Fever hail spiritual leader after downing Thunderbirds
Star goal shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard has been hailed as her team's spiritual leader after lifting the West Coast Fever to a 67-61 Super Netball win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds were down by just four goals early in the third quarter of Saturday night's match, before a stunning 9-0 run from the Fever silenced the Adelaide Entertainment Centre crowd.
In a late twist, Thunderbirds goal attack Georgie Horjus nailed three super shots to reduce the margin to three goals with two minutes remaining.
The Fever called a timeout and held their nerve when they returned to the court to secure the win.
Fowler-Nembhard was crucial throughout, nailing 53 goals from 55 attempts to ensure the good work from her teammates further up the court was always rewarded.
The Fever were winless and on the bottom of the ladder after two rounds, but the return of Fowler-Nembhard has sparked a four-match winning run that has transformed the team into title contenders.
The impressive way in which the Fever dismantled two-time defending champions Adelaide in the third quarter was a further statement to the rest of the competition.
The result left both the Fever and Thunderbirds with 4-2 records, behind only the unbeaten NSW Swifts (5-0) on the ladder.
Fever coach Dan Ryan was full of praise for Fowler-Nembhard.
"Everyone sees the volume of goals she scores and the great target she is, and everyone will comment that she's very good at that," Ryan told Fox Sports.
"But for me ... it's actually her as a human being and what she gives to others (that is so important).
"I refer to her a bit as our spiritual leader. She makes people feel like they can do anything.
"She's a really hard-working, demanding type of player in a training environment, and she doesn't take a backwards step.
"She's just got a great ability to make people grow extra arms and legs, and that's really special."
Fever centre Jordan Cransberg was also crucial on Saturday, starring with 20 goal assists and 25 circle feeds.
The Fever led 19-14 at quarter-time, and the lead was six goals approaching halftime before Adelaide surged.
The Thunderbirds nailed two super shots to close the gap to 35-33 at halftime, but all their good work was undone in a devastating third quarter.
The Fever, leading 43-39, unleashed a 9-0 run to extend the lead to a match-winning 13 goals.
The margin was still hovering around the 10-goal mark before the Horjus-inspired Thunderbirds launched a frenetic late comeback that left the Fever momentarily feeling nervous.
Horjus nailed five of her seven super shot attempts for the match in an impressive display that briefly gave her side a sniff of victory.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Australian Swimming Trials for World Aquatics Championships begin in Adelaide
Coming off an outstanding Olympic performance when the Dolphins won a collective seven golds, nine silvers and three bronze medals, next month's World Aquatic Championships present the next chance for the team to take on the might of the United States and maintain Australia's place as one of the world's leading swimming nations. However, the Dolphins will be without some big names even before the Australian Swimming Trials begin in Adelaide on Monday. Dual Paris gold medallist and 400m freestyle world record holder Ariarne Titmus is taking the year off swimming. Emma McKeon, Australia's most successful Olympian, has retired. Cate Campbell is long gone, while her sister Bronte is yet to decide on her future but will not be swimming in Adelaide. There have been other retirements, including Tokyo and Paris gold medallist Brianna Throssell, world championship gold medal-winning breaststroker Matt Wilson, and breaststrokers Chelsea Hodges and Jenna Strauch. With injuries to rising star Iona Anderson (backstroke) and the recent national 50m and 100m breaststroke champion Sam Williamson, the Dolphins team that goes to the World Championships in many ways will represent a changing of the guard. Head coach Rohan Taylor said he is as interested as anyone to see how his squad will shape up. "There's a number of athletes who have taken a good extended break after Paris and just want to get back on and see where they're at," he said. "I think they'll learn a lot about themselves. "There's a lot of openings for some of the young swimmers that will jump into those events, and we'll get some new blood on to the team and that'll be their first international experience. "For me, I just want to sit back and see where we're at after Worlds, and what we need to do to keep moving forwards. "I think we've got a really core group of athletes who are experienced and who will carry us through to LA." Taylor said his coaches are going to do everything they can to support the established stars who have committed to swimming at the 2028 LA Olympics. "Our main goal is that the performances at trials are repeated or improved on at the World Championships," Taylor said. "So, we want to see athletes qualify for the team and when they compete again in six weeks, they're swimming as fast or faster. We want that repeat-ability," he said. With Australia going through a golden era in swimming, Taylor believes the Australian public will be keenly watching the events in Adelaide over the next week and then the World Championships. "I think this group of athletes and coaches have really earned the right to have attention and focus on them," he said. Despite several accomplished stars not competing this week, there is still plenty of star power in Adelaide. Kaylee McKeown, Mollie O'Callaghan and Cam McEvoy all showed they were a class above their peers in their respective events at April's National Championships, despite being in the middle of solid training blocks. O'Callaghan was peerless taking out the 100m-200m double at the National Championships. McEvoy's 21.48 at the National Championships was the third fastest time in the world this year, which he credited to work on his starts and points to a potentially faster time in Adelaide this week. Kyle Chalmers, gold medallist in the 100m freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics, swam the second-fastest time in the world this year for the 100m freestyle in Norway and a personal best in the 50m freestyle at a meet in Sweden in April. "There's a lot that I still want to achieve and have success over the next few years and to be able to go to a fourth Olympics in LA would be amazing," Chalmers said. "My fiancée is going to make a comeback to swimming as well, and our goal is to be able to go to that Olympics together and have our daughter in the stands watching us, which I think is, yeah, going to be pretty special if we're able to do that." The star of the Paris Paralympics, dual gold-medallist Alexa Leary, said she could not wait for the trials to begin. "I just know it's show time. I just love it," she said. "Here's just you know, a bit of a warm-up. I'm still going to give it to them in the water, but I've just got to make it a little bit of a warm-up, big show-time in Singapore." Other names to watch out for include the men's distance swimmers Elijah Winnington, Samuel Short, and rising 1500m swimmer Benjamin Goedemans. Victorian Tara Kinder and Queenslander Ella Ramsay, both 20, enjoyed breakout performances at the National Championships. Kinder claimed the 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley, while Ramsay won the 100m backstroke and 400m individual medley.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Aussie swim star says risky gamble will reap rewards
Six months after thinking he'd never race again, Kyle Chalmers is taking the biggest gamble of his fabled swimming career. And the risk is already being rewarded to the extent Chalmers has put the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on his agenda. Last December, the champion freestyler was retiring. "I had my Christmas break and honestly I thought I wouldn't come back after Christmas," Chalmers said on Sunday. The 26-year-old had just found out his fiancee, Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Loyning, was pregnant. "I didn't really know how that was going to go with swimming," he said. Chalmers and Loyning, based in Adelaide, had created a swim academy serving clients in person and online. "The only reason I got back in the pool was because we had some Japanese swimmers coming to train with us and also Matt Wilson was coming from NSW to train with me for a few days," he said. "So I felt I owed it to them to be at training because they had come to train with me. "And then I came back and just absolutely loved it. "I'm not associated with ... a high performance program. I'm there with people that are paying to be there, they love swimming." Chalmers shelved retirement and, with Adelaide-based sports physiologist Jamie Stanley, took a gamble. They changed the training program that propelled Chalmers to the pinnacle in a career reaping nine Olympic and 12 world championship medals. Chalmers has halved his training distance in the water in favour of cycling and running. "It's a bit of a gamble changing what I know works," he said. "I have done the same thing for the last 13 years so to actually change so much is a bit of a risk. "It's not about training harder, it's about training smarter ... it's very different to what anyone else is doing because it's based around two other sports that are very different to swimming." The first test of Chalmers' new regime came in April when he raced in Norway. The result stunned the man who has won gold, silver and bronze medals in the 100m freestyle at the past three Olympics. Chalmers clocked 47.27 seconds in his pet event in Norway - his fourth-fastest time ever and quickest outside of major meets. He followed with a personal best, 21.78, in the 50m freestyle. A week later in Sweden, he set a PB in the 50m butterfly, 22.89. "It was a massive shock for me," Chalmers said. "It's nice to be swimming personal best times at almost 27-years-old." Chalmers, who turns 27 on June 25, will race at Australia's world championship selection trials in Adelaide starting Monday. He's bidding to make his fifth world championship team for the July 27-August 3 titles in Singapore. Chalmers also wants to become the first man to win 100m freestyle medals at four consecutive Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. "LA is a massive target of mine," he said. "But Brisbane (in 2032) might even be a possibility." Six months after thinking he'd never race again, Kyle Chalmers is taking the biggest gamble of his fabled swimming career. And the risk is already being rewarded to the extent Chalmers has put the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on his agenda. Last December, the champion freestyler was retiring. "I had my Christmas break and honestly I thought I wouldn't come back after Christmas," Chalmers said on Sunday. The 26-year-old had just found out his fiancee, Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Loyning, was pregnant. "I didn't really know how that was going to go with swimming," he said. Chalmers and Loyning, based in Adelaide, had created a swim academy serving clients in person and online. "The only reason I got back in the pool was because we had some Japanese swimmers coming to train with us and also Matt Wilson was coming from NSW to train with me for a few days," he said. "So I felt I owed it to them to be at training because they had come to train with me. "And then I came back and just absolutely loved it. "I'm not associated with ... a high performance program. I'm there with people that are paying to be there, they love swimming." Chalmers shelved retirement and, with Adelaide-based sports physiologist Jamie Stanley, took a gamble. They changed the training program that propelled Chalmers to the pinnacle in a career reaping nine Olympic and 12 world championship medals. Chalmers has halved his training distance in the water in favour of cycling and running. "It's a bit of a gamble changing what I know works," he said. "I have done the same thing for the last 13 years so to actually change so much is a bit of a risk. "It's not about training harder, it's about training smarter ... it's very different to what anyone else is doing because it's based around two other sports that are very different to swimming." The first test of Chalmers' new regime came in April when he raced in Norway. The result stunned the man who has won gold, silver and bronze medals in the 100m freestyle at the past three Olympics. Chalmers clocked 47.27 seconds in his pet event in Norway - his fourth-fastest time ever and quickest outside of major meets. He followed with a personal best, 21.78, in the 50m freestyle. A week later in Sweden, he set a PB in the 50m butterfly, 22.89. "It was a massive shock for me," Chalmers said. "It's nice to be swimming personal best times at almost 27-years-old." Chalmers, who turns 27 on June 25, will race at Australia's world championship selection trials in Adelaide starting Monday. He's bidding to make his fifth world championship team for the July 27-August 3 titles in Singapore. Chalmers also wants to become the first man to win 100m freestyle medals at four consecutive Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. "LA is a massive target of mine," he said. "But Brisbane (in 2032) might even be a possibility." Six months after thinking he'd never race again, Kyle Chalmers is taking the biggest gamble of his fabled swimming career. And the risk is already being rewarded to the extent Chalmers has put the Brisbane 2032 Olympics on his agenda. Last December, the champion freestyler was retiring. "I had my Christmas break and honestly I thought I wouldn't come back after Christmas," Chalmers said on Sunday. The 26-year-old had just found out his fiancee, Norwegian swimmer Ingeborg Loyning, was pregnant. "I didn't really know how that was going to go with swimming," he said. Chalmers and Loyning, based in Adelaide, had created a swim academy serving clients in person and online. "The only reason I got back in the pool was because we had some Japanese swimmers coming to train with us and also Matt Wilson was coming from NSW to train with me for a few days," he said. "So I felt I owed it to them to be at training because they had come to train with me. "And then I came back and just absolutely loved it. "I'm not associated with ... a high performance program. I'm there with people that are paying to be there, they love swimming." Chalmers shelved retirement and, with Adelaide-based sports physiologist Jamie Stanley, took a gamble. They changed the training program that propelled Chalmers to the pinnacle in a career reaping nine Olympic and 12 world championship medals. Chalmers has halved his training distance in the water in favour of cycling and running. "It's a bit of a gamble changing what I know works," he said. "I have done the same thing for the last 13 years so to actually change so much is a bit of a risk. "It's not about training harder, it's about training smarter ... it's very different to what anyone else is doing because it's based around two other sports that are very different to swimming." The first test of Chalmers' new regime came in April when he raced in Norway. The result stunned the man who has won gold, silver and bronze medals in the 100m freestyle at the past three Olympics. Chalmers clocked 47.27 seconds in his pet event in Norway - his fourth-fastest time ever and quickest outside of major meets. He followed with a personal best, 21.78, in the 50m freestyle. A week later in Sweden, he set a PB in the 50m butterfly, 22.89. "It was a massive shock for me," Chalmers said. "It's nice to be swimming personal best times at almost 27-years-old." Chalmers, who turns 27 on June 25, will race at Australia's world championship selection trials in Adelaide starting Monday. He's bidding to make his fifth world championship team for the July 27-August 3 titles in Singapore. Chalmers also wants to become the first man to win 100m freestyle medals at four consecutive Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. "LA is a massive target of mine," he said. "But Brisbane (in 2032) might even be a possibility."
West Australian
12 hours ago
- West Australian
Thunderbirds fall short after Super shooting wobbles
Adelaide have paid the price for their super-shot wobbles, falling to a shock 66-63 loss to the lowly Giants in their round-nine Super Netball clash. Coming into Sunday's match, the last-placed Giants had only posted one win for the season - against two-time defending champions the Thunderbirds in early May. But they doubled that tally, roaring home in the fourth quarter to quieten the full house at Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The visitors trailed by three goals heading into the final term, but piled on a further 18 to cement the win. The T-Birds only managed two super shots, which are worth two points, from 16 attempts for the entire match, both through Georgia Horjus, and missed all 10 attempts in the first half. The loss leaves Adelaide outside the finals-bound top four in fifth spot. The teams went toe-to-toe in the opening quarter, level at 20-20 at the first break. But with the Giants nailing six super shots and the Thunderbirds coming up empty-handed, the visitors took a 37-33 lead into the second half. Jo Harten wound back the clock as she and Diamonds ace Sophie Dwyer both shot at 100 per cent for the half. However, another veteran in Romelda Aiken-George found her groove in the third stanza and went on a 14-goal run to put her side ahead, much to the delight of the vocal home crowd. Wing attack Horjus also shifted to the goal circle to bag their first super shot of the match, despite the best efforts of promising young defender Erin O'Brien. Down the other end Adelaide goal-keeper Latanya Wilson also started to shine, adding two crucial intercepts to her tally as they took a 51-48 lead into the final quarter. But the Giants wouldn't go away and a Dwyer goal saw her team draw level with six minutes left. With their tails up and Adelaide's inability to convert from out wide proving costly, the Sydneysiders kicked away. Harten finished with 17 goals from 17 attempts, including four two-point goals, while Dwyer was 28 from 29, including four super shots from four. Aiken-George topped her team's scoring with 49 goals. O'Brien collected the MVP award after 10 deflections, two intercepts and five gains. "It's a bit of a blur, those last few minutes were a bit stressful," the 21-year-old told Fox Sports. "We're working really well as a unit, new combinations, and I felt we moved it really well down the court today. "It gives us so much confidence. We're so hungry, we know we can win and we know how good we can be."
