Coverage of a 10-match weekend starts on Friday from 5pm, live on Sky Sports and streamed on the Sky Sports YouTube channel; every match will be shown, with Wasps and Mavericks meeting on Monday at 7.15pm
Friday 28 May 2021 11:51, UK
It's approaching crunch time for the remaining play-off contenders in the Vitality Netball Superleague season, with Wasps and Saracens Mavericks set to feel the heat when they meet on Monday night.
The contest arrives at the end of a 10-match weekend and could be season-defining for both sides. Mavericks are looking to end a run of missing out on the top four, while there has not been a finals weekend without Wasps since their creation as a Superleague franchise.
Team Bath Netball were the first to book their place on finals weekend at the Copper Box Arena and shortly after, they were joined by Sara Francis-Bayman's Loughborough Lightning.
On Saturday afternoon, a victory for Manchester Thunder over Severn Stars would see them secure the third play-off place, meaning that four other teams will continue to grapple for one remaining semi-final spot.
Of the teams that are in contention - Leeds Rhinos Netball, Strathclyde Sirens, Wasps and Saracens Mavericks - the latter two will meet on Monday night.
Back in April, Wasps overcame Mavericks by just four goals and since, both have struggled to meet the lofty expectations that they have of themselves.
For Saracens Mavericks, their quest for consistency started on the opening weekend of the 2021 season and remains at the top of their agenda. They have a squad that is packed with talent, but it is one that has not clicked regularly on game days.
Meanwhile, Wasps are battling with an ill-timed dip having lost four of their last five and in truth, they have not looked truly comfortable in their own skin throughout the season.
Both camps are well aware of their positions in the running and the charges being put against them, as Jodie Gibson made clear.
"We know that we've got a really great team but at times this season, we haven't reached the level that we know this team can achieve," Saracens Mavericks' defender said to Sky Sports on Off The Court.
"We have a great opportunity now where we need to put our best performances out each week, each quarter and be consistent with it.
"At times, we've shown how brilliant the team can be, but also at other times, there have just been so many silly errors and we haven't clicked together in the way that we do during training.
For the next few weeks now, we need to come together even more. We need to play how we play, with passion and pride, and we need to make that top four.
"The group are together even more, we've bonded really well, and training has been going really well. Now, it's about stepping on court and doing it.
"We've got an opportunity to really make top four and prove to ourselves that we can do it."
The same desire to prove themselves and take the final place at the Copper Box Arena on finals weekend is shared by Wasps.
The two-time Superleague winners pride themselves on always being in the mix come the business end of the season.
Prior to their recent matches against Thunder and Sirens (which resulted in two losses), captain Amy Flanagan articulated their mentality.
"Every match-day has to be treated as a high-pressure, must-win game. That's ultimately what you need in the build-up to the semi-finals and finals, you have to execute during the pressure moments.
"It's as much about how we support each other off the court as it is on the court," the four-time Superleague winner and captain added.
"We've seen lots of teams having injuries, finding themselves in positions that they didn't think they'd be in at this point in the season, so it's doing everything that we can as a group [to support each other]."
Bring it. The last two games, we're going to absolutely bring it to those two teams. We're absolutely determined that we're not going out without a fight. We are not done. We'll play right until the end of that final whistle.
After captain Sophia Candappa announced her pregnancy halfway through the season, Wasps have been searching for the right blend in attack in order to get the best out of shooter Rachel Dunn.
Recently, they have also had injuries to contend and as a collective unit, they know that others still may still decide their fate.
Wasps have just two more games to play and in comparison, Rhinos and Sirens have four matches and Saracens Mavericks five.
Every member of that latter trio - Rhinos, Sirens and Mavericks - has at least one duel with an already qualified finalist within their run-in. Rhinos face Lightning on Sunday, Sirens meet both Bath and Thunder (who could be a finalist by the time they face each other) and Mavericks also have another contest with Bath.
However, before we get to some of those matches, the focus remains on Wasps and Saracens Mavericks this Monday evening on Sky Sports. With fans back inside the Copper Box Arena, and play-off hopes on the line, it is an encounter that should raise the roof.
Within both teams, there are wise heads and players who have won Superleague titles before and all must impart knowledge on their colleagues.
We have seen recently the impact that a captain's performance can have on an encounter, just ask anyone that watched Strathclyde Sirens and Gia Abernethy in Round 16. Both Wasps' and Saracens Mavericks' leaders must step up.
There are also plenty of younger players, exciting and fresh talents, who will need get their mentality right in order to perform under pressure.
Finally, with this crunch encounter coming at the end of a 10-match weekend, how much of an impact will Saracens Mavericks' match on Sunday have?
A contest against Sirens is a considerable challenge in itself and could very well dictate the energy that they bring into Monday's pivotal play-off encounter.
This contest between Mavericks and Wasps isn't one that you can predict with any real certainty. Either team could run away with it, it could be won by a fast start or a late surge, or it could go down to the final minutes. The only certainty is that the players and coaches know what is on the line and that should propel them to finish this 10-match Superleague round on a high.
Sky Sports is your home of netball. The Vitality Netball Superleague continues on Friday with Round 17 and the start of a 10-match weekend, live on Sky Sports and streamed on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.
