All Star Five and winning the Grand Final MVP award. She combined brilliantly with star Jessica Mahony to lead the Eagles to a first of three straight premierships.

These two star Eagles have proven in the past that they can operate successfully with another marquee player. Yet so far this season, they have looked anything but a dynamic duo.

Over the first seven games this year, Thompson averaged only 15.1 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Newley has likewise been down, averaging just 13 ppg and 9.6 rpg, her lowest figures since her rookie season. She is shooting a career low 33 per cent from the field.

In Round 8, Newley did not feature. Thompson, on the other hand had season highs of 30 points, 13 made field goals and 22 attempted shots. She also had 11 rebounds and made each free throw for the first time this year, after connecting on 24/47 in the opening seven weeks.

Being the sole number one target certainly helped Thompson. She took strides with the extra responsibility. But if the Eagles are to win a premiership this season, Thompson and Newley will need to be on the court and at their best together.

The good news for the Eagles is that they have their best record after eight rounds since 2010, when they were 7-1. History says they will be in for a big finish. That means it is surely only a matter of time before their stars gel. It will be a scary site if and when it happens – they are already difficult enough to beat.

A fight for second?

Unlike the men’s competition, where it would be virtually impossible to predict a final five, there are five women’s teams that have separated themselves from the rest. As it stands, Norwood is the breakaway leader with an 8-0 record, followed by Forestville, Eastern, North and Sturt – all of whom are 6-2. West is 4-4, the Warriors and Tigers have a brace of wins each, and South and Centrals are winless.

After next week, each team will have played each other once. Assuming Sturt beat West, there will be two games plus a substantial head-to-head between West and whoever is fifth – either Forestville, North or Eastern. The gap West would have to make up in such a short space of time would be huge.

If Jessica Mahony, in particular, and Desinta Cummins were still with the Bearcats, one could argue it would be possible to make a finals push. The Woodville Warriors almost upset North in Round 2, showing that on their day, they can compete with the best. However, slow starts and bad shooting have cost them dearly. There are some good signs there, but finals appears out of reach.

The Tigers have wins against Centrals and South, but they have been blown away each time they have played a top six side. As for Centrals and South, avoiding the wooden spoon will be the main goal.

So in reality, the top five is set, Norwood can virtually wrap up the Minor Premiership with a win over Forestville in Round 9. That being said, it was only three seasons ago that the 1-6 Tigers recovered to finish 10-8 and make it to the Semi Finals – as Adidas would say, impossible is nothing!

Team of the Month               Statistics for May

G  Tess Madgen (Eastern)  34.7 ppg, 55% FG, 48% 3FG, 79% FT, 11.3 rpg, 7.3 apg, 4.7 spg, 1 bpg 
G  Jess Foley (Norwood)     21 ppg, 64% FG, 50% 3FG, 92% FT, 10.3 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 spg 
F  Jess Fergus (Forestville) 21.3 ppg, 50% FG, 40% 3FG, 77% FT, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.3 spg 
F  Jo Hill (North)   19.7 ppg,61% FG, 86% FT, 12.3 rpg, 6.3 apg, 4.3 spg  
C  Rebecca Duke (Norwood)18.3 ppg, 59% FG, 100% FT, 9 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2.3 spg, 1 bpg  
Coach Simon Pritchard (Norwood) 3-0, tie 1st   

POWER RANKINGS

	Club Ladder Position	ladder Pos	Record	Streak	Next 4 Matches	Projected Record
1 (1)	Norwood	1	8-10	won 8	@ Forestville, @ Southern, v Eastern, @ Woodville	12-0
2 (3)	North Adelaide	4	6-2	won 4	v Eastern, v South, @ Woodville, @ Sturt	10-2
3 (6)	Forrestville	2	6-2	won 3	v Norwood, v West, @ Centrals, v South	9-3
4 (4)	Eastern	3	6-2	won 1	@ North, v Woodville, @ Norwood, v West	8-4
5 (2)	Sturt	5	6-2	lost 1	v West, @ Centrals, @ South, v North	9-3
6 (5)	West Adelaide	6	4-4	won 2	@Sturt, @Forrestville, v Southern, v North	5-7
7 (7)	Woodville	7	2-6	lost 2	@ Southern, @ Eastern, v North, v Norwood	3-9
8 (8)	Southern	8	2-6	Lost 4	v Woodville, v Norwood, @West, v Norwood	3-9
9 (9)	South Adelaide	9	0-8	lost 8	v Centrals, @ North, v Sturt, @ Forestville	1-11
10 (10)	Central Districts	10	0-8	lost 8	@ South, v Sturt, v Forestville, @ Southern	0-12

Biggest rise: Forestville (+3)
Biggest drop: Sturt (-3)