Super Netball MVPs win their second game following a miscarriage

Source : ABC NEWS

The last two games have been played of Super Netball round three, with the league hosting a split round across the Easter and ANZAC weekends.

On Saturday, the Sunshine Coast Lightning continued their dominance over the Firebirds in the Queensland derby, 64-50.

That marks six straight victories for the Lightning against their state rivals and 13 wins in their total 18 meetings throughout the history of the league.

Special guest Robert Irwin may have stolen the show at UniSC at the beginning of the night, as he attended his first Super Netball game down the road from Australia Zoo and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

But two long bombs in the final minute had completely shifted the focus towards Cara Koenen by the end. As the goal shooter celebrated her 100th milestone game by sinking her first super shot in two years.

On Sunday, the West Coast Fever secured their first victory of the season, defeating the Melbourne Vixens on their home court at John Cain Arena, 67-57.

All eyes were on Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard as she returned to court after a heartbreaking miscarriage in January. Despite missing the entire pre-season, the Jamaican’s impact was felt immediately in a Player of the Match performance.

If you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll get you up to speed with our Super Netball Round-Up.

Fowler-Nembhard fires up Fever

The headline act of round three was the return of Fowler-Nembhard.

The Fever goal shooter was originally supposed to sit out the 2025 season on maternity leave but tragically lost her baby in January. Last month, she gave her four week’s notice required to return to the club environment, intending to make a comeback.

But there was a cloud of mystery around the timing of her return, based on when she would be cleared by the doctor and high performance staff to actually play.

The Fever may have looked solid in the pre-season Team Girls Cup tournament without Fowler-Nembhard, where they finished runners up to the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the final by one goal.

But they’ve struggled to find form in the first two weeks of the official season — particularly when it comes to feeding the circle and getting quick points on the scoreboard.

Two heavy losses by 18 and 13 goals saw them sink to the bottom of the ladder. Plus, they’d scored less than any other team in the league.

The club were dealt another blow when news broke last Tuesday that defender Ruth Aryang had been ruled out or the rest of the season after rupturing her achilles tendon at training. Her older sister Sunday was unavailable for round three too with an ankle niggle.

Ruth is due to have surgery this week, while Sunday is expected back for round four.

Basically, the Fever needed Fowler-Nembhard back in the line-up ASAP and on Friday, two days before the match, the team was announced. Fowler-Nembhard’s name was there and come game day, she absolutely delivered.

The five-time Super Netball MVP tallied 59 goals at 97 per cent accuracy.

But as her head coach Dan Ryan pointed out, after so much emotional turmoil, what was actually more important than the result was how Fowler-Nembhard felt.

Judging by the smile on her face, she was happy to be back.

“We certainly acknowledge the significance of today [for Jhaniele] … She was business as usual, with a great level of calm and composure about her,” Ryan said.

“She loved it, and I think that’s the most important thing, we all said this to her ahead of the game, it’s about getting out there and doing what you love.

“She looks amazing, and I just love seeing the confidence that she instils in everyone that she plays with … We’ve certainly missed her leadership, and she brought us to life.”

Huge kudos must go to defenders Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney who had 14 gains between them. Both imports played out of their skins in the absence of the Aryang sisters.

The unsung heroes of the night were Jess Anstiss and Jordan Cransberg in the midcourt. As the Fever pair smothered Vixens wing attack Hannah Mundy and broke the link in the opposition’s front line to create opportunities for Dehaney to have a crack at loose ball.

Now Fowler-Nembhard is back, replacement player Mwai Kumwenda has been relegated to a training partner and is expected to hit the court for the Fever in Super Netball Reserves.

The only question remaining is what is Ryan’s succession plan for the future?

If Fowler-Nembhard was to try for a baby again at the end of this season, then in 2026 they’d likely find themselves back in the same sinking ship.

Koenen’s first super shot in two years

There has been a lot said about Cara Koenen and the super shot.

Even Koenen herself conceded in the opening round that she knew she needed to start putting up the two pointers or she’d become redundant in the game.

As the Lightning’s third shooter Reilley Batcheldor also becomes more prolific in that area, pushing for increased court time, there is an ongoing battle between these two as to who gets to partner captain Steph Fretwell in the circle.

But on the weekend, in her 100th Super Netball appearance — all as a one club player — Koenen slotted two super shots in the final minute to shrug off the criticism. Her fist pump and beaming expression let us know exactly how she felt about it too.

It’s been interesting to see how she has struggled with this rule innovation over the course of its six-year existence in Super Netball.

The league introduced the two-point shot to be played in the last five minutes of each quarter ahead of the COVID-delayed 2020 season.

It was not a popular decision and back then, other countries openly mocked it — querying how it would impact the world number one Aussie Diamonds team.

Now it seems they’ve changed their minds. As the UK Super League, New Zealand Premiership and South African League all incorporate their own version of a two-point shot for 2025.

But back to Koenen … In the first two years, she seemed happy to put up a long shot, even if it hampered her overall accuracy. Then over the past three seasons, that confidence dramatically dropped off as she developed a bit of a mental block.

It was frustrating for Lightning fans, as Koenen was often spotted nailing them in the warm-ups and spoke about how she was really trying to work on that element of her game. Despite her intentions, it appeared the pressure would become to much in an actual live match scenario.

Hopefully this performance now gives her the belief in her ability to shoot from the white arc.

Koenen’s first two outings this season haven’t showed her best form and it definitely felt like this result, spurred on by the Queensland rivalry has helped to steer the shooter and her team back on track.

“Credit to the team around me, as well as the coaching staff and my other shooters, because I feel their unwavering support whenever I get myself into that two-point zone,” Koenen said.

“It’s definitely been a new challenge that I’m trying to take on more … at the end of this game the pressure was off, so it was a good little confidence boost.”

According to Koenen, the club moved “heaven and earth” to get her parents to the game from Magnetic Island, despite some health issues. Koenen plans to gift her playing dress, which has the 100-milestone printed on the shoulder, to her mum and dad as a thank you for their support.

Mahalia Cassidy also celebrated her 100th Super Netball appearance alongside Cara. Which was a nice coincidence, as they celebrated their 50th appearance together back in 2021 too.

“To be able to share this milestone with Mahalia is really special,” Koenen said.

“She’s been a big part of my journey and is such a tenacious attacker and defender on court, with so much heart and soul off it.”