The West Coast Fever have kicked off a new era with new tricks but it was the same savage effect in the record-breaking 82-63 Super Netball win against the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
New coach Dan Ryan has taken the Fever's helm from Stacey Marinkovich, and Jhaniele Fowler honoured the transition with 65 points at 97 per cent accuracy at Perth's RAC Arena.
The team total was the highest in Super Netball history and just two goals short of the 84-goal tally amassed by the Southern Steel in the trans-Tasman competition.
Fowler was in sight of her own single game individual record of 70 before a final quarter fadeout from the Fever.
"That was very important to boost our confidence on the road," Fowler, whose outfit face Collingwood, the Queensland Firebirds and the Melbourne Vixens away from home over the next three weeks, said.
The beginning of the Ryan era showed he was prepared to shake up what has been a strong and established line-up for the past two seasons.
He started regular goal attack Alice Teague-Neeld at wing attack, rotated the midcourt and gave captain Courtney Bruce a brief run at goal defence.
They all shone. Another shift in focus came from Sasha Glasgow (12 goals in 45 minutes) at goal attack where she contributed heavily in partnership with Fowler.
"Alice is so talented and she's a great playmaker," Ryan said of Teague-Neeld who finished the game at goal attack after contributing 37 feeds.
"She's talented at wing attack as well and she slotted in well in a pressurised environment.
This was not a champion side against a minnow. These two outfits met in last year's finals and the Lightning are two-time premiers.
The only thing to cheer about in the first half for the Lightning was a promising debut from 19-year-old goaler Reilley Batcheldor who sank a two-point super shot with one of her first confident touches.
There were already worrying signs for the Queenslanders who had been blown away by a 26-point opening term from the hosts.
Coach Kylee Byrne tried everything to ignite her stunned side.
Sisters Tara - in her 50th game - and Maddie Hinchliffe had a rare outing together in the Lightning defence and the midcourt was rotated in every combination.
"It's the whole court, they're moving it far too quickly," Byrne lamented at halftime.
Diamonds goal shooter Cara Koenen finished the game on the Lightning bench after being held to points goals by Bruce.
