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• Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard leads West Coast Fever to come-from-behind victory over Giants

  Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered another outstanding performance, scoring 55 of 59 attempts, as the West Coast Fever rebounded from a mid-season slump with a come-from-behind 68-65 win over the Giants in Perth on Sunday.

  The victory keeps the Fever within striking distance of the top two in the Super Netball standings, crucial for securing a double chance in the finals. Conversely, the loss dashes the Giants' finals hopes, leaving them anchored at the bottom of the ladder.

  The Giants, despite their lowly position, led for more than half the match and were particularly effective during the supershot period. Giants' coach Julie Fitzgerald lamented a lack of confidence that cost them dearly, especially after scoring just nine goals in a disastrous third term.

  "I felt for most of the game we played really, really well, but we had a patch where we let it go. We won two quarters, drew one, and still came away without the points," Fitzgerald said. "We come out and really attack the game, but when a couple of things go wrong, we lose a little bit of confidence."

  The Fever struggled to contain the dynamic duo of Giants’ captain Jo Harten and Sophie Dwyer. Harten scored 35 of 39 attempts, including seven supershots, while Dwyer added 19 from 23 attempts, with four supershots. In contrast, the Fever managed just one supershot at a dismal 12 percent, forcing them to rely on their standard one-point game to stay in contention.

  Down by eight points at halftime, Fever coach Dan Ryan made strategic changes that ignited the home crowd, helping the team to complete an 11-point turnaround and take the lead. The final quarter saw both teams scrambling for control of the ball, with Fever’s Kadie-Ann Dehaney narrowly avoiding a send-off after a late challenge on Sam Winders.

  Despite the Giants’ supershot prowess, they could not close the gap, and the Fever hung on for a nail-biting win. Fowler-Nembhard was instrumental, top-scoring with 55 goals from 59 attempts. Fever’s Fran Williams also shone, delivering a stellar performance in front of her family, who had traveled from England to watch her play.

  Alice Teague-Neeld was named MVP, contributing 36 goal assists and two pickups. Jamie-Lee Price dominated at center for the Giants, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

  The Fever’s victory reasserts their position as strong contenders for the Super Netball finals, while the Giants will need to regroup and plan for the next season.

   

   

   

   

   
• Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst praises work rate of Jamaican defender Latanya Wilson in title push

  Adelaide Thunderbirds Head coach Tania Obst has lauded the work rate of Jamaican Latanya Wilson in the push to retain their title, as they dynamic defender consistently displays immense potential and versatility on a weekly basis in the Suncorp Super Netball League.

  Obst’s praise for Wilson follows the Thunderbirds’ comprehensive 26-goal win over the Melbourne Mavericks last Saturday, which kept their spotless home record alive this season. In fact, that win not only pushed Thunderbirds up to second on the ladder, but more importantly, guaranteed them finals action in 2024.

  The competitions best defence were at their stingy best once again, keeping the Mavericks to just 41 goals, and just 16 goals from a mere 20 attempts in the second half. 

  Mavericks fans might have expected their side to make inroads in the second quarter when Thunderbirds star and Jamaican goalkeeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey left the court, but the equally dynamic, if undersized, Wilson stepped up to the plate.

  Wilson looked more than comfortable in the goalkeeper bib, as she racked up four deflections, two gains, one rebound, one pickup and 32 Nissan Net Points across her 13-minute stint in the position. 

  Obst obviously would have preferred if Sterling-Humphrey did not have to leave the court, but she found a silver lining in Wilson’s move to the last line of defence. 

  

  Tania Obst

  “Goalkeeper isn’t unfamiliar for her [Wilson]; she has played there,” Obst said, referencing Wilson’s previous playing experience outside the SSN. 

  “To be able to swing Latty [Wilson] back, gets Hannah (Petty) onto the court at wing defence and that allowed us to see some other things and get some more evidence around things we do really well with different combinations,” the coach added. 

  Wilson has been nothing short of incredible this season.  

  The 23-year-old sits second in the competition for intercepts on 38 and is in the top five for both deflections (65) and gains (65). 

  Obst pointed out that Wilson’s hunger to grow has been the main catalyst behind her step up this season. 

  

  Shamera Sterling-Humphrey left the court after getting knocked in the face.

  “She is growing every time she hits the training track. She goes to training wanting to know what it is she’s working on and what does it (her role) look like for her this week. She just has an ability to be in the right position to be able to see where her player is as well as the ball,” Obst shared.

  The Thunderbirds once again utilised their bench to its full capacity in the win over the Mavericks, something they have done weekly this season following their success with the same tactic last year. 

  Obst believes this flexibility represents a major part of their push for back-to-back premierships. Another Jamaican, Romelda Aiken-George has been leading the Thunderbirds attacking line.

  “We have players now who have been together for a while. They have done the hard yards, years of work, not just this year, and that is starting to play to our strengths,” Obst noted.

  “To be able to roll people on and off the court in different positions and it is pretty seamless, and to be able to push on every quarter is going to be a real strength of ours moving forward,” she declared.

• Thunderbirds thrash Mavericks to extend unbeaten run as Firebirds upset Fever

  Jamaica’s Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson and Romelda Aiken-George continued winning ways with Adelaide Thunderbirds, as they produced a blistering second half display to secure a 67-41 win over Melbourne Mavericks at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on Saturday.

  The 26-goal victory –Thunderbirds’ widest margin so far this season –propelled them into second position on 32 points, same as West Coast Fever, but with a better goal difference of 93 goals greater than their conceded total. Melbourne Vixens (36 points) remain in pole position.

  Aiken-George again led Thunderbirds from the front with 39 goals from 43 attempts, supported by Lauren Frew, who scored 13 goals from 15 attempts. Lucy Austin had nine goals from 11 attempts, and Georgie Horjus ended with six from six.

  Another Jamaican Shimona Jok led Mavericks’ efforts with 25 goals from 28 attempts, as Eleanor Cardwell (10 goals from 13 attempts) and Gabrielle Sinclair (four goals from seven attempts) offered support.

  Horjus was on top of her game across all four quarters, finishing with 116 Nissan Net Points, while Sterling-Humphrey (106 NNP), who was briefly sidelined after taking a knock to the face, and Wilson (77.5 NNP) delivered standout individual performances.

  

  Adelaide Thunderbirds celebrate their win.

  The Mavericks were more spirited at the start, as Jok scored three unanswered goals, before Sterling-Humphrey raked in two gains, two intercepts and a deflection in the first term alone, to bring Thunderbirds back into the contest. Aiken-George was prolific on the scoreboard for the Thunderbirds in a tightly contested and physical quarter, which they won 15-14.

  The Thunderbirds maintained the momentum in the second quarter, courtesy of brisk goals from Frew and Aiken-George inside the opening minutes.

  An aerial duel between Jok and Sterling-Humphrey, forced to the latter to the bench with a suspected concussion from a hit behind the ball. She was replaced by Wilson, who also made her presence felt, as Mavericks’ penalties and turnovers proved their undoing in the quarter that ended 18-11 in favour of Thunderbirds, with the score at 33-25 at half-time.

  Like the first two quarters, the Mavericks struggled to make the most of their possession in the attacking third, and that allowed Thunderbirds to maintain a stranglehold on the contest, which seemed headed for blowout. Despite a strong performance from Jok and a Super Shot from Sinclair, it wasn’t enough to claw back the Thunderbirds’ 15-goal advantage heading into the final break at 49-34. 

  Still, the Mavericks fought on with four quick goals in the opening three minutes, before a deflection from Sterling-Humphrey and a couple of impressive long-range goals from Horjus widened Thunderbirds’ gap to 17 points.

  And even switching Jok to goalkeeper to match Aiken-George's height, proved futile for the Mavericks, who were blew away 18-7 in the final quarter.

  Sterling-Humphrey maintained her stellar performance and ended with a rebound, six intercepts, and five deflections, while Wilson was also on song with an impressive seven deflections and an intercept, as both thwarted the opponent’s attack.

  

  Jamaica's Shanice Beckford of West Coast Fever is a picture of focus.

  Meanwhile, Queensland Firebirds produced a massive upset, as they bettered West Coast Fever 78-70 in an evenly contested fixture at Nissan Arena. 

  Donnell Wallam piloted the Firebirds with 66 goals from 67 attempts, with Tippah Dwan getting the other 12 goals from 17 attempts.

  At the other end, Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard scored 65 goals from 67 attempts for West Coast Fever, while Shanice Beckford had four goals from eight attempts, and Olivia Wilkinson, one goal from three attempts.

  In a fiercely contested start, both teams showed early intensity, exchanging goals before the Fever gained an early edge, spurred on by robust defensive efforts from Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Sunday Aryang.

  Fever seamlessly moved the ball to the circle edge before delivering it straight to Fowler-Nembhard under the post, as they surged into an eight-goal lead at one point. However, Wallam orchestrated a stunning comeback, sinking four two-point Super Shots during the Power Five period to level the scores at 20-20 at the first break.

  It was more end-to-end action at the top of the second quarter, before Wallam, who was a powerhouse in the circle, fired on all cylinders to give her team control.

  Despite the pressure, the Fever maintained their composure and executed their game plan with clinical precision, and at that point, it became evident that it would be a showdown of the shooters, as Wallam and Fowler-Nembhard took centre stage.

  

  Jamaica's Kadie-Ann Dehaney (right) of West Coast Fever challenges for possession.

  Fowler-Nembhard was outstanding for the Fever, racking up an impressive 45 Nissan Net Points for the quarter, just edging out Wallam who scored 43 in the second quarter. In fact, it took a thrilling buzzer-beating Super Shot from Wallam to put Firebirds ahead 41-39 at halftime.

  After a couple wayward balls to start the third, the Firebirds had all the answers as the Fever struggled to keep pace. But the Dan Ryan-coached Fever was not to be outdone and battled bravely to ensure the contest remained close with just six goals between them at 57-51 heading into the final quarter.

  The Fever fought back valiantly, as they intensified their defensive efforts and eventually found success on the scoreboard to move within two of the Firebirds score, but let the momentum slip close to the end.