Event Details
Time: Sunday 4 July, 11am WST
Location: John Cain Arena, Melbourne
Broadcast: Channel 9 & Telstra TV
Most Recent Meetings
Round 2, 2021: Fever defeated Swifts 63-55
Semi-Final, 2020: Fever defeated Swifts 67-62
Round 12, 2020: Fever defeated Swifts 80-71
The Situation
The Round 9 Suncorp Super Netball fixture originally scheduled to take place in Sydney on Saturday, July 3 between West Coast Fever and NSW Swifts was relocated to John Cain Arena in Melbourne during the week following COVID-19 outbreaks across the country.
Netball Australia has advised that the game will be played under quarantine conditions and will be closed to fans but televised live on Channel 9.
West Coast Fever departed Perth late Tuesday night for Melbourne to prepare for the fixture and will be coming off a two-week break following the mid-season bye and postponement of last weekend’s game against Melbourne Vixens.
The Swifts also relocated to Victoria during the week after spending time in Queensland to avoid a COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney.
It will be interesting to see how the teams respond at a neutral venue with no crowd.
Key Match Ups
Centre v Centre
Jess Anstiss v Maddy Proud
West Coast Fever’s Jess Anstiss has provided a strong presence at Centre and Wing Defence this season, being named Player of the Match in the Round 7 win against Firebirds after showing her grit with some outstanding defensive efforts and precise passing to deliver 18 goal assists.
She is expected to match up against Swifts Centre Maddy Proud in this contest, with both players looking to lead by example and control the play through the mid-court for their respective sides.
Goal Shooter v Goal Keeper
Jhaniele Fowler v Sarah Klau
Fever shooter Jhaniele Fowler has continued her impressive form in the circle this season, leading the competition in scoring with 400 goals at 95 per cent accuracy and dominating the Nissan Net Points leader board with 658.5 points, more than 100 ahead of her nearest competitor.
The Swifts will be focussed on limiting Fowler’s impact on the game and will no doubt look to Goal Keeper Sarah Klau, who is one of the best defensive rebounders in the business.
Goal Keeper v Goal Shooter
Courtney Bruce v Sam Wallace
Fever captain Courtney Bruce has been in sparkling form this season and is leading Suncorp Super Netball in intercepts with a total of 24 from seven games.
Bruce registered 100.5 Nissan Net Points in Round 7 after recovering superbly from a rolled ankle in the first quarter to apply her trademark defensive pressure with 12 gains and five intercepts.
This week she will be focussed on shutting down Swifts Goal Shooter Sam Wallace, who is a proven threat both at the post and from long range with 337 goals at 95 per cent accuracy and 11 Suncorp Super-Shots at 61 per cent accuracy.
