Fever fell just short as the Swifts took advantage of the Super Shot period in the final five minutes of the final.
“You’ve just got to cop it on the chin, it's a tough loss,” Ryan said, speaking to media upon the team’s return to Perth.
“We'll look at it from a game plan execution point of view and an effort point of view and say we did everything we possibly could have to give ourselves a chance, but it just wasn't quite enough.
“The Swifts’ game was outstanding under the pressure of a Preliminary Final, they’re worthy winners and we wish them well.”
Captain Courtney Bruce did everything in her power to keep Fever in the lead, racking up a season-high 12 Gains with six Rebounds and three Intercepts. Four of those Gains were in the final quarter with three of them negating turnovers from the Swifts.
Ryan recognised the captain’s exceptional performance as she led from the front.
“Every time that we were getting challenged or we needed something extra, it was Courtney Bruce that found it for us.
“Her game last week was unbelievable and I thought her game in the preliminary final was equally unbelievable.”
With the Swifts taking out the Minor Premiership, they were always going to be a difficult challenge in front of a home crowd.
Ryan said his side knew they’d have to shake up their tactics to get ahead.
“We had a lot of different structures and tools that we wanted to roll out,” he said.
“The biggest element of our game plan was just grinding and locking down our direct opponent.
“We had to be creative and clever and the girls really, really nailed that part of the game plan exceptionally well.”
Sasha Glasgow suffered a nasty blow in the second quarter when she fell into the post and suffered a hip injury, later in the game it became evident she had also suffered a concussion which saw her subbed off.
This brought Emma Cosh on court for the final five minutes of the game, a move Ryan insisted worked best to keep continuity across the rest of the court.
“Coshy was the pick. I thought the reality was that all seven on court were playing exceptionally well, so it wasn't an opportunity to make wholesale changes in that moment.
“Full credit to Coshy, she got out on court in a really difficult position and played her role really beautifully for the team.”
The loss brings Fever’s season to a close, finishing in third place with 10 wins across the season.
Fever have been helped through the season by the support of the Green Army, regularly packing RAC Arena to support their team.
Ryan said this support meant a lot to him and his team.
“Membership just smashed it out of the ballpark this year and some of the crowds at our home games, particularly towards the back end of the season like the 11,000 against the Giants was just unbelievable support,” he said.
“We love playing on RAC Arena and we love representing WA.
“It's been an absolute privilege to give the fans lots to cheer about and a bit of heartbreak at times throughout the year.”
Ryan said after processing the loss, Fever must look to build on this season’s performances and build on it.
“We're a team and we stick together through this,” he said.
“We'll take some time to let this hurt and let it be fuel for next year.
“We’re getting around each other, checking in and making sure that everyone's processing what they need to and coming out the other side bigger and better because of it.”
Article By. Oliver Lane
