Kiwi superstar Grace Nweke may have piled on 50 goals to keep her NSW Swifts unbeaten at the top of the Super Netball table, but the MVP clearly cut a frustrated figure post-game with her five-word response.
Speaking with Fox Netball’s Cat Tuivaiti after her side’s 70-62 win over second-placed Sunshine Coast Lighting, Nweke was short with her reply when asked for her take on the game.
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“You look like you had a tough night at the office Grace?” Tuivaiti said.
“Yeah, to put it lightly,” Nweke responded.
Tuivaiti would later tell the young star shooter: “Really proud of you Grace”, before the Kiwi import was seen being embraced by Swifts teammates.
“Really high standards Grace Nweke has on her game – so I’m wondering whether she isn’t entirely happy with how she played or whether or not she thought she didn’t deserve MVP,” Fox Netball’s Kierra Trompf said of Nweke’s post match reaction.
“For her, she was outstanding.
“She had a lot of pressure on her in terms of the defenders coming on and off the court.”
Nweke was under pressure for the entire contest up against physical Diamonds star Courtney Bruce and rising star Ash Ervin.
But remarkably, it was Swifts trio Sarah Klau (16), Maddy Turner (13) and Sharni Lambden (11) who racked up the most penalties compared to Bruce and Ervin’s nine apiece.
While it was an eight-goal loss in Lightning veteran Steph Fretwell’s milestone match, late supershots added respectability to the scoreboard for the home side.
In reality, the Swifts cruised home comfortably in a match billed as one of the blockbusters of the round, with a 13-goal buffer heading into the final term.
The result has ensured the Swifts remain unbeaten at the top of the table after seven games, completing the clean sweep of all Super Netball teams.
WEST COAST FEVER DEF GIANTS NETBALL 75-66
Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard continues to stamp her name in the record books, as she led West Coast Fever to a tough nine-point Super Netball win over Giants Netball in Sydney.
In an MVP performance, the Jamaican superstar became the first player to reach 9000 national league goals, but Fever were pushed for the last three quarters in their 75 to 66 point victory.
Despite the Giants’ terrific fightback that saw them sit on level terms during the third quarter, they’ve now lost six of their last seven games, leaving them stranded at the bottom of the ladder. With increasing criticism of the team’s results, captain Jo Harten made an impassioned post on Instagram midweek.
Speaking pre-match she explained: “When you’re not having a mega successful season on the court results wise, there is an over scrutiny potentially of players and team management. My post during the week was just a gentle reminder that we have a great sport, a great community, let’s show some kindness to each other.”
That criticism may only grow as Giants got out to a terrible start, shooting just one point to the Fever’s seven in the early stages of the game. Co-captain Jamie-Lee Price later described her team as looking like ‘stunned mullets’, as Harten was benched just nine minutes into the game. Matisse Letherbarrow took her place and four supershots from her and teammate Sophie Dwyer dragged back a threatening eleven point lead to just eight by quarter time.
At the opposite end of the court, another of Giants’ youngsters was showing her flare, despite having a tough assignment against Fowler-Nembhard. Matched against the world’s best shooter, Erin O’Brien was at her most effective when she came off the body to pick off five gains. She played a crucial role in helping the Giants lift their performance, as they made strong inroads into Fever’s lead to be just four points down by half time.
Giants burst out of the blocks in the third quarter to level the score, but their chances were hampered by a knee injury to Jodi-Ann Ward. Fever remained composed throughout the match, to push out the lead again. Alice Teague-Neeld’s calm head and smooth feeding was particularly crucial, Sunday Aryang continued her career-best form with six gains, and Fowler-Nembhard top scored with 63 from 66.
While Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard became the first player to reach 9000 national league goals, it isn’t the only record she owns. The five time league MVP has scored the highest number of points in seven of the last ten seasons, has taken part in four of the highest ever scoring games, has scored the most goals in a game, and the most goals in a final. It’s truly GOAT status.
With six Giants out of contract next year, it might be time for a shake up of their roster. However, the player they’d most like to keep – Jamie-Lee Price – may ask for an early release so she can head to Melbourne for 2026, where her AFL playing partner is now based.
It’s the inconsistency between the Giants’ best and worst that has plagued their 2025 season. They are the most prolific team in Super Netball for supershots, with the third highest accuracy at the post, and also sit inside the top four for converting gains to goals, at around 70 percent.
However, they have the second worst centre pass conversion rate at 65 percent, have taken the least number of gains, and given away the most turnovers. All of which points to some individual brilliance, but a team that can’t string sixty minutes of netball together.
— with NCA NewsWire
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