Lisa O'Sullivan

Lisa's View 20 March 2009

Hands up if you tipped Leeds Carnegie to make the final four of this season's Co-operative Netball Superleague, arms up nice and high so I can count... there's not many of you is there? Going on the side's pre-Christmas form that's not really a big surprise but it's been quite a purple patch since December for the side who could only wait and watch the final round of fixtures before discovering their fate.

Few would have doubted the likes of Team Bath and Loughborough Lightning ending up at the top, with defending champions Mavericks always going to figure in the end of term shake down. Many expected Brunel Hurricanes to complete the play-off line up and for much of the season they were right there battling with their London-rivals for third spot. Not beating their nearest opponents home or away was Hurricanes undoing, one win would have taken them level on points with Leeds but into the final stage of the season on goal difference. They didn't get it.

Carnegie deserve a first taste of the play-off experience after entertaining us with some superb netball since the turn of the year. They held their nerve in some really tense battles pipping Northern Thunder by one in a cracking derby match that was probably the one that confirmed their attendance in the post-season games.

So who's going all the way this year. On Saturday Mavericks take on Leeds Carnegie in the first match with the winner playing whoever loses on Monday in Bath. Mavericks are the holders and will be looking to use their muscle to defend the title but now we're at the knock-out stage all bets are off. The Hatfield outfit were 47-42 winners at home in November and triumphed 47-43 in the away fixture - can Leeds claw in that gap, I'm not sure they can but it's guaranteed to be a superb game at 1500 GMT at the Sports Village at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield.

Team Bath have home advantage for their play-off with Loughborough on Monday evening - the winners will go straight into the 4th April final at Coventry's Skydome arena. I think that final will be between Team Bath and Lighting but the visitors realistically need to win Monday's match to boost their chances of at last lifting the Superleague trophy. A major advantage for them is the absence of some on Bath's key players - most notably Geva Mentor who has been immense in defence, if Lightning can use that to net their advantage they will win on Monday and maybe even take the title at last.

Click here to read Lisa's Blog from last month.