Super Netball finals: West Coast Fever’s crown to lose as Vixens, Swifts, fight to extend their year
Right now, it’s the West Coast Fever’s crown to lose, but their remaining title rivals - Swifts and Vixens - have shown how they could spoil the party if they earn the chance. These are the big talking points from the Super Netball semi finals.
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Two Super Netball finals down and just three teams remain in the title fight.
Minor premiers West Coast Fever ramped up their title push, last year’s runners-up Melbourne Vixens kept their fight for redemption alive, while the Adelaide Thunderbirds’ three-peat dream is now over.
Here are some of the talking points from the Super Netball semi-finals.
FEVER PITCH
Right now, it’s the West Coast Fever’s crown to lose.
After sealing the minor premiership, the Fever produced a crushing semi-final performance against the New South Wales Swifts that not only underlined their title credentials, but put them in bright green neon lights.
The Fever booked a ticket straight to the Super Netball grand final with a 32-point win in Perth against an opponent once heavily favoured to win this year’s premiership.
West Coast set up the win with one of the most dominant halves of netball seen all season, leaving the Swifts shell-shocked in a 26-9 charge.
With winners across the court, the Fever’s ball movement was slick and their transition play left the Swifts in their wake.
So much focus is placed on the impact of star Jamaican goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, who again dominated with another near flawless shooting performance, with the Fever not losing a match since she returned in round three.
But the green machine’s charge is being powered by some other stunning performances.
Wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld continues to take her game to new heights as a Diamonds’ debut beckons, while goal defence Sunday Aryang is in eye-catching form at the other end.
The Fever boast impressive depth with Zoe Cransberg, Fran Williams and Olivia Wilkinson all impacting the game when they’re injected onto the court.
After finishing the season with back-to-back games at home, the Fever will have to triumph on the road when the grand final is held at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena in two weeks’ time.
But that hasn’t bothered the Fever this season, winning both their matches in Melbourne against the Vixens (round three) and the Mavericks (round 10) this year.
WHERE TO FOR THE SWIFTS?
The Swifts get a second chance to keep their title fight alive in a preliminary final at home against the Melbourne Vixens this week, but they are going to need to quickly hit the reset button if they are to rebound from a bruising semi-final loss.
After the big off-season signing of Silver Ferns star Grace Nweke and a blistering start to the season, the Swifts had quickly emerged as the hot favourites for the 2025 Super Netball premiership.
The Swifts looked unbeatable as they won their opening eight matches of the season before eventually dropping their first game – against the Fever – in round nine.
But the Swifts looked a mile off that early-season form as they were comprehensively beaten by the Fever across the court.
The absence of key personnel didn’t help the Swifts, missing captain Paige Hadley with a lower leg injury, while defender Teigan O’Shannassy has been sidelined with a back issue.
Coach Briony Akle confirmed post-match Hadley would be back for the preliminary final, but there are other concerns for the Swifts, who have won only two of their last seven matches.
It was a game to forget for Nweke, who gave away three early offensive penalties and was benched in the second quarter
“There is no doubt that she is going to go home and have a sleepless night tonight,” Stacey Francis-Bayman said on Pivot post-match.
“We did see her fully picked apart not just by her fully picked apart, not just by a Kadie-Ann Dehaney, who was fantastic against a tall shooter, but at times Fran Williams was out there as well.
“I think there was a mental battle that she lost today and not only did she lose it with her opponent, but I think she just lost it with herself. It didn’t matter who she was coming up against.
“To give away nine errors individually is really uncharacteristic. The shooting was fine, but I just think there is a bit of work to do when under the pressure in a pressured environment … we didn’t see her at her best.”
The penalty count across the board for the Swifts was costly with 76 for the match, including 24 for goal keeper Sarah Klau.
The Swifts will need to rein that in against the Vixens, who they have a 1-1 record against this season.
KIPPA KEY
How far the Vixens progress in this year’s Super Netball finals series, one player in particular is certain to be pivotal.
Cool-as-you-like goal attack Kiera Austin proved to be the difference-maker in the Vixens’ semi-final and hoodoo-breaking win over the Thunderbirds in a match-winning performance that lifted the whole team.
The Diamonds’ goaler is a barometer for the Melbourne side, not just in attack, but for the entire group. More often than not, when she fires – the team gets up.
And so it was against the Thunderbirds, who the Vixens had not beaten in five games, when she was “on” from the opening whistle.
An uber-calm Austin finished as the top-ranked player on the court by a country mile, nailing all five of her super shots to keep the Vixens’ title-chase alive for another week.
She also had 20 goal assists and 26 feeds in the win, ensuring her damaging combination with fellow Diamonds’ goaler Sophie Garbin was on song.
It’s a rare day when an opponent has star Thunderbirds defender Latanya Wilson’s measure, but it is fair to say Austin took the honours over the Jamaican ace.
Austin can make the game look easy when she’s firing and the composure -and confidence to go to the post for the long shot – that she showed against the Thunderbirds is going to be crucial for the Vixens if they are to progress to a second straight grand final.
The Vixens have extra motivation for their finals run, not only to get the chance to go one better than last season, but to send outgoing coach Simone McKinnis out on a high.
DIAMONDS OUTSIDER
Melbourne Vixens defender Kate Eddy can consider herself unlucky not to have earned a place in Australian coach Stacey Marinkovich’s Diamonds’ squad.
Described as a workhorse of the Vixens’ defence, the underestimated wing defender again showed her importance to the Melbourne line-up in the semi-final against the Thunderbirds.
Matching up on Thunderbirds playmaker Georgie Horjus at the start of the match, Eddy set the tone for the Vixens’ defence early with two big intercepts in the opening quarter.
Eddy took the honours against the dangerous Horjus before the pocket rocket was moved into goal attack late in the second quarter.
Such was her impact against Horjus, Eddy followed her into the goal circle when she was moved into goal defence early in the second half.
Eddy finished the match with three intercepts and three gains and it was only Horjus’ super shots against her which blotted her stats sheet.
At 28, Eddy is yet to get a Diamonds’ call-up, but wouldn’t be out of place in the squad with her height and long reach an asset outside of the circle.
THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO. … NE
The three-peat dream is over for the Adelaide Thunderbirds and now attention will turn to the future of one of the game’s all-time goaling greats.
Out of contract at the end of this season, will Romelda Aiken-George play on again in 2026?
Turning 37 in November, Aiken-George has been a rock under the post for the T-Birds since being offered a career lifeline by the Adelaide team for season 2024.
She helped steer the team to a second straight premiership last season and continues to be among Super Netball’s most dominant shooters, sitting fourth in scoring at the end of the regular season.
Aiken-George finished as the Thunderbirds’ top-ranked player in their semi-final loss with 37 goals from 42 attempts when she took to the court again, as she has done throughout the season, with heavy strapping on her right knee.
The Thunderbirds have 23-year-old goal shooter Lucy Austin, who has been starved of on-court opportunities this season, waiting in the wings and whatever happens with the tall Jamaican could also impact the emerging South Australian’s next move.
The Thunderbirds are already investing heavily in their future with midcourt young guns Sophie Casey and Kayla Graham backed in during the final quarter against the Vixens when the match was on the line.
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Originally published as Super Netball finals: West Coast Fever’s crown to lose as Vixens, Swifts, fight to extend their year
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