West Coast Fever produced an opening term for the ages at RAC Arena on Sunday, piling up a 13-goal lead inside the first 15 minutes before holding off a persistent Melbourne Mavericks to win 59-47 and cement their place in the Super Netball top four.
The hosts shot with accuracy north of 90 per cent in the first quarter, with Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard impossible to stop and Shanice Beckford hitting from range. By the first break Fever led 19-6, and while the Mavericks repeatedly chipped at the deficit through the remainder of the contest, they never got closer than seven.
Mavericks coach Gerard Murphy conceded his side's structure broke down once the scoreboard damage had been done. He said inconsistent execution through the super shot period, with players becoming static rather than rotating, had hurt his team's attempt to close the gap.
Super shot attempts from the Mavericks' mid-court runners largely missed their mark in the second and third quarters, and by the time Melbourne found their rhythm behind captain Hannah Mundy, the buffer was too great to erase.
The result lifts the Fever back into outright third on the ladder on a 5-2 record, just one win behind second-placed Adelaide Thunderbirds and two behind the undefeated Melbourne Vixens. With the Diamonds window opening late in the season, head coach Dan Ryan will be pleased his side has managed to absorb the loss of key personnel to rest and rotation without dropping form.
For the Mavericks, now 2-5, the defeat continues a difficult stretch. A young side still finding its feet in Super Netball has shown fight in every contest but has struggled to match the physicality and shot-execution of the competition's established powers over full 60-minute matches.
Next week sees Fever travel east for a key clash with a rejuvenated GIANTS Netball, while the Mavericks return home to face the Firebirds in a must-win encounter for their outside finals hopes. The battle for the top two, between Vixens and Fever, looks set to go down to the wire.