Ryan said the loss was disappointing but his team did well given the circumstances.
“When we keep it in perspective, with all of the challenges that we were facing coming into the game, the effort, the fight and the quality of netball in most parts of the 60-minute game was outstanding,” he said.
“It was just unfortunate that we couldn’t finish it off at the end and credit to the Swifts in that regard.
“While it’s disappointing to lose, sometimes you’ve got to lose respectfully and I thought we did that today.”
Fever were forced into two late changes with Jess Anstiss and Sasha Glasgow both ruled out of the game due to COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols.
While it was a blow to lose two key players, it brought the opportunity to show off Fever’s depth with debutant Jordan Cransberg and experienced Nat Butler coming into the side.
Butler came on at half time as she quickly racked up 12 Goal Assists from as many Feeds as well as impressive shooting from range.
Ryan said Butler’s experience and ability to step up when called upon was hugely encouraging.
“Nat Butler was amazing. A lot of people questioned why we put in a senior training partner again and that is why,” he said.
“To do what she did in a pressure cooker game that says a lot about who she is.”
Cransberg was impressive on debut despite not playing her preferred position according to Ryan.
“It’s disappointing on debut to lose a game but she certainly made a name for herself in those 45 minutes she played,” he said.
“She was not overawed at all in Wing Defence, her third best position, so I thought she was a real game changer for us today with her ability to bring the ball through court.”
Ryan is expecting his team to be back to full fitness for next week’s game.
“Glasgow and Anstiss were really close today, we were waiting till the very last minute to see if we could get them cleared to get them out there but unfortunately we couldn’t but they should be all good to go again against the Firebirds,” he said.
As Fever slide to third on the ladder, Ryan doesn’t want to look too far ahead and will take each game as it comes.
“Our focus is going to be purely on the next seven days in preparation for the Firebirds,” he said.
“How we perform will determine where we finish on the ladder and where we finish on the ladder will be determined by how good we are in this back end of the season so, we’re not going to get too caught up in that.
“I’m really proud of the effort of the team and while it’s disappointing to lose back-to-back games by one goal, if these moments don’t harden you for the real deal come finals nothing ever will.”
Fever will look to return to the winner’s list next Sunday as they face the Queensland Firebirds at RAC Arena at 2pm Sunday 21 May. Catch West Coast Fever live with tickets available from Ticketek.
Article by Oliver Lane
