Netball Super League 2023: Defending champions Manchester Thunder win on opening day

Thunder were unbeaten in all 22 of their matches last season and pipped Lightning to the trophy in the Grand Final

Manchester Thunder got their title defence off to a winning start with victory over Celtic Dragons at the Netball Super League season opener in Nottingham.

The four-time champions comfortably beat the Welsh outfit 68-42.

Loughborough Lightning kicked off the bumper day with a ruthless 86-52 victory over Team Bath in front of a packed crowd.

There were also wins for Surrey Storm, Severn Stars and London Pulse.

Light shows, dance performances between matches and a DJ all contributed to the party atmosphere as the sport gears up for an important year, with the World Cup taking place in July in South Africa.

'Most competitive season'

It was a race to the finish between Thunder and Lightning last season and this year has started in much the same vein, as both sides put down marker performances and immediately occupy the top two league positions.

Thunder's squad may look different to last season's unbeaten title-winning one, but the strength of the Manchester club's pathway is so prolific that many of the players in their current line-up are simply returning to the club they developed at.

After a cagey opening quarter Thunder pulled away in the second period, scoring 20 goals and suppressing Dragons to just 10, clicking into their rhythm to take a routine win.

"We grew into the game," said captain Natalie Metcalf. "It's going to be sloppy at times but it's about how we fix it on court.

"I do think this is going to be the most competitive Super League season we've seen. Everyone says it every year but I genuinely believe it's true this time."

Meanwhile, beaten finalists last season Lightning performed much like a side who have managed to retain their core group of players, showcasing their experience to pick up where they left off, while Bath are a side who are still building with new faces and a change of coach.

A blistering third quarter where Lightning scored 24 goals to Bath's seven put the 2021 champions out of sight and they went on to record their highest ever goal tally in a Super League match.

"It's about pushing on and making sure we've got a target of how many goals we want per quarter this year and keeping up that intensity," said Lightning captain Natalie Panagarry.

"It's familiar for us, a lot of us have played together for a long period so we should take advantage of that against teams who might be taking a while to build."

Gauging the opposition

With so much player and coach movement in the close season the opening day provided the perfect opportunity for teams to suss each other out and gauge what they will be coming up against in the coming months.

In what was perhaps the most surprising result of the day, Stars, who only won three matches all season in 2022, beat two-time champions Saracens Mavericks 59-55 in a fascinating contest.

The two sides have undergone immense changes since last season - both have new coaches and Stars have a new-look side with only two players keeping their position in the squad for 2023.

Roared on by a crowd clearly impressed with the revitalised team, Stars stretched a narrow lead in the third quarter and held on to take a statement victory.

"When you have a new team you can start overthinking but we've worked on keeping it simple, basic netball, slowing the pace and being clinical," said player-coach Jo Trip.

"Our training before this game was so good I knew we were ready."

Mavericks, captained by Sasha Corbin for the 10th consecutive season, finished fifth last season, 12 points outside the top four

Storm, who had an inconsistent season last year but have strengthened in the close season, ran out 68-56 winners over Strathclyde Sirens.

Sirens closed the gap to nine goals in the second quarter but a dominant second half showcased Storm's dangerous attacking line-up of Proscovia Peace and England Rose Sophie Drakeford-Lewis.

Later, London Pulse came from behind to beat Leeds Rhinos 64-48 as head coach Sam Bird rotated all 12 of her exciting squad on court, including England duo Jade Clarke and Chelsea Pitman, who joined this season.

Rhinos, without some key players, showed promising signs to stay in the game but, having lost the second quarter 22-10, gave themselves too much to do in the final period.

On Monday, the Storm made it back-to-back wins with a 76-51 victory over the Stars.

Round 1 - results

Team Bath 52-86 Loughborough Lightning

Surrey Storm 68-56 Strathclyde Sirens

Saracens Mavericks 55-59 Severn Stars

Leeds Rhinos 48-64 London Pulse

Manchester Thunder 68-42 Celtic Dragons