IT was a very different looking Swifts unit that took the court to kickstart Round 12 and the Fever took full advantage of that, capitalising on their chances and running out nine goal victors (80-71). West Coast had control from the outset but were challenged late by the reigning premiers who made full use of the super shot despite missing Helen Housby.

It was a blistering start to the game for both sides as they hit the scoreboard within seconds. The goal shooters seemed to be the main passage to goal with Jhaniele Fowler leading the way for the Fever as Sophie Garbin set the tone under the post for the Swifts. Not only was Garbin strong under the post, but impressive in defence picking up a huge transverse line intercept despite being in goal shooter. The Fever started to kick into gear in attack with Fowler dominating her shorter opponent in Lauren Moore thanks to her commanding height as the Fever skipped out to a three goal lead. A couple of wayward passes from either side saw possession continuously change hands however it was the Fever that seemed more composed across the court, steadily adding to the scoreboard.

Down by a couple of goals the Swifts called a timeout but simply struggled to arrest the momentum that followed. The Fever doubled the Swifts’ score as Courtney Bruce and Stacey Francis both proved to be a menace down back as they collected a wealth of ball in the form of intercepts and rebounds. The Swifts simply had no answers as West Coast put their foot down opening up a 10 goal buffer but the introduction of Sam Wallace under the post provided some continuity for the Swifts in the attack end. Tayla Fraser also injected some speed through the middle for the reigning premiers but the Fever were unfazed, going about their merry way. It was clear that Wallace came out with a point to prove sinking three consecutive super shots to keep her side within touching distance at the quarter time break.

The changes in defence made an immediate impact for the Swifts as Maddy Turner and Sarah Klau connected instantaneously. Klau worked Fowler in overdrive picking up an early loose ball as the Swifts capitalised but Bruce proved anything you can do, I can do better with an intercept of her own. Garbin made her way back onto the court replacing Natalie Haythornthwaite in goal attack but once again the Fever adapted quickly with Francis covering Garbin’s every move. Emma Cosh showcased her impressive vision into the circle, slotting seamlessly into the side. As the Swifts looked for answers to stop the Fever in attack, Moore swung into wing defence to try and keep Cosh off circle edge and give the likes of Klau and Turner a chance to set up in defence.

Faced with an eight-goal deficit the Swifts managed to peg back the margin through the hands of Wallace, as the goal shooter took the game on. The latter stage of the quarter was dictated by some scrappy play as balls flew left and centre, with neither side able to exert much control. Paige Hadley left no stone unturned for the Swifts putting the jets on to get hands to ball and force a turnover but it was not enough as the Fever looked to make life hard.

The Fever came out with a sense of intensity across the court nailing seven goals to two in the opening five minutes of the quarter pushing out to a 13 goal lead. The contest between Klau and Fowler continued to live up to the hype as the two consistently fought it out under the post, however it was the latter that seemed to more dominant. Holding a handy buffer, the Fever brought on Sunday Aryang with the goal defence immediately injecting some added defensive pressure and excitement, collecting two intercepts. The Fever seemed to have the ball on a string able to weave their way down the court with great ease and exploit the one on one in the circle with Fowler and Klau.

With the super shot in play both sides looked to add to their tally with Wallace leading the way sinking back-to-back super shots. Maddy Proud lifted her intensity, hunting any loose ball that came her way and hustling hard to secure prime position on top of circle edge while Verity Charles continued her consistent ways working hard for the Fever through the centre. The Swifts cut the margin down to 10 goals as both Wallace and Garbin enjoying the super shot range to set up for an exciting final 15 minutes of netball.

Increased defensive efforts from the Swifts gifted them a chance to cull the margin to nine goals and with the centre pass to follow the reigning premiers got back to eight. The Swifts had a real spring in their step winning a wealth of ball back defensively while the close-range shooting from Garbin and Wallace was on point. The Swifts went on a tear in the first five minutes putting the foot down with an eight goal to two start. Back to four goals, a big defensive effort off the centre pass saw the Swifts regain possession however they failed to capitalise. Under a wealth of pressure the Fever pulled the trigger with Jess Anstiss switching into centre as they looked to employ full court defensive pressure. Wallace got the Swifts back to within four goals however Alice Teague-Neeld came to life sinking three super shots in a row to claim a nine goal victory.

Without Housby in attack, Wallace did the heavy lifting piling on 30 goals at 88 per cent while Garbin also plied her trade sinking 18 goals from 28 attempts. However it was their combined super shot shooting that starred as Wallace converted 10 of 15 and Garbin five of 10. The ever-reliable Fowler delivered on her lofty standards once again with a record high 69 goals at 96 per cent and take home player of the match honours while Teague-Neeld continued to play that role of playmaker out the front amassing 19 goal assist and four super shots. The quick hands of Charles paid dividends in the Fever attack end with the centre registering 25 goal assists as Proud also had her eye in when it came to feeds with 38 to her name. Bruce was in ripping form once again collecting three intercepts and eight deflections as Klau picked up two intercepts and three deflections.

>>> FEVER TEAM PAGE
>>> SWIFTS TEAM PAGE
>>> FULL MATCH STATS

West Coast Fever
NSW Swifts

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STARTING SEVEN

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

NSW Swifts:

GS: Sophie Garbin
GA: Natalie Haythornthwaite
WA: Maddy Proud
C: Paige Hadley
WD: Sophie Craig
GD: Sarah Klau
GK: Lauren Moore