THE top four battle well and truly lived up to the hype in the opening stanza as the Sunshine Coast Lightning had the early ascendancy before West Coast put the pedal to the metal running out 20-goal victors (72-52). Neck and neck to start the contest, the Fever simply proved too strong across the court carving up the Lightnings’ defence and capitalising on the opportunities that fell their way.

Despite hitting the scoreboard in the first 20 seconds of the game the scoring dried up in the next couple of minutes as the ball ebbed and flowed down the court. An uncharacteristic miss from Cara Koenen under the post sent the Fever into attack as their patient approach down the court enabled Jhaniele Fowler to assert herself early. Courtney Bruce came out with a real fire in the belly down back for West Coast swatting away ball time and time again and putting doubt into the feeders minds. A lack of continuity in the frontend of the Lightning saw a wealth of ball lost in transition while the Fever put the foot down skipping out to a five-goal lead.

An animated Steph Wood brought the Lightning front half to life as the goal attack showcased her playmaking abilities and skill to go to post, however costly turnovers continued to plague Sunshine Coast. On the other hand the Fever remained cool, calm and composed as Bruce and Stacey Francis wreaked havoc establishing a six goal lead. Fowler was the main source of goals for the Fever however she did not have everything her own way with Phumza Maweni pushing her up high and contesting every pass, to make her uncomfortable on the take. Things started to kick into gear in the final minutes of the term with the Lightnings’ heightened pressure being rewarded with a held ball while Koenen and Wood found their groove under the post to outsmart Bruce and steal the lead.

After a seesawing start to the game the Lightning hit first in the second quarter with Koenen showcasing her impressive drive along the goal-line and finish. The Fever were forced to work in overdrive as they crafted the ball down the court but still managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over. A well-read intercept from Verity Charles off the Lightnings’ centre pass enabled the Fever to go down court and capitalise to level the scores for the first time that quarter. Emma Cosh found good space in the attacking third, hitting the circle edge with great pace and precision. Laura Sherian showcased her defensive attributes taking a huge intercept in the centre third and hitting the deck in the process but a couple of scrappy plays from the Lightning stopped them from making the most of their chances.

The momentum shifted towards the Fever as they created a handy five-goal buffer thanks to their composure in attack while their defensive pressure continuously mounted on Sunshine Coast. The give and go in the front half of the Fever gifted Alice Teague-Neeld her first super shot of the game as things really started to hum. Laura Langman came into her own throughout the term for the Lightning, commanding the ball and driving down court however the Fever proved they were up to the task weaving their way down court with great ease.

The Lightning made a couple of changes in the goal circle with Peace Proscovia entering the game in at goal shooter and Koenen switching out to goal attack while Jacqui Russell also made her way onto court in wing defence after half-time. It was a masterclass in defence from both sides as Bruce went streaming out for an intercept while Russell and Pretorius combined for a gain. The Lightning steadily pegged the margin back to three goals however the Fever plied their trade and went back to basics as they re-established a six-goal lead. The penalties started to rack up for Maweni with the goal keeper pinned for a wealth of contacts allowing Fowler easy passage to the post.

Out to a seven-goal deficit, the Lightning looked to quell the influence of their opposition, calling a timeout in hope to wrestle back some type of momentum. Another scrappy couple of minutes of play ensued as missed shots plagued the Lightning while bodies flew across the court. Wood re-entered the game but that did not seem to solve the problems in the attacking end for the Lightning as the Fever kicked it up a gear to extend to a game high 10-goal lead. Jess Anstiss was impressive throughout the term, nullifying the influence of Scherian while also highlighting her drive through the midcourt.

Wholesale changes from the Lightning saw Annika Lee-Jones earn some court time while the biggest change was Langman pushed to the bench. It was a turnover riddled start to the final term for both sides as the Lightning looked to attack. Lee-Jones inserted herself with an intercept and deflection in the early stages of the quarter but Teague-Neeld rose to the occasion leading the way for the Fever. It was a dominant final term from the Fever with their quick transition down play causing headaches for Sunshine Coast as they recorded an impressive 20 goal victory.

Fowler was her usual dominant self under the post, notching up a game high 55 goals at 95 per cent accuracy, while Teague-Neeld got busy out the front amassing 16 goal assists and four super shots. Youngster Koenen, led the way for the Lightning under the post piling on 29 goals for the evening as Wood showcased her super shot prowess registering three to go with her 12 goals. In defence it was the Pretorius of old as the goal defence gobbled up a wealth of ball including three intercepts and four deflections. Bruce was a menace down back picking up a whopping 10 gains, four of which were intercepts along with eight deflections while Francis also plied her trade collecting two intercepts and two deflections.

>>> LIGHTNING TEAM PAGE
>>> FEVER TEAM PAGE
>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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Sunshine Coast Lightning 16 | 14 | 11 | 11 (52)
West Coast Fever 15 | 21 | 15 | 21 (72)

STARTING SEVEN:

Sunshine Coast Lightning

GS: Cara Koenen
GA: Steph Wood
WA: Laura Scherian
C: Laura Langman
WD: Maddy McAuliffe
GD: Karla Pretorius
GK: Phumza Maweni

West Coast Fever

GS: Jhaniele Fowler
GA: Alice Teague-Neeld
WA: Emma Cosh
C: Verity Charles
WD: Jess Anstiss
GD: Stacey Francis
GK: Courtney Bruce