Fever hail spiritual leader after downing Thunderbirds

Perth Now

17-05-2025

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.