Tuesday 8 January 2019 14:41, UK
From start to finish Super 10 enthralled us all as the new Vitality Netball Superleague season started in superb fashion.
With 10 hours of live netball exclusively on Sky Sports, every side took to the court in a bid to start their seasons off on winning notes. Of course, only five were able to do that.
Here we look back at the thoughts and reflections of the directors of netball and head coaches in charge as well as bringing you highlights of every Super 10 match.
Celtic Dragons and Team Bath had the honour of being first onto court and the opening encounter of a brand new season was ignited by the much-awaited return of Serena Guthrie.
Guthrie, playing on her 29th birthday, is the "best mid-court in the world at the moment", according to Sky Sports expert Tamsin Greenway and few would disagree. Her presence visibly lifted Bath with fellow mid-court player Imogen Allison also turning heads.
Team Bath director of netball Jess Thirlby was pleased with "some moments of magic" but noted that the first 60 minutes of the season has given them some "fine tuning" to look at.
Dragons' head coach Tania Hoffman believes that her squad is "still growing". At the same time Hoffman is well aware that time is against them with the season now underway.
The 2018 Grand Final between Wasps and Loughborough Lightning went down to the wire but it was a very different story on day one of the new season. Instead, there was a significant gulf between the two as Wasps dominated their rivals.
The defending champions looked settled and composed throughout and showed the depth that they have within their squad - introducing the likes of Sam May and Fran Williams off the bench.
After, player of the match Rachel Dunn captured her side's positive feelings and hailed an "awesome team effort".
Lightning go into this season with some new faces and their inexperience as a collective unit showed.
For new director of netball Sara Bayman it was a difficult maiden Superleague match in charge, but, she's experienced enough to know how much her players will learn from it.
The third match of the day went down to the final 70 seconds before it was decided as Severn Stars and London Pulse were embroiled in an intense duel, often led by defence.
Shooters at both ends shone, in particular the two that had match-defining shots in the closing moments. Chiara Semple's recognisable lofted shot delivered goal after goal for Pulse while Georgia Rowe worked extremely well for Stars.
Sport can be a cruel mistress though and despite performing so well, it was Rowe's miss under the posts that handed possession back to Stars. The two were locked at 49-all.
New side Pulse needed no second invitation to strike and Semple made it count. For head coach Te Aroha Keenan the victory was an emotional one.
Conversely, it was a tough result to swallow for Stars head coach Sam Bird - they lost the opening game of last season by a goal too. But, she identified some key changes that they're going to make leading into their next match against Loughborough Lightning.
Strathclyde Sirens were the fourth side to start their new Superleague season off with a victory and looked comfortable against Storm.
The Scottish side had the enigmatic and inspirational Cat Tuivaiti spearheading their charge and watching her week in, week out in the Vitality Netball Superleague is going to be a real treat.
Sirens head coach Gail Parata was "delighted" to start well and to have the opportunity to give all of her players court time. She wants them to tidy up a few elements but overall was happy with their victory.
On the flip side, Storm didn't truly get going and their director of netball Mikki Austin spoke honestly about their performance after.
In the final game of the day Manchester Thunder were made to work by their opponents Saracens Mavericks but ultimately punished their opponents' errors to take victory.
Thunder's defensive end in particular, with the highly-experienced partnership of Emma Dovey and Kerry Almond shone and Dan Ryan's presence back in their coaching unit looked to be adding plenty again already.
Saracens Mavericks weren't able to top the week in which they announced a partnership with Saracens Rugby Club off with a victory, but, with the talent in their ranks Surrey Storm will be very way of their arrival in Round 2.
A huge 2019 for netball continues on Sky Sports with the Vitality Roses in action at the Netball Quad Series that starts on Sunday 13 January, coverage is live on Sky Sports Mix and Arena from 3.15pm.
