Super Netball 2025: Olivia Wilkinson stars as West Coast Fever claims pre-season win over Queensland Firebirds

Rising star Olivia Wilkinson has put her hand up to fill the enormous shoes of Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard with a standout performance in their 50-35 Team Girls Cup win over Queensland Firebirds in Adelaide on Friday. Wilkinson, 21, has only 12 games of Super Netball experience but showcased her immense talent which has her touted as a future Diamond with 23 goals — including two super goals — in a half of netball. It has put pressure on recruit Mwai Kumwenda for the starting goal shooter position for the upcoming season in the absence of Fowler-Nembhard. Wilkinson owned her third of the court, with the 190cm shooter displaying agility and smarts to make the most of her midcourt’s dominance. Fever coach Dan Ryan went through several combinations in the hit-out, including returning wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld back into goal attack, while both Cransberg twins — Jordan and Zoe — got midcourt minutes in the second half. But it was a blistering 15-goal first quarter from Wilkinson which caught the eye, with the Victorian shooter dominant as Fever jumped to a 17-8 lead at the first break. Kumwenda put in a strong second half performance to give Ryan some good problems, finishing with 19 goals including 10 in the final term but also coughed up two turnovers in 20 minutes of court time. Ryan also rotated his defenders throughout three positions which proved effective with Firebirds not scoring more than 10 goals across any of the four quarters. Kadie-Ann Dehaney was excellent with five deflections and three gains in the first three quarters before watching from the sidelines in the last term.