Jamaica's Latanya Wilson (right) celebrate with a Adelaide Thunderbirds teammate after the victory.
Adelaide Thunderbirds produced what was arguably their best performances of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League season so far to turn the tables on leaders West Coast Fever, with an emphatic 68-50 victory at a sold-out Entertainment Centre, on Saturday.
Having lost the first meeting between the two by one goal in a nail-biting encounter, the Thunderbirds –comprising Jamaicans Romelda Aiken-George, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey and Latanya Wilson –were out for revenge against their Jamaican counterparts Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Shanice Beckford and Kadie-Ann Dehaney, and they delivered it in a swift and vicious manner with the 18-goal romp that handed Fever their second loss of the season.
In fact, the win for the Thunderbirds also marked a rebound from last week’s shock defeat to Queensland Firebirds, as they capitalised on 19 gains against the uncharacteristically careless, out-of-sorts Fever.
Aiken-George, as always, led the Thunderbirds from the front with 50 goals from 60 attempts, backed by Lauren Frew, who had nine goals from 13 attempts, while Georgie Horjus had five goals from six attempts, and Lucy Austin scored four goals from five attempts.
Meanwhile, Fever’s attacking front saw Fowler-Nembhard tally 41 goals from 46 attempts, as Alice Teague-Neeld (four goals from five attempts), and Olivia Wilkinson (three goals from four attempts) offered some support. Beckford failed to score from her three attempts.
As expected, the encounter started at a decent tempo, as Fever accounted for the first two goals, before Thunderbirds responded, finding free targets and keeping pace in a goal-for-goal opening term.
Sterling-Humphrey made her presence felt early, when she got her hands on the ball within the first two minutes, though she couldn't quite secure it to make it count. Still, she went on to Sterling-Humphrey tally eight intercept possessions by halftime.
Jamaican Shamera Sterling-Humphrey of Adelaide Thunderbirds soars above her West Coast Fever opponent to win possession.
The Fever defenders focused on protecting the backspace with a split circle, aiming to stifle the tall timber, Aiken-George, but it was to no avail.
Latanya Wilson later pulled off a crucial intercept, which assisted Thunderbirds, the reigning champions, to a two-goal lead heading into the Power Five, where they added three more goals to open a five-goal lead a 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.
Tayla Williams also shone early for Thunderbirds, as she racked up 53.5 Nissan Net Points, with eight goal assists, 11 feeds, and a deflection in the first term alone.
Much like she ended the first, Wilson started the second quarter in a similar vein, as she soared for another intercept, and kept possession in play even as she flew out of bounds. That play extended the Thunderbirds' lead and they duly maintained the momentum from there to take the quarter 19-9 for a 39-24 lead at half-time.
The Fever stepped up their game in the third quarter and that resulted in a slight momentum shift. For the first and only time in the contest, they outscored Thunderbirds 17-12 to cut the deficit to 10 goals at 51-41 heading into the final quarter.
Though Fever showcased moments of fluid play that signalled a notable shift in energy and momentum at the top of the final quarter, their hopes of a comeback victory dwindle, as Thunderbirds regained their rhythm just before the Power Five and accelerated to cap a tidy victory.
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard's record scoring leads West Coast Fever to victory over NSW Swifts
West Coast Fever star Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered a record-breaking performance on Sunday, scoring 73 goals to lead her team to a 78-71 victory over the New South Wales Swifts in the Suncorp Super Netball League.
The win, witnessed by a home and away record crowd of 11,267, secured Fever's second spot on the Super Netball table.
The match came on the heels of a tumultuous week for the Swifts, who announced the release of Trinidadian star Samantha Wallace-Joseph on Friday due to "behavior concerns." The loss of Wallace-Joseph, a key player for the Swifts, left the team struggling to adjust their gameplay and maintain cohesion on the court.
Despite the Swifts' impressive tally of 18 supershots to Fever’s one, they were outplayed from the beginning.
Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud admitted the controversy surrounding Wallace-Joseph had taken a toll on the team. "While it has only come out this week, we have had to deal with it for probably a month. There was a little bit of a relief in a way that all that speculation now has a conclusion," she said following the loss. "It would be silly to say that it hasn’t affected the group. We are a very tight-knit group and we had played with Sammy for eight years. We won two premierships with her and have been through a lot."
The Swifts, still adjusting to playing without a holding shooter like Wallace-Joseph, faced early challenges in feeding a moving circle. This led to moments of confusion between Helen Housby and youngster Sophie Fawns, resulting in both players moving into the same space.
The Fever capitalized on the Swifts' ball-handling errors in the second term, extending their lead to 14 points heading into the third term's power five. Although Fawns managed a flurry of supershots, hitting 11 out of 14 two-point goals, it wasn't enough to close the gap.
Fowler-Nembhard's exceptional aerial prowess earned her MVP honours for the match. Her performance not only secured a vital win for the Fever but also highlighted her as a continued formidable force in the league.
The Fever's victory reinforces their strong position in the league, while the Swifts will need to regroup and adapt quickly to their new team dynamics as they navigate the rest of the season without Wallace-Joseph.
Adelaide Thunderbirds sweep GIANTS in dominant 57-42 win to close in on top spot
In what was another clinical all-round display, Adelaide Thunderbirds registered their seventh win of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League, as they bettered GIANTS Netball 57-42 in a lopsided contest at Ken Rosewall Arena, on Saturday.
Demonstrating their exceptional depth and quality across the court, Thunderbirds, the reigning champions, led from start to finish in a dominant win that propelled them to second on the ladder, and reaffirmed their status as a strong contender in the race to the finals.
Jamaican Romelda Aiken-George scored 38 goals from 47 attempts for the Thunderbirds, with support from Lauren Frew (10 goals from 13 attempts), Georgie Horjus (five goals from seven attempts), and Lucy Austin (four goals from five attempts).
Sophie Dwyer (24 goals from 25 attempts), Jo Harten (14 goals from 16 attempts, and Matisse Letherbarrow (four goals from four attempts) led the efforts of the GIANTS team, which comprises Jamaican defender Jodi-Ann Ward.
Thunderbirds, on 28 points, are now eight points off leaders Melbourne Vixens (36 points), with West Coast Fever, who will be up against New South Wales (NSW) Swifts on Sunday, in third on 28 points.
After coming off an all-important win last week against the Queensland Firebirds, GIANTS were looking to secure a back-to-back victories and keep their hopes of breaking through to the top four alive.
Jamaican Latanya Wilson (left) of Adelaide Thunderbirds challenge for possession.
However, the relentless defensive pressure from the Thunderbirds, coupled with a high number of unforced turnovers, proved overwhelming for the GIANTS, who ended the game with their lowest score in Super Netball history, much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Both teams were composed in the early exchanges, as they traded goals in end-to-end action before things began to unravel for the hosts, and that allowed Thunderbirds to close the quarter 16-12 up.
Momentum gradually shifted in favour of the GIANTS, who went on a three-goal run early in the second quarter, with follow-up efforts by captain Harten later gifting them a lead. But, their lead was short-lived, as the Thunderbirds' intensified work rate across the court saw them regain the ascendancy in a 14-8 run for a 30-20 scoreline at the half-time interval.
Player of the match, Latanya Wilson was again a powerhouse for the Thunderbirds, as the Jamaican racked up three intercepts and five deflections in the first half alone.
For the GIANTS, it was Jodi-Ann Ward who willed her side along with her relentless efforts. Ward finished on the highest Nissan Net Points for the GIANTS, along with three intercepts and six deflections.
Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst used the depth of her bench in the third quarter, bringing veteran Laura Scherian into the game at WA and moving Horjus into GA. The GIANTS were unable to quickly adapt to the positional changes, as the Thunderbirds scored three unanswered three-goal runs.
Try as they did, GIANTS failed to really respond and, as such, faced a 13-goal deficit at 43-30 heading into the final quarter.
Still, it was more of the same –one-way traffic –for the Thunderbirds, who accelerated and dominated across all areas of the court in the final quarter. The long reach of outstanding Jamaican goalkeeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey took the wind out of the home side, and allowed the Thunderbirds to wrap up a comfortable win.
Trinidadian netball star Samantha Wallace-Joseph released by NSW Swifts amid controversy
In a not-so surprising turn of events, Trinidadian netball sensation Samantha Wallace-Joseph has been released by the New South Wales Swifts, by mutual agreement, mere months after returning from a two-year hiatus due to knee surgery. The Suncorp Super League franchise announced the departure on Thursday, citing issues related to her behavior within the team environment.
Wallace-Joseph, a pivotal player for the Swifts, had missed multiple games recently, contributing to the team’s three-game losing streak. The Swifts, last year’s grand finalists, now find themselves in a three-way tie for fifth place on the ladder, a position far below their usual standards.
The Swifts confirmed the split in a statement, explaining that it was a mutual decision made after weeks of discussions with Wallace-Joseph and her management.
"For the past number of weeks, the club has been working with Samantha Wallace-Joseph and her management in relation to a matter which concerned her behaviour within the team environment,” the statement read. “For the wellbeing of all concerned the nature of the matter will remain confidential. However, it has been mutually agreed that parting ways is the best way forward for both Samantha and the club.”
This development comes after the Swifts had previously shown unwavering support for Wallace-Joseph during her recovery from a serious knee injury. Her comeback, however, was overshadowed by controversy following anti-transgender comments she made on social media, which stirred significant public backlash.
The Swifts emphasized the importance of maintaining high behavioral standards within their team, stating, “The behavioural standard expected of everyone in the Swifts environment – across players, coaches and staff – is team first and there are no exceptions to that.”
Wallace-Joseph, who joined the Swifts in 2017, has been a key figure in the team’s success, playing 84 games and securing Premierships in 2019 and 2021. Despite her departure under strained circumstances, the Swifts expressed their gratitude for her contributions, saying, “The Swifts thank Samantha for her service to the Club.”
As the netball community processes this shocking news, the Swifts have made it clear that they will not be making any further comments on the matter at this time.
Wallace-Joseph's departure marks a significant chapter in her career, and her next steps will be closely watched by fans and analysts alike. Meanwhile, the Swifts will need to regroup quickly as they aim to recover from their current slump and return to their winning ways.
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