It was another masterful display from Jamaican trio Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, and Romelda Aiken-George that ensured Adelaide Thunderbirds retained their Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League title as they edged Melbourne Vixens 59-57 in extra-time of a pulsating final at a sold-out Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Saturday.

The relentless efforts of dynamic defensive duo Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson, coupled with the shooting prowess of the towering Aiken-George, not only underscored their immense class and quality, but more importantly, spurred the Thunderbirds to back-to-back premiership glory, a feat that only one other club has ever achieved in the SSN era.

Aiken-George, who joined the franchise at the top of the season, was named Finals MVP for her 41 goals from 51 attempts. She was supported by Lauren Frew, who scored a perfect 10 goals from as many attempts, while Georgie Horjus scored seven goals from eight attempts.

Meanwhile, Sophie Garbin scored 22 goals from 24 attempts, and Kiera Austin scored 21 goals from 24 attempts and seven two-goal Supershot efforts from as many attempts.

Romelda Aiken-George was named Finals MVP.

The Thunderbirds, like they have done all season, showed grit and determination, as Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson did what they do best. While they didn't reach their usual heights on the stat sheet, the dynamic duo wore down their Melbourne-based opponent’s attack, which started in red-hot form.

Sterling-Humphrey and Wilson combined for six gains but didn’t have everything their way in the early exchanges, as Austin’s smarts in the circle and Vixens' quick ball movement proved a challenge for the world-class Thunderbirds defenders.

After trailing by five, the Thunderbirds were forced to call a timeout to reset, which worked to some extent as they reduced the deficit to trail by three, 13-16, at the end of the opening quarter.

With Matilda Garrett, Sterling-Humphrey, and Wilson quiet at that point, Thunderbirds Head coach Tania Obst was forced to make some changes.

Jamaica's Wilson (second left) and Sterling-Humphrey (second right) celebrate with teammates.

Wilson was moved into goal defence, Tayla Williams into wing defence and skipper Hannah Petty was injected into centre to steady the ship.

And it worked.

From there, the Thunderbirds forced the Vixens into a number of errors to claw back the margin, outscoring their opponents 15-12 as they went into the half-time interval 28-28.

Sterling-Humphrey worked herself into the game in the second half, with Wilson by her side, wearing Austin like a glove down the court.

At the other end, Simone McKinnis handed Emily Mannix the job of quelling Aiken-George, but it proved futile given the height miss-match as the Thunderbirds took a one-goal lead at 42-41 to end the third quarter. 

As anticipated, the Thunderbirds, spurred by the electric home crowd, rattled the Vixens in the final quarter and raced to a six-goal lead at one point.

Kiera Austin was the standout Vixens performer.

However, Austin, who enjoyed superb form on the night, cut the deficit with her hot hand from the Supershot range.

In fact, a late turnover from Laura Scherian gave the Melbourne team a sniff of victory with less than two minutes to go, but Sophie Garbin missed a crucial Supershot in the dying moments and so it took extra time to decide a winner.

It was heartbreak for Jamaica’s Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Shanice Beckford, and Kadie-Ann Dehaney as West Coast Fever narrowly missed out on making the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League grand final following a nail-biting 72-73 loss to Melbourne Vixens in the preliminary final at the John Cain Arena on Saturday.

Fowler-Nembhard, who enjoyed superb form throughout the season, scored 60 goals from 62 attempts, including four two-goal Super Shot efforts, while Beckford scored four goals from four attempts, and Alice Teague-Neeld scored two goals from two attempts and three from the Super Shot line.

However, it was not enough to deny the Vixens, who got their goals from Sophie Garbin, who scored 40 goals from 40 attempts, and Kiera Austin, who had 33 goals from 32 attempts, including four from the two-goal Super shot line.

With the win, the Vixens have booked themselves a date with reigning champions Adelaide Thunderbirds in next week's grand final.

In what was a keenly contested encounter, West Coast Fever showed first, with Dehaney getting her hands onto the ball early. 

The Fever defensive pressure suffocated the Vixens attack, allowing the Perth-based team to establish a five-goal lead before the home side were able to settle their nerves. The Vixens clawed back the deficit to make it a one-goal game at 18-19 heading into the second quarter.

There was nothing to separate the teams in the second quarter, as they exchanged 19 goals apiece in pulsating end-to-end action, but the Fever remained one-goal ahead at 38-37 at half-time. 

Though the Fever upped the tempo with consistent defensive pressure at the top of the third quarter, they later lost momentum as the Vixens came to live and outscored their opponents 20-14 to take a 57-52 leading heading into the final quarter.

The Vixens maintained the momentum at the top of the final quarter and even extended their lead at one point.

However, with their usual never-say-die response, the Fever produced a late rally through Fowler-Nembhard and Teague-Neeld, who both scored a few Super Shots in the dying minutes. But too late was the cry as the Vixens held firm for the one-goal win and more importantly, gets a another shot at the Thunderbirds, who hammered them in the major semi-final.

Jamaica’s trio of Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Latanya Wilson, and Romelda Aiken-George will again grace the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League’s big stage, as Adelaide Thunderbirds secured a spot in the grand final with a dominant 68-43 win over Melbourne Vixens in the major semi-final at Adelaide 36ers Arena on Saturday.

Aiken-George again led from the front with 39 goals from 44 attempts, while Lauren Frew had 18 goals from 18 attempts, including a Super Shot worth two goals. Lucy Austin (10 goals from 11 attempts), and Georgie Horjus, with a solitary goal from three attempts, got in on the act in the 25-goal blowout.

An elated Wilson told SportsMax.TV that last week’s narrow two-goal win over Sunshine Coast Lightning, served as motivation for this, the biggest finals winning margin in Suncorp Super Netball history.

“From the outside looking in, it might seem easy, but it is never easy. However, I believe we needed that close game last week to motivate us to win this one by such a wide margin, especially with a spot in the final up for grabs,” she shared shortly after the win.