TWO rounds of the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) happened over the weekend with Round 5 and 6 completed. It saw a number of players impress and showcase that the they are raring to go after their year long hiatus from netball. With newcomers aplenty and some familiar faces once again taking the court Draft Central takes a look at some of the top performers and which players have already dominated certain statistical areas.

Goals:

Dominating under the post and leading Loughborough Lightning to their top of the table status, it is no surprise that Mary Cholhok leads the competition for goals scored. The goal shooter is a commanding presence under the post, that oozes nothing but consistency and class notching up 34 and 40 goals in her respective Round 5 and 6 matches to take her season tally to 262 goals. Hot on her heels is Karyn Bailey with the Australian import a steady stream of goals for the Storm topscoring for her side with 33 goals against Severn Stars and 13 against the Lightning.

Rachel Dunn was a threat to be reckoned with, controlling the goal circle with great authority and dictating the play to pile on the pain with 31 and 25 goals across her two outings, taking her overall sum to 157 goals. Team Bath goal shooter, Kim Borger had a game to remember in her sides trouncing of Manchester Thunder nailing 39 goals straight. She backed up that performance against the Stars adding another 29 goals to her ever growing tally. With Donnell Wallam, still missing Sienna Rushton has steadily made a name for herself for the Rhinos outfit, climbing up the ladder to sit fifth in the competition for goals scored with her Round 5 and 6 tally consisting of 27 and 36 goal outings.

Shooting accuracy:

Shooting at 100 per cent accuracy for Team Bath in her first game of the round (17 from 17), Sophie Drakeford-Lewis has quickly become one of the most reliable shooters in the league. Her impressive performance throughout the round saw her take her season average to 96 per cent. Much like Drakeford-Lewis teammate, Borger has proven to have a hot hand to post not missing a single shot against the Thunder and taking her overall total to 94 per cent for the year. Kira Rothwell has only missed two goals across her five games for the Pulse (42 from 44) sitting at 95 per cent while Georgia Rowe is a sure shot inside the circle for Severn Stars boasting a 95 per cent accuracy having converted 97 of her 102 shots for the season.

Intercepts:

Claiming player of the match honours for her performance throughout the round, Malawian product and Strathclyde Sirens defender Towera Vinkhumbo has risen up the ranks, taking the lead for intercepts with 22. Vinkhumbo showcased her class and sticky hands to reel in errant passes amassing a whopping eight intercepts against the Mavericks and two against Leeds. Saracens Mavericks goal keeper, Razia Quashie continued her hot vein of form picking up six intercepts in her sole outing while Vicki Oyesola was a rock for Leeds down back once again. She collected four intercepts against Wasps and continued that form in their win against the Sirens recording two intercepts. Alice Harvey has been a real workhorse down back for Loughborough Lightning, consistently getting hands to ball and cherry picking passes as shown through her 17 intercepts four of which she recorded in Round 5 and 6. London Pulse defender, Halimat Adio rounds out the top five for intercepts with 13 to her name and three coming from her outing against the Lightning.

Deflections:

Looking at deflections, Leah Middleton leads the way as the Surrey Storm goal defence starred in her performance against Severn Stars producing seven deflections. Her ability to read the play further shone through in her second game collecting another six deflections to take her season total to 28. Manchester Thunder’s Kerry Almond has not skipped a beat since joining the side boasting the second most deflections in the competition with 20 thanks to her six and three deflection outing. Lucy Herdman is a regular defensive fixture for the Stars picking up four deflections against Team Bath, as Vinkhumbo impressed with a combined five deflections. Quashie also imposed herself for the Mavericks reading the play with relative ease to swat away passes to amass five deflections and level Vinkhumbo for deflections with 17.