Sunshine Girls captain Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard was in devastating form, converting a season-best 71 goals from 72 attempts to spearhead former champions West Coast Fever to a commanding 79–68 victory over the previously unbeaten NSW Swifts. The highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash kicked off Round 9 of the Suncorp Super Netball League in Australia.

The match began tightly contested, with Fowler-Nembhard and Swifts shooter Grace Nweke—who finished with a team-high 48 goals from 59 attempts—trading blows early on. Both teams displayed aggressive attacking intent, eager to take risks, while Kadie-Ann Dehaney was a constant threat outside the circle, hunting down loose balls and applying pressure.

Despite mounting penalties, the Fever held firm and led 13-11 after the first 10 minutes, extending their advantage to 22-16 by the end of the first quarter.

The Swifts fought back, leading for much of the second quarter, but the Fever surged late to take a 39–32 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the visitors finished strong again, converting the final goal to maintain a 53–49 lead going into the final term.

Dehaney was influential on defense, tallying 4 gains and 2 rebounds, while fellow Jamaican Shanice Beckford—playing goal attack—was flawless, sinking all 3 of her shots and providing 16 goal assists and 19 feeds.

The statement victory at Ken Rosewall Arena snapped an eight-game winning streak for New South Wales while extending West Coast Fever’s unbeaten run to seven matches, a remarkable turnaround after starting the season with consecutive losses in Fowler-Nembhard’s absence.

The Swifts remain top of the standings with 32 points, with Fever trailing closely in second place on 28 points.

Reflecting on the win, Fever coach Dan Ryan praised the team’s consistency and resilience.

“Really pleased with that win. A really consistent 60-minute game from the team and every position doing its job out there. Swifts obviously have been the benchmark team all season and we knew that it was going to be a really tough one and we had to play some good netball to get the win.”

Ryan also highlighted Dehaney’s crucial role: “Kadie-Ann’s persistence for us tonight was really important for us as a team and she just chipped away and chipped away and had great support there through Sunday and Fran and Jess out the front of her.”