Battle of the Roses saw Thunder win on Home Soil by 13 goals.

Amy Carter with the ball | photo taken from @thundernetball on instagram

Manchester Thunder 70-57 Leeds Rhinos 

On Saturday, Manchester Thunder hosted Leeds Rhinos in the first battle of the roses of the season at Belle Vue. It was close throughout but Thunder got the win in front of their fans as they won 70-57 against Rhinos.

Both sides started off brightly with Manchester Thunder gaining majority of the possession throughout the opening 15 minutes. Both teams performed multiple overturns and for Manchester Thunder they found spaces in the key areas on court to help the team progress from third to third. Taylor McKevitt continued to be a vital player for the yellow dresses as the Wing Defence helped provide the ball to their teammates and helped the side move ahead on court.

Just 10 minutes were played when Leeds Rhinos played their tactical time out as they saw themselves be 7 goals behind. Back and Forth play from Thunder helped them perform quick passes to progress further through the court. Elmeré van der Berg continued to do well in the GS position and provided many super shots for her Thunder side. 

End of First Quarter: Manchester Thunder 19-13 Leeds Rhinos 

Leeds Rhinos managed to pull back and win the quarter with Goal Shooter Joyce Mvula being the stand out player wearing the blue and gold dress of Rhinos. Cassie Howard in the Centre bib for Leeds Rhinos performed some well placed interceptions to help her side stay in it with Manchester Thunder proving their dominance after performing multiple short passes to move across the court. 

The long balls from the Rhinos side were paying off as they found Mvula and she continued to slot the ball into the net. Thunder Goal Defence, Ella McCormick and Wing Defence, Taylor McKevitt got Thunder back in it after a heavy section of Leeds Rhinos possession. Both teams saw balls coming in from all angles and longer balls proved better for both teams to help move the ball forward. 

Half time: Manchester Thunder 33-28 Leeds Rhinos 

Leeds Rhinos team huddle | photo taken from @rhinosnetball on instagram

Multiple changes for both sides happened after the halfway mark including various changes in position. Both sides saw long balls into the key sections on court with short balls used for movement to get into the important sections. Ella McCormick threw the ball continuously across both channels on court to get the ball into their possession, with Goal Shooter Elmeré van der Berg using her aim to her advantage and even shooting from the super shot zone when not in play. The defensive three for Thunder performed well under pressure to help the side get a comfortable lead over rivals with Rhinos edging closer and closer to the Manchester side. 

End of Third Quarter: Manchester Thunder 50-43 Leeds Rhinos 

In the final 15 minutes, it was tougher than ever as more wide balls were being played across the court with Joyce Mvula and Beth Brittain being key players for the Yorkshire side. Emma Rayner and Shannon Mahlik performed well for Thunder after continually crossing the ball back and forth across the shooting third to gain more possession, with Mahlik throwing high balls into the net from distance. 

Both Elmeré van der Berg and Shannon Mahlik did well to perform split jumps when receiving the crosses which helped get the player closer to the net and threw off the defenders. Manchester Thunder continued to put on the pressure towards Leeds Rhinos with Thunder throwing in multiple super shots one after another which saved them. Sky Sports named Emma Rayner (Manchester Thunder’s Wing Attack) Player of the Match after feeding the ball 33 times across the game and helped Thunder win the match. 

Full time: Manchester Thunder 70-57 Leeds Rhinos 

What’s next for both teams: 

Next Week, London Pulse host Manchester Thunder on Friday night at 7pm with Leeds Rhinos travelling to Cardiff to face Cardiff Dragons at 7pm on Saturday. 

Teams: 

Manchester Thunder starting seven: Anya Williams (GS), Elmeré van der Berg (GA), Emma Rayner (WA), Amy Carter (C), Taylor McKevitt (WD), Ella McCormick (GD), Josie Huckle (GK).

Impact Players: Indya Masser, Shannon Mahlik, Nicola Smith.

Leeds Rhinos starting seven: Joyce Mvula (GS), Harriet Jones (GA), Beth Brittain (WA), Cassie Howard (C), Ella Bowen (WD), Jess Haynes (GD), Geva Mentor (GK).

Impact Players: Rosie Harris (C/WD), Ashleigh Dekker (WA/C), Sophie Egbaran (GA/GS). 

Manchester Thunder team huddle | photo taken from @thundernetball on instagram