GOAT sings praises of Super Netball’s newest star ahead of top-of-the-table clash

Record-setting star Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has given her assessment of one of the league’s form players ahead of their teams’ Super Netball clash in CODE Netball round.

The best goal shooter in netball history has paid tribute to one of the sport’s biggest rising stars as the pair prepares to spearhead their teams in a possible Super Netball grand final preview.

West Coast Fever goaler Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, the women many in the sport rate the greatest shooter of all time, has praised the impact of Swifts shooter Grace Nweke in her maiden season in the world’s best league, calling her a “beautiful player”.

But the compliments will be in short supply on Saturday, when the unbeaten Swifts face the Fever, who are undefeated in six games since Fowler-Nembhard made her return to the team in round three after a delayed start to the season.

Grace Nweke has been described as a “beautiful player” by the woman who will be her rival this week. Picture: Getty Images

The Jamaican ace, who became the first player in ANZ Championship-Super Netball history to pass 9000 goals recently and also notched 6500 Super Netball goals last start, is looking forward to tackling the Swifts at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday.

“I look forward to playing them. It’s going to be a challenge and a challenge that I really look forward to.

“I love challenges when I’m out there, so bring the Swifts on.”

Fowler will go head-to-head with Diamonds defender Sarah Klau and rising star Teigan O’Shannassy but there’ll be plenty of interest in and comparison of, the goaler at the other end of the court, as Silver Ferns shooter Nweke attempts to continue her dominant start to the season.

Nweke has 413 goals from 441 attempts in her eight games this season – scoring an average of 51.6 per match at 94 per cent accuracy (Fowler has 358 from 370 in six games for 59.6 per game at 97 per cent) – and has been a revelation for the Swifts in her first season in Super Netball.

Her efforts certainly haven’t escaped the attention of Fowler-Nembhard.

“Grace is a beautiful player. She is really strong, she’s a wonderful goal shooter and I know that she’s going to tear it up for the rest of the season and beyond,” she said.

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Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has become the first player in the trans-Tasman-Super Netball era to pass 9000 career goals. Picture: Getty Images

For now though, Fowler-Nembhard stands apart after more than a decade playing in Australia and New Zealand.

Initially set to miss the season on maternity leave, Fowler-Nembhard’s love of the game drew her back to the Fever following a heartbreaking miscarriage earlier this year.

And she’s returned in some of the best form of her career.

“I think I’ve been doing really well,” she said.

“I came in with a goal to just be better than I was an just adapt and evolve as well, so making sure that I’m playing 100 per cent as much as I can.”

Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Sarah Klau will again go head-to-head this weekend. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Certainly her importance to the Fever can’t be understated. Without her, they lost their opening two matches of the season by a combined 31 goals.

In the six since she’s returned, they haven’t lost.

The gravity of becoming the first player to pass 9000 goals in the trans-Tasman league-Super Netball era is not lost on her.

“It’s a really good achievement, a really good milestone in the fact that, one, I’m the first one and to get there is a feat in itself, but it just goes to show that I also have been having really good players around me to feed me as well so I can convert them,” she said, paying tribute to her teammates.

Fowler-Nembhard was locked in a race with Romelda Aiken-George to the 9000-goal milestone, something she said was “super special” given the esteem in which her fellow Sunshine Girl is held.

West Coast fans over the moon to have Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard back. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Fowler-Nembhard was full of praise for Romelda Aiken-George. Picture: Mark Kolbe Photography/Getty Images

“I’ve always looked up to Romelda because she’s been leading the pathway for us Jamaican girls, especially the shooters, who want to come through,” she said of the former Queensland Firebird and NSW Swift, now playing with the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

“I looked up to her in the respect that I wanted to some day be in the position she is and perform as good as she’s been performing.

“So knowing that we’re both up there for the same thing is just really good.”

The 35-year-old hopes she can play the same role for a new generation of Caribbean players.

“I hope that not only myself but all the other Jamaicans here plying their trade in the SSN (Super Netball) for other girls back home to look up to us, aspire to be even better than we are and coming here and doing even much better than we’re doing.”