It was a clash between the top two sides in the competition and the quality of the contest lived up to its billing, with both sides hammering each other for 60 minutes in arguably the best game of the season to date.
There were tight calls, bodies flying everywhere, a moment where Giants centre Serena Guthrie battled to get back on the court with blood on her sock and a seesawing battle that was as gripping as it was intense.
In the end, Jamaican superstar Jhanielle Fowler (53/56) had ice in her veins as she drained the last two goals of the match to seal a result that was still up in the air until the final seconds.
But there was high drama in the dying minutes of the final quarter, with Guthrie forced from the court after an umpire spotted blood on her sock. Kiera Austin took Guthrie’s place in the midcourt, but when Guthrie tried to re-enter the fray a minute later, the umpire noted she had merely rolled the sock down, and insisted she remove it.
As Austin had already called a timeout and left the court, the Giants were forced to play with six players for about 30 seconds, with Guthrie only allowed to rejoin the game once she had taken off the sock and retied her shoe.
Whether or not the issue had an impact on the game remains to be seen, but the Fever did score a goal while Guthrie’s position was vacant.
In the end it was the Fever’s poise and goal defence Stacey Francis’ two intercepts and three defensive gains in the final quarter that sealed the win for the home side.
Goal shooter Kristina Brice was willing for the Giants with 20/23 after being injected in the second half, while Kim Green was in everything in the midcourt in a match that saw both sides have their chances.
West Coast found easy ball to star shooter Fowler in the early stages of the match. The Giants were able to respond in kind, though, and nothing separated the two sides after the first five minutes.
The Fever proved more patient and their willingness to work the ball around reaped rewards late in the quarter as they opened up a six-goal advantage. The Giants were able to knock down the last three goals of the term, pegging the deficit back to 18-15.
The Fever were able to find Fowler more frequently in the second quarter and the Jamaican star even pulled off an intercept and assist to show her complete skill set as West Coast raced out to a seven-goal lead.
But the Giants weren’t giving up, ratcheting up the physicality and intensity to slash the deficit back to just one goal. The Fever were rattled, but a Verity Charles intercept late gave West Coast critical possession and a 33-30 half-time lead.
The Giants made a big change to open the third quarter, replacing goal shooter Jo Harten with Brice in a bid to increase their goal production. It reaped early rewards, as the visitors went on an 8-3 run to claim a two-goal lead.
The two sides went blow for blow for much of the quarter, but the Giants claimed the bonus point as both sides went into the final term locked at 47-47.
From there it was anyone’s game, with the lead rolling back and forth and the result there for the taking. But the Fever found another gear when it mattered, grabbing a crucial turnover inside the final 90 seconds to snatch a break and hang on for the win.
Q1: Fever 18 v GIANTS 15
Q2: Fever 14 v GIANTS 14
Q3: Fever 14 v Giants 17
Q4: Fever 16 v Giants 14
Suncorp Super Netball premiership points
Fever 6
Giants 1
Fever shooting statistics
Jhaniele Fowler 53/56
Nat Medhurst 10/11
Giants shooting statistics
Kristina Brice 20/23
Susan Pettitt 26/29
Jo Harten 15/16
Fever starting seven
GS: Jhaniele Fowler, GA: Nat Medhurst, WA: Ingrid Colyer, C: Verity Charles, WD: Jess Anstiss, GD: Stacey Francis, GK: Courtney Bruce
Giants starting seven
GS: Susan Pettitt, GA: Jo Harten, WA: Kim Green, C: Serena Guthrie, WD: Jamie-Lee Price, GD: Bec Bulley, GK: Sam Poolman
