Star shooters set to decide spot in decider as Swifts lose captain for finals clash

The showdown between shooting superstars Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Grace Nweke could decide which team books the first Super Netball grand final spot but the Swifts must also overcome the loss of their captain.

Briony Akle has set the scene for a showdown between the league’s two best holding shooters as her NSW Swifts and minor premiers the West Coast Fever go head-to-head for a place in the Super Netball grand final.

Fever great Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and the Swifts’ New Zealand import Grace Nweke will have a huge impact on the outcome of Sunday’s major semi-final after finishing the season and the league’s top scorers.

Swifts coach Akle said the pair’s dominance as holding shooters meant the grand final qualifier would likely be a “battle of the one-point game”, with holding possession even more important than usual given the ability of both teams to score quickly once the ball entered the attacking circle.

Grace Nweke of the Swifts reaches for the ball during the round one Super Netball match between West Coast Fever and NSW Swifts at RAC Arena. Photo: Getty Images

Fowler-Nembhard finished as the league’s leading scorer – both in points converted (729) and goals scored (724) – despite missing the opening two rounds of the season.

In her first season of Super Netball, Nweke finished with 718 goals at an average of 51 per match.

Both are key to their sides’ success, with the Swifts dominating the first half of the season with eight straight wins and the Fever winning 12 in a row following the return of Fowler-Nembhard to claim the club’s maiden minor premiership.

“I feel like it’ll be the battle of the one-point game and (it will come down to) who’s going to break first, I think, in terms of just matching each other’s strengths,” Akle said of the semi-final at Perth’s RAC Arena, where a green army of more than 12,000 fans is expected.

“It may come down to the super shot at the end with both teams.

“So I think (there will be) similar strategies with both teams around a possession game, brave in defence.

“It will come down to those small moments of keeping possession and scoring off any turnovers that come your way.”

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard of the Fever controls the ball during the round nine Super Netball match between NSW Swifts and West Coast Fever. Photo: Getty Images

Co-captain Paige Hadley was ruled out with a lower leg injury late on Friday in what could be a crushing blow for the Swifts.

With defender Teigan O’Shannassy’s breakout season already coming to an early halt due to a back injury, the Swifts needed the stability that Hadley provides in the midcourt but will now have to rely on former Diamond Verity Simmons and Allie Smith to get clean ball into the circle while limiting turnovers as much as possible.

“Paige is a World Cup winner, Commonwealth Gold medallist and multiple Super Netball winner with the Swifts, so losing a player of her calibre is always going to be tough but every player has to be special to play at this level and we have brilliant athletes in our squad,” Akle said.

“We were hopeful that Paige would be right for the game but it has come too soon for her, and we won’t risk any athlete unless they are 100 per cent good to go.”

The Fever’s season seemed to swing on the return of talismanic shooter Fowler-Nembhard – and while that’s a massive part of the case, it’s also been their ability to maintain possession, something that has admittedly been easier to do with a 198cm target in the goal circle.

They finished with 209 general play turnovers for the season, already the lowest in the league, but 40 of those came in the opening two rounds – the only two games they have lost – with turnovers in general play down to a miserly average of 14 per game during their winning run.

The last time these teams met, in round 9, the Fever halted the Swifts’ winning run with a 79-68 win in which Fowler-Nembhard contributed 71 goals and Nweke 48.

Paige Hadley has been ruled out of the semi-final with a lower leg injury. Photo: Getty Images

“The challenge (on Sunday) would be to keep (possession from and convert) our centre passes, and then I think it’ll come down to the strategy of both teams with a two point shot, and when teams are taking that, when’s the right moment, what’s the feel like in the game,” Akle said.

If that’s the case, Helen Housby could be the difference between the teams, with the league’s leading two-point shooter rarely failing to rise to the occasion.

Despite falling below her own high standards in some areas this season – partly as she adjusts her role playing with such a dominant shooter as Nweke, Housby thrives in the big moments and the Fever defenders will be working overtime in the super shot period to keep her quiet.

Fever coach Day Ryan said his team’s game was in a “good spot” leading into the finals.

“We know we just need to polish off a few areas and take the next step together as a team (on Sunday),” Ryan said.

“I just think the internal competition we have and the variety of skill set is something that we do have in our back pocket come the next few weeks and (I have) full faith and trust in all players to be able to do what they need to do against some really world class players that we’ll see, hopefully, over the next three weeks.”

Originally published as Star shooters set to decide spot in decider as Swifts lose captain for finals clash