Magpies too strong for T-Birds in netball

Magpies shooter Caitlin Thwaites shot a near perfect game to lead her side to a clinical 64-45 thumping of Adelaide Thunderbirds at Hisense Arena in Melbourne on Sunday.

Thwaites netted 46 goals from 47 attempts at 98 per cent accuracy, dropping just one goal in the third quarter.

She was ably assisted by Cody Lange (10/22), who was unafraid to go for the long shots as she continued her return from an ACL injury.

Young gun Alice Teague-Neeld chimed in late in the match with eight from 12 attempts.

Thwaites light-heartedly lamented her only missed shot as a lapse in concentration.

"I think it was just a little brain fade, I think it might have been an air ball too," she said.

Her haul against the Thunderbirds is only shadowed by her round one performance where she cooly slotted 47 from 48 against the Vixens, a match which they lost.

"We're trying to grow all of our connections on the court ... so if you're having a good game (personally), and you're still losing (on the score board) then it's not a good game for me," she said.

Thwaites said her side is showing the right signs ahead of their trip to play the Sunshine Coast Lightning next week, but there was still some room for improvement.

"We're always trying to fine tune and when we get put under pressure hopefully that will be when we stand up," she said.

The match opened quickly and evenly pace before the home side broke loose to score a run of five goals to head to the break with a 17-10 lead.

That advantage was extended to an unassailable 15-goals in the second period where Thwaites went to the break with 26 goals from as many attempts.

With five current Diamonds in their side, the Magpies made the Thunderbirds work for each and every pass, especially through the midcourt and around the circle.

Matching up against Jane Cook, the tallest player in the league at 201cm, was no problem for Magpies star defender Sharni Layton who had a game high eight intercepts and 11 deflections.

Thunderbirds shooters Jane Cook (8/9), Erin Bell (8/12), rookie Sasha Glasgow (19/23) and Karyn Bailey (10/12) all had game time as the visitors searched for an effective combination against torrid defence.

The win sees the Magpies (two wins, two losses) leapfrog the Swifts into fifth place on the ladder while the Thunderbirds stay in 7th (one win, three losses).

Next week, Magpies travel to play the Sunshine Coast Lightning while the Thunderbirds will play the unbeaten Giants in Sydney.