Super Netball 2025: West Coast Fever thrash NSW Swifts to book place in grand final
Fever are one win away from a second premiership in their history, extending their league-record winning streak to 13 games with a 77-45 victory at RAC Arena on Sunday.
They will now await the winner of the preliminary final between the NSW Swifts and Melbourne Vixens next weekend to determine who they will face in this year's grand final at John Cain Arena on August 2.
And it was on the back of shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard who equalled her own record for most goals in a final with 67 to send them into the biggest game of the year in front of 11,838 fans.
In defence Sunday Aryang was clinical with seven gains and three deflections, while Kadie-Ann Dehaney kept prized Swifts recruit Grace Nweke to only 23 goals.
New Diamond Alice Teague-Neeld was exceptional with 26 goal assists and 35 feeds, while Shanice Beckford provided plenty of nuisance value in goal attack.
It took less than two minutes for Fever to get the first break in the game as the Swifts struggle to settle into the high-pressure final.
Swifts centre Allie Smith was doing her best to try to rough up Fever counterpart Jordan Cransberg (22 goal assists), but she couldn't keep up with the midcourt dynamo.
It took Fever only five minutes to gain a six-goal lead, forcing Swifts coach Briony Akle to call a time-out to try to compose the visitors.
The crowd was silenced late in the term when former Fever star Verity Simmons went down with an ankle injury to send a scare through the Swifts camp.
Fever continued to pile on the scoreboard pressure through clinical ball movement and the work of Fowler-Nembhard to lead by nine goals at the first break.
NSW were their own worst enemies, coughing up eight turnovers to only three to Fever in the opening quarter.
The Swifts needed everything to go right early but a pair of misses from Nweke opened the door for Fever to further take control on the scoreboard.
To make matters worse for NSW, the Fever's defence began to have an influence as they started forcing turnovers and grabbing intercepts.
Akle swung the changes, bringing Simmons back on into centre and the combination of Helen Housby and Sophie Fawns to try to bring them back into the game through super shots.
By half-time the lead had blown out to a remarkable 26 goals, and it was not by if but by how many goals Fever would win by.
The third term was a tighter tussle but Fever were still too strong defensively, as the Swifts did their best to close the gap through a series of late super goals.
Fever coach Dan Ryan brought on rising star Olivia Wilkinson into goal attack to start the final term and she like her teammates had an instant impact with the first three goals.
It looked as if the Swifts were going to win the last quarter until Fever hit some late super shots to ensure the crowd would go nuts and celebrate the most remarkable of victories.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
19 hours ago
- Perth Now
Nothing to lose for Swifts after finals 'nightmare'
Having survived a living nightmare, star attacker Helen Housby says the NSW Swifts' Super Netball finals fate can't get any worse than what has already happened. The Swifts will be out for redemption - and a spot in the 2025 decider - when the 13-times finalists host the Melbourne Vixens in a do-or-die prelim at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday. Housby and her teammates were left reeling after a disastrous 77-45 semi-final mauling to grand final-bound West Coast in the RAC Arena "dungeon". After a perfect 8-0 start to the season, NSW have lost five of their past seven games. Meanwhile, the Vixens are riding high after sensationally ending Adelaide's bid for a third-straight title with a 58-56 win last week. The road to grand final glory works favourably for the Vixens, who will enjoy home-court advantage - despite finishing fourth - if they reach the decider. Despite the Fever finishing on top of the table, Rod Laver Arena will host the grand final on August 2 under Super Netball's controversial policy of selling hosting rights for the decider. NSW can't look that far just yet, with Housby saying her side was taking a nothing-to-lose approach against Melbourne. "It kind of feels like we've lived our nightmare but, in saying that, the sun came up the next day," Housby said. "I don't want to say it was a relief but to get that game out of the way but still have a game to play, it almost feels like it can't go any worse than what it was (against West Coast). "We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain going into this game." Housby has seen this movie before too, saying NSW have never had it easy on the way to a grand final. The Swifts were thumped 58-48 by Sunshine Coast in the 2019 major semi-final before rebounding to win the title. Housby also points to their 2023 run, where the Swifts eliminated the Fever by one point in the dying seconds. They later lost the grand final by one point to Adelaide. "It does feel like a bit of deja vu," Housby said. "It always seems like there's a bit of adversity in our wins and in our premierships, so I quite like that. "I love to be on the edge of performance. This group is itching for it. Just itching for another chance to prove ourselves and to show the netball world that that's not what we stand for." Swifts co-captain and mid-courter Paige Hadley is expected to return from a leg injury in a massive boost for coach Briony Akle's team.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Netball champ Jamie-Lee Price quits Giants to join AFL star partner in Melbourne
The Giants have announced superstar midcourter Jamie-Lee Price is departing the club with a year left on her contract. The move had been widely expected, with Price intending to relocate to Melbourne to be with her partner, current AFL player Harry Perryman. Watch every game of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season, LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Perryman began his AFL career at the GWS Giants and joined Collingwood this season on a six-year deal reportedly worth $900,000 per season. Price is a key player in the Australian Diamonds team, winning the 2023 Netball World Cup, and has become renowned for her physicality and strength in aerial contests throughout her career. Price was a foundation player with the Giants, signing with the Sydney-based team when she joined the Super Netball competition in 2017, continuing her relationship with coach Julie Fitzgerald from their time in New Zealand. In a statement the Giants said: 'Over her nine seasons in orange, she became a cornerstone of the club's identity, known for her toughness, consistency, and leadership on and off the court.' 'Jamie-Lee has played a significant role in the growth and success of the Giants since inception and we thank her for her contributions over the past nine seasons,' Mr Underwood said. 'While we're naturally disappointed to see her go, we understand and respect her decision to prioritise her personal life and wish her the best in this next chapter.' The Giants missed finals this season and will undergo a period of change this off-season — longserving coach Fitzgerald has announced her retirement, as has veteran goal shooter Jo Harten. Speaking on Netball Australia's 'Uncovered' earlier this year, Price had flagged a move to Melbourne. 'I guess for me, it's just a matter of when I go to Melbourne,' she said. 'I think I'm going to be there eventually. 'I don't like the long distance (relationship) – obviously I'm able to live by myself and we are very independent in so many ways but it's always nice to have that person that you have lived with to be able to go home to. 'I think knowing that you only get so much time to play professionally, it is so small in your life or your career. 'We acknowledged that it's not going to be forever – we need to enjoy it while we can.' Following Price's departure, the club currently has Sophie Dwyer, Erin O'Brien, Jodi-Ann Ward and Hope White on contract for next season. It remains to be seen if Price will join the Melbourne Vixens or Melbourne Mavericks as she continues her Super Netball career. The Vixens have a strong team but lost Liz Watson to the Sunshine Coast Lightning two seasons ago, while Price could reunite with former Giants teammate Amy Parmenter if she heads to the Mavericks. The NSW Swifts take on the Melbourne Vixens at Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday at 2pm AEST for a spot in the Super Netball Grand Final against the West Coast Fever.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Basil Zempilas: Hakea report shows Labor is fixated on votes over basic needs
1. It's messy and expensive — but also necessary. Three commissioners are now in place to run the Nedlands council for the next nine months. Where though are John Carey's inspectorate of local government and local government monitors? You remember, announced three years ago with much fanfare, we were told they would investigate and oversee complaints and assist in resolving ongoing issues. Still we wait for their arrival, and Nedlands counts the cost. 2. A scathing report which described conditions within Hakea prison as 'entirely unacceptable' is the latest evidence of a Government fixated on pet projects such as the racetrack at Burswood, instead of the basics. As 7NEWS veteran Geof Parry put it so well, 'there's very few votes in prisons or prisoners — and the Government knows it, but the public should pay more attention. Every time there's a breakout or prison riot, the bill to taxpayers can run into the millions.' 3. Not everything has to be about dollars or votes. In WA we expect a certain standard, even for those who are behind bars. Prisoners being kept in inhumane conditions increases the risk to prison guards and decreases the chances of any meaningful rehabilitation. If there's no chance of prisoners coming out any better than they went in, we've lost our way. 4. Vale Ozzy Osbourne. I never really got into him, Black Sabbath or the family reality show, but the other day I saw a clip of him meeting his lifetime idol Sir Paul McCarthy. The genuine warmth and respect he showed for the legendary Beatle was enough to convince me Ozzy was all right. 5. I was at the West Coast Fever's semi-final demolition of the Sydney Swifts on Sunday — a display I'd rank as one of the most dominant team performances I've seen. The Fever's on-court confidence has carried them to 13 consecutive wins and the grand final. One to go. 6. The other delight of attending with my daughter and niece, was seeing first-hand the phenomenal match day atmosphere and sheer inspiration the Fever players provide the stadium full of impressionable young athletes. I'm not sure any club in WA does it better. What wonderful role models they are. 7. I visited our State's largest food relief provider, Foodbank, this week. It was a reminder of how many people in WA are doing it tough. Each year Foodbank provides more than 9 million meals to West Aussies in need. 8. Can the Dockers win the flag? They can if they sneak into the top four. 9. One of the most remarkable people I have ever met turns 90 tomorrow. Happy birthday Don Cruden, a sparkling gentleman with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, who served his country for 21 years in the 7RAR 'Porky Pig' battalion of the Australian Army. 10. The WA Liberals listening tour is in Harvey on Friday. I'll be with Michelle Boylan MLC at the Curious Cockatoo Café at 9am. Great name. Come and say hi.
