The Melbourne Mavericks have crept to within a fraction of a per cent of West Coast on the Super Netball ladder after holding their nerve to beat the third-ranked Fever 60-57.
Melbourne bossed the opening stages in front of a bumper crowd of 13,847 - the biggest ever for a West Coast home game - at RAC Arena on Saturday night, before warding off the Fever's spirited fightback.
The fourth-placed Mavericks (7-5) drew level with West Coast (7-5) on wins, while the Fever's percentage of 104.69 is the equivalent of one goal ahead of Melbourne's 104.09.
The Mavericks stand tall in Perth, defeating West Coast Fever in front of a record-breaking RAC Arena crowd đ pic.twitter.com/v7hx7kRFud
â Suncorp Super Netball (@SuperNetball) May 30, 2026
Super sub Uneeq Palavi proved the difference between the two sides.
After not seeing any action in the opening half, Palavi substituted in for Shimona Nelson midway through the third quarter, with the Fever getting on top.
Palavi saw off a succession of opponents and coolly knocked down 19 shots, her only miss coming from two-point range on the full-time buzzer.
"It's crazy, I never thought I'd be in such a big pressure moment like that," the powerful Tongan said.
"But that's what I love about netball - you never know what you're going to get or what period of the game you're going to get put on.
"I always go back to (the saying) 'pressure is a privilege'. It doesn't matter what type of pressure it is, I'm ready to take it on."
Earlier, Palavi's fellow attackers Shimona Nelson and Reilly Batcheldor didn't miss a shot between them in the opening term, while Jamie-Lee Price shaded Jordan Cransberg in the middle to steer the clinical Mavericks to a 20-14 quarter-time cushion.
Melbourne's pressure was elite as they pulled clear 32-23 in the second stanza, before the Fever fought back through a flurry of super shots from Sasha Glasgow to trim the Mavs' advantage to 34-29 at halftime.
West Coast defenders Fran Williams and Kadie-Ann Dehaney, both outpointed in the first half, lifted in the third period, which the Fever started with an 8-3 flurry to pinch a 39-37 lead.
Palavi subbed in for Nelson for her superior range and the Mavericks answered the challenge with a 9-4 finish to the term to lead 46-43 at three-quarter time.
A pair of Romelda Aiken-George two-pointers dragged the Fever to within one point, but Melbourne hung on courtesy of a late Glasgow turnover and two clutch Palavi goals.
