The best bits from Round 11

It was a huge weekend of netball as the top four sides continued to edge away from the rest of the pack.

The NSW Swifts proved they're premiership contenders after ending the Melbourne Vixens' unblemished run at home.

The West Coast Fever were on the wrong end of another nail-biting loss and the Queensland Firebirds notched their third win of the season after a clinical performance from two Indigenous stars in the first weekend of First Nations Round.

Here are the key takeaways from Round 11.

FEVER'S FLAW

The West Coast Fever are no strangers to tight finishes, only this season they’ve been on the wrong end of them.

They’ve lost four games this year and all of them have been by a single goal, which suggests the reigning premiers might be crumbling under pressure.

During a Saturday night blockbuster the Adelaide Thunderbirds got the better of the Fever by one goal for the second time this year.

Leading for much of the match after outscoring the Thunderbirds by eight goals in the opening term, the Fever looked primed to run away with it.

But the Thunderbirds just kept chipping away, trimming the margin by three each quarter for the rest of the match to run out one goal victors.

Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty was a game changer after entering the court during the last term she immediately had an impact, getting an important deflection.

Her fresh legs were evident and her hard work was rewarded down the other end.

Both sides traded blows until the dying moments of the final term when Latanya Wilson willed her team forward, flying through to take her second intercept of the game.

The Thunderbirds won 54-53 and retained top spot on the ladder.

SWIFTS CRUMBLE VIXENS FORTRESS

The NSW Swifts did what no other team has managed to do this season so far - they beat the Vixens in front of their home crowd at John Cain Arena.

Not once did the Vixens look in control of the match either. Despite a Liz Watson intercept in the opening seconds the Swifts virtually led from start to finish.

Sophie Fawns was the difference early on, subbing onto the court for the power five portion of the opening quarter and nailing her super shots - she finished with 7/10. This extra punch was crucial to the Swifts getting ahead, as Romelda Aiken-George and Helen Housby held their own, shooting efficiently themselves.

This was not for lack of effort from the Vixens defenders, Emily Mannix and Jo Weston contesting every high ball, but to no avail.

At the other end, Kiera Austin and Mwai Kumwenda couldn’t keep up, their inaccuracy on the super shot hurting them down the track.

The mid court battle was tense and relatively even throughout the game. Neither team was letting their guard down, and any ball that was up for grabs was taken advantage of.

By the fourth quarter it looked as if the game was over, given the Swifts had a considerable lead.

Despite cutting down the deficit and winning the last quarter, it was too little too late for the Vixens, falling to the Swifts by eight goals (62-70).

WALLAM, MI MI SHINE

Donnell Wallam and Leesa Mi Mi were two standouts for the Queensland Firebirds during their impressive win over the GIANTS.

In week one of First Nations Round, the two Indigenous players played an integral part in the win which helped lift the Firebirds off the bottom of the ladder.

Despite sitting on the bottom of the ladder for much of the year, you can never count the Firebirds out.

Wallam, who missed almost an entire quarter after jarring her finger, was superb when on court. She scored 44/46 and managed to notch up her 1000th national league goal while doing so.

The Firebirds have been hampered by injuries this season but have proven they have incredible depth on their bench and also in their group of training partners.

This weekend it was Wakka Wakka woman Leesa Mi Mi who was given a task in the midcourt, and boy did she flourish.

Following in the footsteps of her elder sister Jemma, who stepped away from the Firebirds last year to give birth to her twins, Leesa managed 28 feeds and 18 goal assists. She also had three deflections, with one of those resulting in a gain.

Mi Mi didn’t back down, despite playing on an in-form Jamie-Lee Price. The 22-year-old’s speed and tenacity on full display.

Despite the scores being level at the main break, the Firebirds were able to break free during the second half, piling on a whopping 40 goals to the Giants’ 22.

They ran out 68-50 victors.