Swifts midcourter Verity Simmons is no stranger to playing huge games, but this weekend’s top-two Suncorp Super Netball battle between NSW and the West Coast Fever is right up there.
Simmons, who was born and raised in NSW, played most of her career with the West Australian outfit and landed a Super Netball title with Fever in 2022 before stepping away from the game in late 2023 to try her hand at Aussie Rules.
However, since returning to her home state she’s fallen in love with netball again, and facing the Fever in a blockbuster tie is a challenge she’s relishing.
“Yeah, this is the game I think I thought about the most probably,” she said.
“I think both our teams are really on par, play really similar netball and have that ability to score quick and have high turnovers with such good defence back there.
“So, it’s an exciting game coming up and I think the fans will definitely get their money's worth with this one.”
The Swifts are unbeaten so far this year but the defending champion Adelaide Thunderbirds came very close to stopping their run last week.
Simmons feels that game demonstrated how close the competition remains, and why Briony Akle’s troops are taking nothing for granted.
“The mentality here is different,” she added.
“I think the games that you win sometimes you almost let them slide. You don't look into it as much because you've won and you've ticked a box.
“But here (at the Swifts) we break everything down and go ‘how could we win by more, what could we have done better?’ and we keep looking at that.
“And that game almost felt like a loss for us because there were only two goals in it, which is a Super Shot, and it was far too close for comfort.
“So, we’ve spent a long time looking at that game, trying to expose what went wrong and remedy what needs fixed ahead of the next game.”
Despite her long history with the Fever, Simmons said head coach Akle was not doing a huge amount of knowledge mining on her this week.
“Briony is really clever and she and Dylan (Nexhip, Assistant Coach) know that each season is different it’s a new approach and team each year.
“As much as I could tell them, that’s based on when I was there and that could be shifted completely by now. We do know is that Fever are playing really well and have hit their straps since Jhaniele (Fowler-Nembhard) came back and they are going to be a massive challenge.”
The Swifts and Fever go head-to-head at Ken Rosewall Arena on Saturday night. First Centre pass is at 7pm.
MATCH NOTES
- When the teams last met in Round 1 the Swifts defeated the Fever 67-49 at RAC Arena in Perth.
- The Fever lead the Swifts 11 wins to eight in 19 Super Netball meetings since 2017.
- The Fever and Swifts met 19 times in the former Trans-Tasman Championship and the Swifts won 14, the Fever four and there was one draw.
- Since 2008 the Swifts and Fever have met 38 times with the Swifts winning 22, the Fever 15 and one draw.
- The Swifts and Fever have met in Sydney in seven previous Super Netball matches and the Swifts have won three and the Fever four. The Fever has won three of the past four meetings against the Swifts in Sydney.
- The Swifts are coming off a 66-64 win over the Thunderbirds in Round 8 to remain undefeated and sit at the top of the Super Netball ladder.
- The Fever is coming off an 82-65 victory over the Firebirds in Perth for a record of six wins and two losses to sit in second place on the ladder behind the undefeated Swifts.
- The Fever is on a six match winning run and will equal their second longest Super Netball winning run of seven matches (R1-7, 2021) if they beat the Swifts. The Fever’s longest Super Netball winning run is nine matches between Round 13, 2022 and Round 5, 2023.
- The Swifts are on an nine match winning run that extends back to their Round 14, 2024 (72-71) win over the Giants and the first eight matches of the 2025 season. The Swifts equalled their longest ever Super Netball winning run in Round 8 when they defeated the Thunderbirds 66-64 and will set a new record if they defeat the Fever in Round 9. The Swifts' all time longest winning run is 18 matches (2006-2007) in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy.
- The Swifts have a record of four wins, a draw and three losses in eight previous Super Netball Round 9 matches.
- The Fever have a record of three wins and five losses in eight previous Super Netball Round 9 matches.
- The Swifts have the best attacking record after eight rounds scoring 548 goals at an average of 68.5 goals per match.
- Swifts shooter Grace Nweke has scored 413 points in 2025 which is the most for any player this season. Nweke has shot 75.4% of all Swifts goals this season the most for any player for her team.
