Last Week
Fever opened their 2023 campaign with a thrilling one-goal win over archrival Melbourne Vixens at RAC Arena.
The Fever shone from both ends of the court with the defensive team of Courtney Bruce and Sunday Aryang regularly putting their bodies on the line to prevent the Vixens from leading at any point.
It was Jhaniele Fowler who secured the win, scoring her 55th goal from as many attempts in the dying seconds of the game.
On the other hand, the Giants travelled to Queensland where they started season 2023 with a loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Lightning led by three goals at quarter time before dominating the second and third quarters on their way to a 15-goal victory.
Jamie-Lee Price lead from the front in Centre while the young attacking combination of Sophie Dwyer and Matisse Leatherbarrow looked dangerous from long range, finishing with nine super shots from 15 attempts.
Match Ups
The Giants will be sweating on the fitness of Captain Jo Harten who missed the opening round match. Harten said she was close to a return in Round One making her return more than likely for the clash with Fever.
If she does recover from her knee injury in time, Fever Captain Courtney Bruce will be waiting in what shapes as a game-defining match-up between two international netball stars.
The mid-court battle between Verity Simmons and Jamie-Lee Price will also be pivotal to the battle between these two sides. Simmons starred last time these two sides met with 22 assists from 28 feeds and 2 timely intercepts.
Fever Wing Attack Alice Teague-Neeld is coming off a Nissan net Point Team of the Week selection and her work rate and ability to bring her teammates into the game will be crucial for another Fever win.
Last Time They Met
Round 11, 2022 - Fever 86 defeated Giants 77
In a high-scoring clash at RAC Arena, Fever secured the win breaking the highest team score of 82 by four goals.
Fever was without Jess Anstiss, Rudi Ellis and Sunday Aryang for the clash and elevated Shannon Eagland from the Fever Reserves squad to the starting seven.
Jhaniele Fowler led the way with a stunning individual performance of 68 points, including a Suncorp Super Shot in the final seconds. Simmons, Teague-Neeld and Sasha Glasgow played important roles in the Fever’s win.
Facts & Stats
The 2022 season saw both sides record wins on their home court with the loss over east a narrow one by just a goal.
Fever was very successful under the post last week with a 98 per cent conversion rate from 61 shots – Eight per cent better than the Vixens who had the same amount of attempts.
Jhaniele Fowler had a faultless game scoring all her shots for 100 per cent shooting accuracy from 55 efforts.
Alice Teague-Neeld made the Nissan Team of the Round after recording 20 goal assists, 39 feeds and 24 centre pass receives. Her centre pass receives were the second highest in the league after Round 1.
Sunday Aryang and Courtney Bruce each recorded four gains in the tight Round 1 victory.
The Giants have an 89 per cent conversion record during Round 1 but only attempted half the shots that the Lightning had – focusing on scoring plenty through super shots (nine overall).
Matisse Letherbarrow hit seven of her 11 attempted super shots in the loss to the Lightning last weekend – a conversion percentage of 63 per cent.
Jamie-Lee Price was named in the Nissan Team of the Round with 98 net points – Five gains, three intercepts, 29 feeds and 17 assists.
Match Details
Fever v Giants
11am WST Sunday 26 March 2023
Ken Rosewell Arena, Sydney
Watch live via Foxtel and Kayo
