Netball's Giants know no easy way

Super Netball minor premiers the Giants will strive for improved on-court communication as they try to get the better of the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Sunday's preliminary final.

The winner of the contest at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena will face West Coast Fever in Perth on August 26 in the grand final.

While both the Lightning and Giants are in just their second year of existence, they have developed one of the great emerging rivalries of Australian sport.

Outside of the Lightning's 17-goal grand final win last year, their four regular season clashes have been settled by three or less goals, with a draw and two one-goal games included among the results.

"We just know they fight and fight and fight and they are a team that grind," Giants' skipper and midcourt star Kim Green told AAP.

Her Lightning counterpart Geva Mentor acknowledged that quality after her team eked out the latest in a long list of close victories this season, with a one-goal minor semi-final win over local rival Queensland Firebirds.

"I think the lesson that we learnt was just that it's not going to be pretty netball," defender Mentor told AAP.

"I thought everyone stayed switched on and focused in attack and midcourt and defence and just kept grinding away."

As minor premiers the Giants had the chance to stay at home throughout their final campaign but blew that opportunity with last week's loss to Fever.

"I think we're at our best when out backs are against the wall and this is exactly where we're at," Green said.

"We always do it the hard way, I don't think Giants know an easy way.

"We were very disappointed for a couple of days, probably the most disappointed we've been in a long time.

"But we've had a couple of meetings and had a really good chat about the communication and connecting."

Green labelled Lightning's defence end as one of the best in the league.

Mentor, targeted the danger posed by the mobility of the Giants shooting duo of her long-standing England teammate Jo Harten and Diamonds veteran Susan Pettitt, who might be playing her last game this week, as she will retire at the end of the season.