By James Woite

 

North Adelaide Rockets (2-0) v South Adelaide Panthers (0-3)

Saturday March 28; 6.30pm; Hillcrest

Following three consecutive losses, the South Adelaide Panthers will have their claws full when they visit the North Adelaide Rockets.

The Panthers lost all three matches against the Rockets last season, including the cut-throat first Semi Final that ended their season. But following their six point loss to Forestville, a club whom they swept 3-0 in 2014, the Panthers are looking more like the franchise that finished 2-16 only two seasons ago, rather than the success story of yesteryear.

In contrast, the Rockets have begun their premiership defence in impressive fashion. Jo Hill scored 20 and Shannon McKay added 15 as the Rockets easily accounted for Woodville last week, making it two straight wins.

All statistics point to a simple Rocket win.

  

Norwood Flames (2-0) v Forestville Eagles (1-1)

Saturday March 28; 6.30pm; Mars

Having got back on track against the South Adelaide Panthers in Round 2, the Eagles will face a Norwood Flames team that appears to have put their 2014 disappointment behind them.

The Flames played twice on the opening weekend of the season and produced two big wins, with Jess Foley particularly impressive, backing up her 28 point opener against West with a further 18 against South.

The Eagles got 19 points from Samantha Defrancesco and a double-double from Sarah Petrie in their win at Marion, which evened their win-loss total at 1-1, following their loss to Southern in Round 1.

The Eagles have played the Flames better than anyone in the past few seasons, so the Flames cannot afford to underestimate them, in what is the Match of the Round.

 

Southern Tigers (1-0) v Sturt Sabres (1-0)

Saturday March 28; 6.30pm; Morphett Vale

After upsetting the Eagles in Round 1, the Southern Tigers will be looking for another major scalp when they host the Sturt Sabres.

The Tigers trailed by nine during the fourth quarter, but rallied home behind a big effort from Lauren Fisher, who finished joint top-scorer with Haley Bunce (15 points each).

Amy Shaw might have top-scored with 20 points, but it was the 67 team rebounds (32 offensive) and 36 assists (compared to just six turnovers) that stood out in the Sabres’ 106-35 win over Centrals. Like the Tigers, the Sabres have competed just once to date in 2015.

Plenty of question marks surrounding these teams – the outcome of this game should reveal some answers.

 

West Adelaide Bearcats (1-1) v Eastern Mavericks (1-1)

Saturday March 28; 6.30pm; Port Adelaide

The West Adelaide Bearcats and Eastern Mavericks will be aiming for a second win of 2015 when they go head-to-head at Port Adelaide.

The Bearcats are coming off a 71-58 win over Woodville, where Kate Shierlaw, Meg McLeod and Sky Langenbrinck combined for 40 points. The Mavericks, who registered 73 rebounds as a team in a 94-57 win over the Lions, got a collective 62 points from Demetria Frank, Emma Hooley, Tamara Weiss and Shannon Tarran.

This one has ‘thriller’ written all over it.

 

Southern Tigers (1-0) v Norwood Flames (2-0)

Sunday March 29; 1.15pm; Morphett Vale

The Southern Tigers and Norwood Flames will meet at Morphett Vale on Sunday, in what is a back end of a back-to-back for both teams.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the Tigers will have hosted the Sabres, while the Flames will have welcomed the Eagles to Mars.

The Tigers have not beaten the Flames since the 2010 Elimination Final. A win would break an eight game losing streak in this series.

History is well and truly on the Flames’ side.

  

Sturt Sabres (1-0) v West Adelaide Bearcats (1-1)

Sunday March 29; 1.15pm; Pasadena

The West Adelaide Bearcats will be hoping for a repeat of their last trip to Pasadena when they visit the Sturt Sabres.

The Bearcats produced a 12 point win when they last visited the Sabres’ home, in what was perhaps their best win of 2014. They were unable to follow with another triumph and produce a sweep, as they lost by 26 to the Sabres’ in Round 16.

With this being the second game in two days for both sides, managing rotations will be crucial.