IN an unprecedented start to West Coast Fever’s 2019 season, a loss to the NSW Swifts on Sunday relegated Fever to eighth on the ladder after three losses in as many weeks. Meanwhile, the Swifts are sitting in second on percentage with three solid wins under their belt, securing a 14 goal win with a phenomenal 80 goal haul – and the second consecutive week Fever have let their opposition shoot 80 goals. The loss of captain, Courtney Bruce continues to haunt Fever, with the side’s slow start to the season unhelped by the lack of experience in defence.

It was the Fever who started hard and fast, going goal for goal early before a five goal streak gave them a 19 goal to 15 quarter time lead. The likes of Sam Wallace (62 goals from 66 attempts) and Jhaniele Fowler (48 from 50) impressed at the post, with Fowler shooting her 1000th Suncorp Super Netball goal, breaking the record as the quickest player to do so since their SSN debut. Kaylia Stanton was given the start in goal attack this week, shooting 18 goals from 23 attempts and all but cementing her spot in the starting lineup as she pulled some of the focus off Fowler. The combination of Fowler’s rebounding ability and Stanton’s skill on a long bomb could make the pair one to be reckoned with in the future. At the other end, shooter Wallace’s start to the season has been phenomenal, boosting her volume and accuracy at the post to set the Swifts up for a significant win. Her partner in crime, Helen Housby also had a good match, shooting 18 goals at 100 per cent, with 13 in the second half as the Swifts took control of the game.

With a real match on their hands, the Swifts started out the second quarter strong as they looked to take the lead against the fired up Fever. Midcourters, Paige Hadley (27 assists from 42 feeds) and Maddy Proud (30 from 41) swapped their regular positions in a change that proved solid last round, giving the side a much needed boost with the likes of Hadley taking on centre and putting on a great defensive performance. Proud’s ability to find the circle edge was excellent, with the reduced role of wing attack giving her the ability to find space through attack. Sophie Halpin (three deflections, one intercept) was injected into the match as wing defence, creating a solid option defensively and causing turnovers through the Fever’s increasingly frustrated midcourt unit. An exceptionally-timed long pass through the midcourt to Wallace in the goal circle – courtesy of Halpin – broke open Fever’s defence, while three multiple goal runs to the Swifts saw the momentum turn, eventually evening up the ledger to 37 apiece at half time.

The Swifts’ full court defence proved too much for the Fever, with the side unable to feed the ball down with the likes of experienced goal defender, Stacey Francis (six deflections, two gains, one intercept) penalised for held ball on two occasions. Defensively, both sides put in the hard yards however the Swifts’ continuous pressure was key to get the win as they blocked Fever’s airways. The rotation of Sarah Klau, Maddy Turner and Kate Eddy through defence worked wonders, with all three players bringing their own flair to the circle against Fowler, despite leaving Stanton to her own resources early. Despite some strong movement and solid play from Fever’s front-line, the side struggled putting the ball to advantage of Fowler. Stalwart defender, Shannon Eagland and youngster, Olivia Lewis put in some great work creating and delivering the loose ball, however often were not backed up through defence, therefore creating a second opportunity for the Swifts who pounced on the loose ball at every opportunity.

STARTING LINE-UP:

West Coast Fever:

GS | Jhaniele Fowler
GA | Kaylia Stanton
WA | Ingrid Colyer
C | Verity Charles
WD | Jess Anstiss
GD | Stacey Francis
GK | Olivia Lewis

NSW Swifts:

GS | Sam Wallace
GA | Helen Housby
WA | Maddy Proud
C | Paige Hadley
WD | Kate Eddy
GD | Maddy Turner
GK | Sarah Klau