Jamaican netball superstar Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard says it was her unshakable love for the game — and her faith — that gave her the strength to return to the court after enduring the heartbreak of losing her pregnancy earlier this year.
Speaking in an emotional interview with Fox Sports Australia, the 35-year-old West Coast Fever goal shooter shared how she found the courage to lace up again just three months after the devastating personal loss.
“I love netball,” Fowler-Nembhard declared. “It’s something that I was blessed to do. I have to give God all the thanks for bringing me this far in my career.”
Her return has already made an impact. After missing the first two rounds of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball League season — which saw the Fever slump to an 0-2 start — Fowler-Nembhard led her side to back-to-back victories, collecting MVP honours in her season debut and helping push Fever to 2-2 and sixth on the table.
In the interview, Fowler-Nembhard credited her Christian faith and the unwavering support from her teammates and club as the pillars of her recovery.
“I’ve always felt like I have strength — I never thought I was weak,” she said. “But I felt real, true weakness. And just being able to lean on God and see his strength working through me… I know I can lean on Him, and that’s where I get my strength from.”
Her path back to the squad was not without complications. Malawi’s Mwai Kumwenda had originally been signed to fill her spot for 2025, casting uncertainty over Fowler-Nembhard’s eligibility. But with support from Netball Australia, Kumwenda herself, and the Fever franchise, her reintroduction to the 11-player squad was smooth and warmly welcomed.
“My teammates… I have to give them heaps of love,” she said. “They’ve been giving me so much love — it’s made me feel at ease, not having anything to worry about. The support I get from them is massive. Fever in general have done above and beyond what they needed to help me get back, both physically and mentally.”
Off the court, Fowler-Nembhard was honoured with a striking 12-metre mural in central Perth, a tribute to her legacy and contribution to the club and the sport. Seeing the massive artwork for the first time left her in awe.
“I felt blessed in that moment, looking at myself in that photo and just seeing the essence of me being captured,” she said. “I looked in my eyes like ‘Oh my gosh, this is me!’”
Now back on court and reinvigorated, Fowler-Nembhard says her goals extend beyond statistics and titles in 2025.
“I always talk about wanting to grow each year, to be better, to be more dominant,” she reflected. “But I reckon a personal growth spiritually — just to be dominant in that sense and let that shine through.”
As the Fever prepare to take on the Sunshine Coast Lightning this weekend, Fowler-Nembhard is focused on continuing her healing journey through the sport she loves — and trusting the plan she believes is still unfolding.
“It might not be the best chapter,” she said, “but He [God] is not done with me — and it’s going to be a good year finishing.”
