It was proving difficult for teams to shut down Jhaniele Fowler and it was a trend which continued as Fever wasted no time getting to work and opened a 3-0 lead.

The Swifts did manage to use slick ball movement to get back into the contest and were able to draw ahead with a 10-8 lead but their inability to convert chances from turnovers proved costly as Fever edged ahead and never looked back.

Fever goalkeeper Courtney Bruce was instrumental in defence with six intercepts and three rebounds.

It was a game with a lot of fire behind it after interesting midweek comments from Swifts captain Abbey McCulloch saw Marinkovich label them as 'disrespectful'. 

 

The battle has already begun #GotGrit

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However, Marinkovich rotated the team's roster in the nine-point win, using nine players.

“To be able to get players out there and experiment with different combinations just made it all the more satisfying,” Coach Stacey Marinkovich told Fever media.

“To keep the Swifts within their defensive third for long periods of time, you could feel it mounting out there.”

“Once that happens from our attackers then the defenders really get in it because they know their opportunities are coming,” she said.