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Nov 21 '16, 06:21AM
Surrey Storm were crowned Vitality Superleague champions after another memorable season, so Sky Sports expert Anita Navin casts her verdict on all eight franchises.Jeurys Familia Mets Jersey . It was an outstanding season full of excitement with many new, young and incredibly talented players joining the Superleague teams.The season was marked by two to-the-wire games on the last weekend - a fitting tribute to the league. Surrey Storm Surrey Storm win 2016 Superleague title The golden hand of Hannah Reid stole the ball from Hertfordshire Mavericks in the dying minutes of the semi-final and the rest is history.The Storm delivered the double last weekend defeating Manchester Thunder to be crowned 2016 Grand Final champions - some would say against the run of play taking into account their early season inconsistencies.The thought of a team taking the title with no imported players was unthinkable until we witnessed Storms progress as they relished learning from any loss or dip in performance. Highlights from the Vitality Netball Superleague as Surrey Storm played Manchester Thunder in the Grand Final With Tamsin Greenway and Kat Ratnapala at the helm homework paid off - a reflection of endless minutes of game footage the team focused on, underlining how important this practice is if unpicked to the minute detail.What Storm did find were a set of three common and consistent combinations and which they utilised to best effect at varying points. The subtlety in positional moves of Reid to GD and Josie Huckle at GK was rewarded most often with the impact needed to steal a victory.The rise of Sophia Candappa was exceptional as a mid-courter and her linkage with Georgia Lees proved a most powerful combination. Lees has completed a remarkable season after patiently bench warming behind Greenway the previous season. She waited her turn and the outcome was impressive.Pamela Cookey and Rachel Dunn reign as one of the most long-standing pairings, carving up the circle at crucial points. I cannot forget the intercept by Reid in the final stages of the semi-final which turned the game for Surrey Storm - only to then see her repeat the feat in the final. Surrey claim Superleague title Storm victorious at Copper Box Manchester ThunderThe most consistent franchise suffered only one defeat in the regular season but failed to turn up on time at the Copper Box, where the first quarter was a major setbackThey must be given credit for their fightback led admirably by captain Sara Bayman and their effective structure through the court had seamless set-ups at the centre pass - however all were broken down by Storm pressure in the final. Manchester Thunder will aim to come back stronger despite Grand Final defeat Natalie Haythornthwaite will be remembered for her superb connections with Helen Housby and Ellie Cardwell around the circle edge.England have found another up-and-coming shooter in Cardwell and after switching from her previous seasons role as a defender there is a determination in her performance to succeed at international level.Soaking up a Grand Final defeat was difficult for Thunder and credit must go to Dan Ryan for consoling each individual knowing the losing feeling will bring the team back next year. Perfect netball player We asked our team of experts for the ideal talents required Team Bath Claire Brownie (right) was part of an impressive season for Team Bath They looked strong on Super Saturday but losing Asha Francis again left a gap in the shooting line-up.Bath grappled a range of combinations but their defensive unit remained intact and of great strength with the combination of Sam Cook, Eboni Beckford-Chambers and Karla Mostert difficult to break.With more court-time to cement the partnership Bath might have reached the final.Seeing Chelsea Lewis so mobile around the court at Goal Attack indicates how much she has developed as a player with the team this season.Hertfordshire MavericksSamantha Wallace claimed the Player of the Season title and she has been a wonderful addition to the competition, showing composure and consistency as well as adding confidence to the Mavericks line-up. Samantha Wallaces impressive shooting skills helped Mavericks make the semi-final Losing Joline Johannsen marked a turning point for Mavericks and their season was a little disrupted as they were forced to find a replacement.Sophie Carter stepped up and delivered but the mid-court for Mavericks was missing Johannsens spirit and experience in the final stages.Many were disappointed not to see more of youngster George Fisher but what we did see indicated a player who will be a rock in future years in the shooter role.Loughborough Lightning Injuries and departures made for a difficult Loughborough Lightning season Reflecting on the season I cant help but focus on some players who have made a difference and worked tirelessly for their team.A standout player would be Natalie Panagarry who might have expected to be on the bench more this season but the departure of Jade Clarke to Adelaide Thunderbirds in the ANZ and injury to Sasha Corbin opened a door for more court time.What a breakthrough she had as one of the seasons most dynamic centre-court players. Ama Agbeze shone for Lightning and will lead England Ama Agbeze found a renewed energy to prove her value and deliver for Lightning after missing World Cup selection. She will now lead the England squad at Netball Europe, a fitting tribute to a player who completed a fantastic season for Lightning.Team Northumbria Age just a number for Armitage We talk to Superleagues oldest player After an influx of imports perhaps many expected a little more from the two Sunshine Girls Shanice Beckford and Nicole Dixon, who had delivered some outstanding performances at International level for Jamaica.Instead it was Chiara Semple, the young Kiwi shooter, and Leah Kennedy, recently selected for England for Netball Europe, who were stalwarts of the black and red line-up.Celtic DragonsDragons almost stole the win against Loughborough Lightning, narrowly missing out by just three goals.The loss of Chelsea Lewis gave Georgia Rowe a chance for more court time and she formed a good relationship with Fijian Afa Rusivakula. Celtic Dragons Kyra Jones in action Kyra Jones is still a force to be reckoned with in the mid-court and continues to convey her tremendous endurance and speed.Dragons secured a victory over Team Northumbria and overall recorded some great performances and maintaining the consistency over 60 minutes will surely be a future goal.Yorkshire JetsJets did not achieve their sought-after second win but come very close in a season of many surprises. Watch international netball England v Jamaica with Sky Tickets Bartolo Colon Jersey . The Masters champion and winner of last weeks Australian PGA has a three-round total of 14-under 199 at Royal Melbourne. "Im in a really good position for tomorrow," Scott said. Tug McGraw Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator.http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/jeurys-familia-mets-jersey/ .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers.In his weekly column, Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reflects on the major talking point from the weekends La Liga action - Barcelona’s audacious Cruyff penalty against Celta Vigo - and answers your questions on Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville and Paul Pogba... Hands down, Barcelonas victory over Celta Vigo was the La Liga game to watch this weekend.In the first half, Celta went on a man-marking mission all over the pitch and, with some clever movement, they were able to create one versus one across the pitch. That was very brave and was implemented very well in the first half, but it was impossible to maintain for 90 minutes. Genius or disrespectful? Managers, players and pundits weigh in on the debate A lot of people, including myself, acknowledged the bravery of the Celta coaches but in the end the result was what it was - a heavy 6-1 defeat. In the second half, Barca were more aggressive without the ball, they moved the ball quicker and there were forward runners that made a big difference.As is the case with all of Europes top teams at the moment, Barcelona smell the Champions League approaching and are continuing to improve their performances. Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, were domineering against Athletic Bilbao. Watch the penalty that became the main talking point this weekend in La Liga Barca stepped up a gear when it was needed against Celta. Ivan Rakitic, and even Aleix Vidal, provided fresh legs from the bench and that told against a tiring visiting side. It was wonderful to see the synergy of Barcas front three once again, particularly for the penalty.For most fans stats mean a lot. The same can be said for the spearhead of the Barca attack, Lionel Messi, who knows he can score his 300th La Liga goal at any time. Apparently Barca had been mulling over whether to carry out the penalty routine for weeks, with Neymar the original recipient from Messis pass. However, it was Luis Suarez who appeared instead, knowing that it could happen, and he finished it off. Terry Gibson discusses if Barcelonas Cruyff penalty was disrespectful Straight away the debate in Spain started: was it disrespectful or not? Football, especially in England, is made up of controversies and personalities, whereas in Spain its tactics and personalities, with controversies only recently growing into the game.Those characteristics didnt bring any of us into football, instead it was moments of magic and Barcas penalty will have evoked memories of John Cruyffs penalty from 1982 - a moment which is historic in football and is not viewed as disrespectful in any way. Robert Pires and Thierry Henry famously tried and failed with a similar penalty You can defend Barcelona by saying that they have missed a few penalties this season so this was an opportunity to make sure the goal went in. Of course, you need the ability and the confidence to do it and, as weve seen in the past, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry werent able to pull it off. Mike Piazza Jersey. Luis Enrique remarked that if he had tried something similar he would have collapsed!Its worth noting that in order for a team to pull this off there needs to be a positive mind-set, and you could see from the Barca players laughing afterwards that they clearly enjoyed the goal. Would they have done it if it was 1-1, or if they were trailing? Maybe not. If that is the case then why did they feel the need to do it at all? My response to that would be: why not! Luis Suarez celebrates with Lionel Messi after the penalty routine It wasnt just anybody who carried the move out, it was Messi, a player who doesnt go an inch further than he needs to. Everything he does is because it is needed. He also seemed to really enjoy himself in the process. Its moments like these which make us fall in love with football, things we will all remember and moments that will be referred to in the future.Most of the discontent comes from Madrid. It is a media strategy to please the Madrid fans who want to hear that, it has nothing to do with people thinking about football and is more to do with the business side of things - ie selling newspapers. What if Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema attempted the Cruyff penalty? To those who claim that this was out of order, and wouldnt like to see this in football, then I implore you to go and find another game because I wish there were more moments like this!There are times where players do disrespectful things - tactical gestures or skills - when the game is over but that goal doesnt fall into that bracket for me. What would the opinion be if Ronaldo and Karim Benzema or Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney tried something similar? Everyone is talking about this goal so, for me, that must be for a good reason.Guillem answers your questionsRonaldo was brilliant for Real yesterday. Was his performance - and goal celebration - him making a point? @unitedfan82 Ronaldo was in scintillating form against Bilbao on Saturday Yes, Ronaldo was brilliant. That is what we want from him all the time so when I criticise him it is because I want that all of the time. If we dont get performances of that ilk from Ronaldo I find it difficult to class him among the best players in the world. If he just does every now and again, or against smaller sides, that is not good enough. Yes, he is a great goalscorer but he has got to show it in the big games to show he is one of the greatest players. Lets see if he can continue at that pace because it was brilliant to see.Are Barca seriously interested in Riyad Mahrez to improve their attack? They seem to have a perfect squad - is there anywhere you think they could strengthen? @Shantanu3196Barcelona are not thinking about Mahrez.Are Barca definitely out of the running for Paul Pogba? Id love to see him at City! @bluemoonboy Paul Pogba is vying for a move to Barcelona, but where will he end up? Interestingly, Pogba seems to be vying for a move to Barcelona but they dont have the money that Manchester City, United or Real Madrid are prepared to put on the table. For that reason its difficult to say anything definitive, except for the fact those four clubs are interested.Whats the possibility of Manuel Pellegrini being Valencias manager next season? @ExciteableExpertPellegrini is leaving his options open and so are Valencia so no decision has been made as to Pellegrinis future or Valencias next manager.Can you see Gary Neville working with Mourinho at Old Trafford? @SidKGenuis Gary Neville and Valencia are both undecided on their next steps, says Guillem Has Jose Mourinho signed for Manchester United? I must have missed that! As for Neville, he has stated publicly that he doesnt want to be an assistant or a coach for long so I dont expect him to be at Valencia beyond the summer. It has been a learning curve for him at Valencia and, when or if he does leave, he has a big decision to make as to what to do. In any case, he has had a great experience there. Also See: Get Sky Sports La Liga video Fixtures Table Revista de la Liga Guillem BalagueCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
