Super Netball 2025: Adelaide Thunderbirds defeated by winless Giants, West Coast Fever win see-sawing game in Perth
The Giants have defied a last-ditch comeback by Super Netball’s defending premiers to hang on for their first win of the season, while West Coast Fever continue their stunning return to form.
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The latest from round four of the 2025 Super Netball season starting with two nail-biters on either side of the country.
Defending premiers defeated by winless Giants
- Katrina Nissen
Giants Netball have pulled off the biggest upset of the 2025 Super Netball season to date by overthrowing the 2024 premiers, Adelaide Thunderbirds by one point.
After leading by as much as eight points in the second quarter, Giants kept their composure as the Thunderbirds mounted a last-ditch comeback. Erin O’Brien, one of Giants’ rising stars, pulled off a matchwinning intercept at the 57-minute mark, giving her side a small buffer which put the match just out of reach for the visitors.
Earlier in the week Thunderbirds star defender Shamera Sterling-Humphrey announced she’d be missing the remainder of the season while pregnant with her first child, and the previously winless, eighth placed Giants pounced on this disruption to claim the morale-boosting 64 to 63 point victory.
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With Sterling-Humphrey sidelined due her pregnancy, the Thunderbirds elevated South African Sanmarie Visser into the starting seven as a replacement player. Visser finished the match with two intercepts and five deflections on debut, although her hefty 24 penalties will likely be a ‘work-on’ for matches to follow.
Giants capitalised on the new look Thunderbirds defensive end to get out to a 3-0 lead within the first 90 seconds of play. They continued to ride momentum as they pushed the lead to as much as eight points at various points throughout the match.
The Thunderbirds had moments when they threatened to come back at the bottom of the ladder Giants. Talking post match, Giants coach, Julie Fitzgerald said she was proud of her side’s composure in the face of that pressure.
“That is what I am most proud of. For us to maintain composure in what was intense pressure and those two middle quarters when it was goal-for-goal, those are moments when in the past we would have let them get on top of us,” said Fitzgerald.
Young defensive duo, Erin O’Brien and Amy Sligar had their best games of the season. Both showed tenacity and maturity beyond their years and collectively contributed five gains for the home side.
Speaking post match about the task of containing Thunderbird Romelda Aiken-George, O’Brien said, “It was tough. She was someone I loved to watch when I was growing up so to play against her is a real privilege. I love the challenge of trying to get her a bit annoyed. It was fun.”
Co-Captain Jo Harten won MVP honours, saying post match, “I loved being out there in the second half. With a four week old newborn at home coming here is just … I love playing netball and letting go. It is such a privilege.”
Goal attack Sophie Dwyer silenced the negative commentary surrounding her recent form as she returned to her best for the Giants. The 24-year-old put up 23 from 28 and also contributed 21 centre pass receives and two pick-ups in her 60 minutes of play.
WHO IS SANMARIE VISSER?
The Thunderbirds newest recruit might not be a household name yet, but her signing was a coup for the Thunderbirds.
The 21 year old made her debut for the South African Proteas in January against Jamaica before collecting Player of the Match accolades in the Nations Cup. At the 2024 Fast5 World Tournament she was one of the competition’s leading defenders, collecting nine rebounds, and 13 deflections across the six 30-minute matches, showing her readiness to step onto a Super Netball court.
HOW TO REPLACE A LEGEND
Pregame, Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst spoke to commentary about the loss of Sterling-Humphrey, who has now returned to Jamaica, and the introduction of Visser.
“We have known for a little while [about Shamera’s pregnancy] but it was great that she was able to go for as long as she did. She [Visser] has been around the group for a little while and we have integrated her in different moments in our pre-season and the last three weeks. She is very athletic. Her ability to back up and go again with efforts is sensational.”
Fever continue stunning return to form
- Jenny Sinclair
West Coast Fever’s stunning return to form has continued, with an extraordinary two point win against Sunshine Coast Lightning as almost 7000 fans lifted off the roof of RAC Arena in Perth.
Buoyed by last week’s return of spearhead Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Fever have shrugged off their dismal start to the season and are rocketing up the Super Netball ladder, sitting just outside the top four on percentage.
With both sides struggling to gain a clear edge across a see-sawing game with multiple lead changes, a supershot shootout eventually saw Fever claim victory 68 to 66.
With Lightning unable to cling on to their fourth quarter lead, a clearly disappointed coach Belinda Reynolds said post match, “I’m not going to lie, I’m just gutted right now. We put ourselves in a winning position, but you have to take the positives out of it and the confidence that we are playing a really good brand of netball.”
The atmosphere was electric as Fowler-Nembhard made her first appearance at home, after missing two rounds following a devastating miscarriage earlier in the year.
She dominated Lightning youngster Ash Ervin early on, forcing a change in opponent to Courtney Bruce, who’s had limited game time recently.
Bruce came up with two early gains after Fever threatened to pull away in the first quarter, and finished the match with six gains as she did her best to disrupt the Jamaican superstar.
She later revealed that she’s been on managed minutes this season. She said, “I’m coming back a bit earlier from my foot than we expected, which is positive. I’m happy to play whatever role that may be, at the back or whether it’s running these 31 year old legs in goal defence.”
Both teams started at a frenetic rate, playing a fast flowing, high scoring game, with scores still locked at half time. The two exceptional midcourts went head to head with neither able to gain a clear edge. Lightning’s Liz Watson was the star of the show with an outstanding 39 feeds and 35 centre pass receives, while Mahalia Cassidy was able to pick off several passes into Fever’s attacking third.
The game was as much a battle between the ears as the action out on court, with regular changes of personnel and the coaches pacing and giving instructions from their boxes.
Looking a little unsettled in the third quarter as a result, Fever made several costly errors that saw Lightning pull out to a three point lead, which they clung to until scores levelled up again in the final term.
Running goal for goal in the closing stages, it was Fever who blinked first with three wayward passes proving costly. An intercept followed by a rebound by Fever’s Kadie-Ann Dehaney reopened the door for her side to sneak ahead and milk the clock to finish two goal victors.
Match MVP Alice Teague-Neeld said after the match, “Credit to Kadie-Ann [Dehaney] to get that intercept and it was great composure from us to hold onto it for the last 60 seconds.”
Cara Koenen had another outstanding match for the Lightning. The Diamonds shooter started the season in less than stellar form; however, over the last two rounds has been back to her sparkling best. In this match she put up 31 from 33, and was also part of Lighting’s successful supershot strategy. They sunk six compared to Fever’s two from nine attempts.
TOO EARLY FOR ERVIN?
Could Ash Ervin be a bolter for the Commonwealth Games? Recently made a part of the Diamonds’ wider squad, Ervin hasn’t yet gained national honours. However, despite playing markedly less game time than her seniors, she leads Super Netball for gains and intercepts, and sits second for rebounds and third for deflections. With just a few outings for the Diamonds ahead of 2026, Ervin has limited time to show the national selectors what she could do in the green and gold.
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Originally published as Super Netball 2025: Adelaide Thunderbirds defeated by winless Giants, West Coast Fever win see-sawing game in Perth
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Thunderbirds confirm netball’s biggest secret
Adelaide Thunderbirds have confirmed that star Shamera Sterling-Humphrey is pregnant and will miss the remainder of the season. And they’ve locked in an international replacement too.