Another stellar shooting exhibition from Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard assisted West Coast Fever to another clinical performance in the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League, as they toppled Melbourne Mavericks 76-57 in front of a record-breaking crowd of 11,841 at RAC Arena, in Perth, on Saturday.

While the 19-goal victory didn’t push the Fevers to the top of the standing as they had hoped, it did ensure they ended the regular season on a high heading into the finals. They provisionally sit second on the standings on 44 points, same as leaders Melbourne Vixens, who were 62-52 winners over Queensland Firebirds.

However, reigning champions Adelaide Thunderbirds (40 points), could overtake both to finish regular season as minor premiers, with a win over Sunshine Coast Lightning on Sunday.

Still, Fowler-Nembhard, who shot 69 from 69, including a solitary Supershot worth two goals, and her team have much to celebrate as they have regained some semblance of rhythm when it matters most. Alice Teague-Neeld (five goals from six attempts) and another Jamaican Shanice Beckford (two goals from three attempts) supported the top-rated shooter.

Meanwhile, another Jamaican Shimona Jok led the Mavericks with 30 goals from 34 attempts, with support from Eleanor Cardwell (21 goals from 24 attempts) and Gabrielle Sinclair (six goals from eight attempts), but it was not enough for them to make the finals in their inaugural SSN season.

Both teams started the game strongly, with the Jamaican shooters as Fowler-Nembhard and Jok exchanging goal-for-goal at opposite ends of the court. However, Fever gradually asserted some authority on the contest and opened up a five-goal lead to end the first quarter at 20-15.

The second quarter was a stark contrast to the first as both teams struggled to maintain possession due to some unforced errors, before the Mavericks regained their composure and scored a few unanswered goals to reduce the deficit.

That shift in momentum forced Fever’s Head coach Dan Ryan to move Sunday Aryang into goal defence, while Jess Anstiss took the wing defence bib, and Kelsey Browne entered the game in centre. Those changes had immediate impact, as Aryang picked up a rebound off a missed effort from Jok.

From there, Fever ensured they remained on top at 34-30 at the half-time interval, though they were outscored 14-15 in what was a strong second quarter for the Mavericks.

Like they did in the first, the two teams traded goals for most of the third quarter until Aryang picked up an incredible intercept for the Fever. That, along with a few missed efforts on the Mavericks’ part, allowed Fever to widen the gap to a 13-goal lead at 56-43 heading into the final quarter.

In chase of a 24-goal winning margin to secure top spot, the Fever threw it all on the line in the final quarter, as they applied consistent pressure to the Mavericks, who never really had a response, but did well enough to deny the host a wider margin of victory.

Jamaican Shimona Jok was again on song for Melbourne Mavericks, as they edged GIANTS 55-54 in a nail-biting Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League affair in Sydney on Saturday.

Not only did the win propel Mavericks into the top four, but it also marked an historic feat as it was their first time securing back-to-back victories in the First Nations Round opener. 

Jok, with 34 goals from 35 attempts, and Eleanor Cardwell, with 21 goals from 24 attempts, got the job done for the Mavericks, while Jo Harten (14 goals from 18 attempts), Sophie Dwyer (24 goals from 28 attempts) and Matisse Letherbarrow (16 goals from 16 attempts) fought gallantly for GIANTS, the team of another Jamaican Jodi-Ann Ward.

The Mavericks, who pulled off a thrilling 72-71 last-minute win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Hobart last week, somewhat repeated the feat on this occasion as it was a crucial intercept from Player of the Match Kim Jenner that paved the way for Cardwell to score the winning goal in the final minute.

Earlier, the GIANTS got off to a brisk start, scoring three unanswered goals, before the Mavericks responded. In fact, it was end-to-end action for much of the first quarter before a pair of late goals pushed the Mavericks ahead 14-12.

It was another action-packed second quarter, as the GIANTS lifted their intensity and again scored the first three goals. Jodi-Ann Ward made a crucial intercept, which was converted, but a misplaced pass allowed the Mavericks to regain possession.

Melbourne Mavericks and GIANTS players tussle for possession.

Despite being dominant in possession, the Mavericks conversion rate was low. They struggled to advance the ball down the court efficiently, often taking wide drives and long passes, instead of tightening up their play and improve their second-phase transitions.

That, along with the fact that both teams also demonstrated strong defensive efforts, saw the score locked at 25-25 at the half-time interval.

The Mavericks tried to explode at the top of the third quarter, but the GIANTS applied pressure to keep their opponents in check. However, the game finally opened up for the Mavericks with five minutes remaining at the backend of the quarter, as they opened up a five-goal lead at 44-39 heading into the final quarter.

The GIANTS needed to make an early impact to close the deficit, and they did just that with two unanswered goals.

Ward, who had been dominant throughout, grabbed a defensive rebound and sent the ball down the court. However, the GIANTS struggled with composure, allowing the Mavericks to regain possession.

With the scores locked at 51-51 heading into the Power Five, a missed shot by Cardwell saw Ward again recover the rebound, but the GIANTS again failed to capitalise as the Mavericks won back possession.

Letherbarrow then delivered a crucial Super Shot, putting the GIANTS ahead with 90 seconds left, but Cardwell responded with a Super Shot of her own, leveling the score once more.

With the GIANTS looking to score the winning goal, Jenner made a critical intercept, and the Mavericks scored the winning goal to keep their final hopes alive.

Adelaide Thunderbirds extended their unbeaten run with another dazzling performance as they romped to a 73-58 win over Melbourne Vixens in a lopsided Round 12 top-of-the-ladder clash at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on Saturday.

Thunderbirds attacking charge was again led by Romelda Aiken-George, who scored 47 goals from 53 attempts, as Georgie Horjus and Lucy Austin chipped in with 12 goals and nine goals from 11 and 10 attempts respectively. Lauren Frew had a perfect five goals from five attempts.

Meanwhile, Sophie Garbin had 29 goals from 31 attempts for the Vixens, with Kiera Austin (27 goals from 27 attempts) and Lily Graham with a single two-point Supershot, contributing the others.

Both teams produced a clinical display in the early exchanges as they demonstrated why they are the two best teams in the competition. The Vixens were first to slip up, with suffocating defensive pressure from the Thunderbirds forcing the visitors into a few errors.

Still, the contest remained evenly poised at 15-15 at the end of the first quarter.

However, the Thunderbirds found an extra spark in the second quarter and briskly raced to a seven-goal lead early, courtesy of some impressive defending by Jamaican Latanya Wilson, who robbed a few Vixens possession, which the shooters capitalised on.

The Vixens tried to trim the margin in the Power Five, but Matilda Garrett and another Jamaican standout Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, forced the Vixens to work overtime in the goal circle to find space and shoot. That coupled with a bit of magic from Aiken-George, ensured Thunderbirds remained seven goals ahead at 32-25 at halftime. 

Melbourne Mavericks in action against Sunshine Coast Lightning.

The Vixens were more settled to begin the third quarter, as the Thunderbirds found it harder to move the ball into their attacking third. Despite Vixens hard-fought battle to close the gap from 10 goals down during the Power Five, Thunderbirds remained eight goals up at 51-43 heading into the final quarter, which was a mere formality.

This, as the Thunderbirds went from strength-to-strength in that final quarter and outplayed the Vixens in all departments to power to a commanding 25-goal win, with Sterling-Humphrey named as the match MVP.

Elsewhere, another Jamaican Shimona Jok scored 42 goals from 43 attempts to assist Melbourne Mavericks to a 72-71 win over Sunshine Coast Lightning in a nail-biting encounter in Hobart.

Along with Jok, Mavericks had clinical performances from Gabrielle Sinclair, who scored a couple of two-point Supershots in her five goals from three attempts, while Eleanor Cardwell had four Supershots in her 25 goals from 22 attempts.

Cara Koenen (39 goals from 42 attempts), Steph Fretwell (26 goals from 26 attempts) and Reilley Batcheldor (six goals from six attempts) also showed good knick for the Lightning in a losing cause.

With both teams desperate to sit in that elusive top four spot as the road to finals closes in, every play and decision was critical throughout the thrilling contest.

But, it was the Mavericks, who held their nerves best and took a massive stride closer to breaking through that top four, as they now sit level with Lightning on the ladder on 20 points apiece.

Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard celebrated another milestone in the Suncorp Super Netball League, as she surpassed the 8,000-goal mark in leading West Coast Fever to an exciting 69-62 victory over Melbourne Mavericks at the John Cain Arena on Saturday.

The ever-reliable Fowler-Nembhard scored a perfect 50 goals from 50 attempts, with support from compatriot Shanice Beckford, who had 18 goals from 16 attempts, including four supershots worth two points each. Olivia Wilkinson contributed the other goal in the Fever’s third-consecutive win.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks scoring was also led by a Jamaican Shimona Jok, who registered 27 goals from 29 attempts before taking up goalkeeper duties. Eleanor Cardwell had 22 goals from 22 attempts, while Gabrielle Sinclair, who sunk six supershots, ended with 13 goals from nine attempts.

The West Coast Fever delivered three quarters of relentless netball, extinguishing any hope of a home victory for the Mavericks on this occasion.

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard continued to shine brightly, showcasing her exceptional early season form, as the Fever’s made their intentions clear from the start. However, the Mavericks through Maisie Nankivell and Jok, ensured it remained a tightly contested affair, as they took a three-goal lead 17-14 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Like they did at the start, the Fever scored four unanswered goals at the top of the second quarter courtesy of intercepts by Jamaican Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Jess Anstiss. Though the Mavericks tried to regain the momentum back, Kelsey Browne’s speed and pressure in centre court, saw Fever control and dominate the contest at 40-32 at the half-time interval.

In a surprising move for the Mavericks, Jok transitioned from goalshoot to goalkeeper with hopes of containing Fowler-Nembhard, and her immediate impact was evident. However, Beckford's precision sinking supershots rendered the move futile.

From there, the speed in attack and high intensity pressure led by Dehaney and Fran Williams in defence, coupled with the accuracy of the shooters, propelled the Fever’s to a 11-goal lead at 54-43 to close the third quarter.

The fourth quarter started in the same vein, as Fowler-Nembhard scored her 42nd goal of the evening and brought up 8,000 National League Goals in the process.

Fever held a 10-goal lead at the start of Power Five, before the Mavericks’ supershot prowess saw them cut the deficit to five, but the Dan Ryan-coached Fever’s held their own to close out the win.

Elsewhere, Adelaide Thunderbirds, the team of Jamaicans Romelda-Aiken George, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, and Latanya Wilson, rebounded from last week’s defeat to top Sunshine Coast Lightning 60-56, at the UniSC Arena.

Aiken-George led the Thunderbirds with 43 goals from 48 attempts, with Lauren Frew (14 goals from 21 attempts), and Lucy Austin (three goals from five attempts) getting in on the act.

Meanwhile, Cara Koenen (24 goals from 26 attempst), Steph Fratwell (26 goals from 27 atempts) and Reilley Batcheldor (six goals from nine attempts) got the goals the Lightning.

The game began with a flurry of errors, centre pass missteps, poor passes, and some defenders hungry for the ball. Both teams traded turnovers, but it was the Lightning, who fell behind as they couldn’t convert from their centre pass.

At the other end, the Thunderbirds not only managed to convert theirs but were then able to take advantage of any intercepts on defence.

From there, it was a case of who handled the ball best throughout the first three quarters which ended 17-4, 31-20, 39-36 in favour of the Thunderbirds, before the Lightning rallied to tie things at 50-50 at the end to send the game into overtime.

There seemed to be some level of confusion for both teams, neither remembering the rules of the overtime period. The Lightning was late to realise that the super shot was in play for the entirety of the overtime period, and the Thunder forgot there were two five-minute halves.

Fretwell took advantage of the supershot, as she nailed a few to put her team within reach, but the Thunderbirds showed no fear, courtesy of Frew and Aiken-George, who saw them to a four-goal win.

Australia’s cricketers have thrown their weight behind the country’s netballers, creating a “fighting fund” to help them through a pay dispute with their governing body.

Australia’s Diamonds captured the Netball World Cup in August amid a background of disharmony and Super Netball players have been out of contract since September 30.

Now the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), which represents the country’s male and female cricketers, has vowed to support the netballers in their quest for a revenue-sharing model.

The support includes the creation of the fund to help netballers during the spell of unemployment and the ACA said it is in talks with the Australian Athletes’ Alliance and other player associations to join the initiative.

ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg pledged to stand with the netballers until their campaign is successful and called on Netball Australia to develop a long-term growth model with a partnership model akin to the five-year deal the cricketers have negotiated with Cricket Australia.

Describing the revenue-sharing model as a “win-win”, he said: “The netballers are leaning on friends and family for financial support.

“What is disappointing is that the netballers’ requests are modest and affordable for the sport.

“The ACA believes they should be given the same partnership opportunities as our players – the same opportunities that have seen cricket thrive.”

Australia are in their midst of the four-match Constellation Cup series against local rivals New Zealand, winning the first two matches on home soil despite continuing turmoil between the Australian Netball Players Association (ANPA) and Netball Australia.

ANPA chief executive Kathryn Harby-Williams said: “Australian netballers are brave and resilient people. When your minimum wage is 40,000 dollars (£20,940) you have to show a lot of courage to take a stand.

“That’s why this expression of support is so welcome. It lets the netballers know they are not alone.”

Netball Australia said its latest offer, rejected by the ANPA, would increase investment by 1.275 million dollars (£670,000).

The ANPA said the players wanted a revenue-sharing agreement and said “we’d like to share in the good times we help build and we will share in the risk when times are tough”.

England forwards Helen Housby and Eleanor Cardwell, part of the team beaten in the World Cup final, are among those unable to sign new contracts for the next Super Netball season.

Jhaniele Fowler scored 57 goals as Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls defeated England’s Roses 63-53 for a consolation victory in the England Roses Vitality Series that concluded on Sunday.