Ollie Stevenson
Nottingham Forest Netball return to the Motorpoint Arena this Saturday for the first time since 11 April, welcoming London Mavericks in a Netball Super League fixture with direct implications for the top four.
Three weeks on the road have yielded two wins for Chelsea Pitman’s side, the most recent being a 63-68 victory of NIC Leeds Rhinos, meaning Forest arrive back in Nottingham sitting fourth in the table with momentum behind them.
The reds have been one of the more consistent performers in the league across the opening rounds of their second NSL season, and Saturday’s home return offers the opportunity to consolidate that standing.
London Mavericks, six points behind in fifth, reached the top four for the first time since 2016 last season under Tamsin Greenway and understand that closing that gap starts with results in these fixtures. Victory for Forest on Saturday would go a long way towards securing their play-off place, with likely to put the Reds beyond the reach of the teams below them, including the Mavericks, in the remaining rounds.
The two sides have already met once, on the opening day of Forest’s second season in the NSL. The Reds trailed by three goals heading into the final quarter, and it was Natasha Pavelin who did most to drag them back into it – disrupting Mavericks’ rhythm, forcing errors, and lifting the energy of the squad around her.
When Mavericks levelled at 59-59 with a Super Shot in the closing seconds, it looked as though the points would be shared. Then Rolene Streutker settled it, converting under immense pressure to seal a 60-59 win and Forest’s first ever victory over the Mavericks in the NSL.
Streutker has carried that form throughout the campaign. The 2025 NSL Player of the Year scored 32 goals in last weekend’s win over Leeds, and alongside Rhea Dixon and Anya Williams, Forest have built an attacking end that has grown in confidence and variety as the season has developed.
Defensively, Jayda Pechova has been among the more prominent performers in the league. The goalkeeper-turned-goal-defence has accumulated 30 rebounds and was recognised with Round Nine’s Defensive Play of the Round. Her work alongside Pavelin in the defensive unit will be important in managing a Mavericks side that generates much of its threat through the mid-court.
That mid-court is where Mavericks are at their most dangerous. Suzie Liverseidge produced 441 feeds, and 272 centre pass receives across 15 appearances in 2025 – the third-highest feeding tally in the league – and if she finds the same rhythm on Saturday, Forest’s defensive structure will be tested throughout.
George Inger, whose composed shooting gave Mavericks the platform to build that early lead in February, is another threat worth monitoring. Captain Ellie Rattu, a current Rose, adds another layer of creative distribution, and between them they give Mavericks a mid-court combination that few sides in the NSL can match for volume and consistency.
Forest showed against Birmingham Panthers earlier this season that they can manage pressure moments effectively, overturning a five-goal half-time deficit to win 68–58, with Niamh Cooper’s introduction at wing defence in the fourth quarter producing an immediate interception and a decisive shift in momentum.
The ability to stay composed when a game turns – as they did both against Panthers and in those final seconds against Mavericks in February – may prove the most important quality on Saturday afternoon.
Mavericks will arrive at the Motorpoint Arena underdogs and hungry for revenge. But Forest are at home, in form, and with the memory of how they won this fixture last time to spur them on.
Match Details
When? Saturday 9th May, 3pm
Where? Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
How to Watch? Tickets available at Nottingham Forest’s website
Featured Image from Kian Gadsby. No changes were made to this image.
