Neither team managed to stamp convincing authority on Sunday night’s game, which was locked at 49-all when a Jets time-out was called with less than five minutes remaining on the clock.
"I said what was required, which is privy to our team,” Tigers coach Jo Morgan said of the time-out.
“It wasn't just about telling them to be calm always, but be assertive and take control of the situation.”
Morgan said it was her midcourt of Maddi Ridley and Jess Laga’aia which set the tone for the Tigers’ overall performance.
“Everyone did the job that was asked of them on and off the bench,” Morgan said.
“I am proud of each and everyone of them, to pull together when things got pressured and we needed to stand up.”
The result moves the Tigers up into fifth position on the competition ladder, with two wins and three losses.
“There was a huge feeling of not only relief, reward, but for some of us a point to prove to critics and outsiders,” Morgan said.
The Jets move down into second place on the ladder, as they shoulder the burden of player losses to injury and Suncorp Super Netball duties.
“It’s always hard to lose three of our top seven out of the team, but we have to adjust and I still think we have the talent,” Jets coach Paula Stuart said.
Standout defender Lily Gribble is the latest player to drop off the Jets roster, with an ankle injury ruling her out for four to six weeks.
“We’ve got a whole new defensive end but we were flat from the start,” Stuart said of their loss to the Tigers.
“The Tigers played well and we had some good moments, but just didn’t carry it on.”
The HART Sapphire Series ladder has been shaken up at the lower end as well after the Bond University Bull Sharks celebrated their first win this season.
Bull Sharks coach Bec Stower said she was relieved following Sunday night’s 64-51 victory over the Brisbane South Wildcats, a result which bumps the Bull Sharks off the bottom based on percentage.
“We spoke about it at training, this week had to be our turning point,” Stower said.
“We’ve got to learn from all the stuff from all our first matches, we’ve got to implement and not just talk about it. We just had a bit of a vibe where we were turning up to just play, not to win.”
Stower said her players have started to dig deeper to support each other, which is critical heading into the back end of the season.
“I knew it was coming as we’ve shown a lot of promise, just not for the 60 minutes,” she said.
“The Wildcats have pushed those top teams, so it wasn’t an easy beat.”
Nor was the Gold Coast Titans’ 57-50 victory over the Sunshine Coast Thunder, also on Sunday night to wrap up round six.
Yet the seven-goal win ensured the Titans take top position heading into round seven, and what is the half-way mark of Netball Queensland’s premier competition.
For the full fixture, results and ladder, please click here.
