JHANIELE Fowler’s technical ability, coupled with her tactical awareness and physical prowess, are notable traits that make her a force to reckon with on the netball court. But when asked about her greatest asset her response was void of all those attributes.

“I believe my mental strength is what makes me a great athlete,” the towering 6-foot, 5-inch goal shooter told the Jamaica Observer from her base in Australia.

In fact, Fowler readily declared that some of her worst performances throughout her fairly decorated career, which started back in 2009, came when she allowed opponents to mentally outfox her. But not anymore.

“I use to allow defenders to get to me mentally but over time I’ve developed my mental strength — and I’ve used that to good advantage since,” Fowler said.

“My game is my mental toughness. It’s more than just about being able to play to win, but also being able to bounce back from disappointments. Both on the court and after tough defeats, my focus is always on how to come back and how to continue pushing beyond obstacles. It is one of those things that takes a lot of tenacity,” she added.

It is clear that Folwer, like many other elite athletes, has an unwavering belief in herself which allows her to smile in the face of adversity and overcome challenges, as well as to push through fatigue.

There is no denying that it is this type of mental fortitude which recently assisted Fowler and her West Coast Fever team to their first-ever Suncorp Super Netball title on a third attempt.

Fowler, who joined the Perth-based team in 2018, has been delivering the goods over the years but always seemed to come up short in the final.

In fact, shortly after joining the team Fowler led the Fevers to their first final in 2018 when they suffered a narrow, three-goal loss to Sunshine Coast Lightning in a 62-59 scoreline. She ended that season as Player of the Year and also secured the leading goalscorer award, with a record 783 goals.

She won the leading goalscorer award for a second-consecutive season in 2019 and capped off the year by becoming the first player in the league’s history to win multiple Player of the Year awards.

A year later, in 2020, Fowler and her team again made the finals and again came up short by two goals, as they went down 64-66 to Melbourne Vixens.

However, as fate would have it, Folwer and her West Coast Fever team were able to exact some semblance of revenge on the Melbourne Vixens, hammering them 70-59 to finish tops in the just-concluded season.

The 32-year-old — who topped the league for shooting accuracy and volume this season, putting in 871 goals from 902 attempts at 97 per cent accuracy ahead of the grand final — shot 58 goals from 59 attempts to all but single-handedly win the game for her team.

She was indeed the redeemer the Fevers had hoped she would be, even if it took five seasons, two coaches, and three grand finals to break the 25-year drought.

“I got emotional because, as you know, we’ve been to the finals two years prior but wasn’t able to cross the line. So this win means a lot to me — and moreso the team — because it was long overdue and we were hungry for it,” Fowler told the Observer as she reflected on the celebrations.

“I always say that ‘Winners build on mistakes, while losers dwell on them.’ That’s what we we did — learn from our past mistakes — and I am elated that we were able to get it right on this occasion,” she added.

It is said that no athlete has a perfect record, and no athlete ever will. However, it is the ability to not only accept pressure and thrive under it, but to also learn from mistakes and failures that drive them to succeed over and over again.

Fowler is now blessed to count herself as one of those athletes and, if her form and newfound tenacity are anything to go by, then more of the same is anticipated when she joins her Sunshine Girls teammates for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Having been a part of the Jamaican teams which won bronze at the 2014 and 2018 Games in Glasgow, Scotland and Gold Coast, Australia, respectively, Fowler is hoping that much like her franchise team, it will be third-time lucky for her Sunshine Girls unit to improve their placing.

“My preparation and performance [at West Coast Fever] has not only assisted in my readiness for the Commonwealth Games but has definitely given me a confidence boost. It is always important that as players we understand where we are heading into a tournament and what we want to achieve,” Fowler stated.

“So right now, my short-term goals are to win the finals at both the Commonwealth Games and World Cup,” she said referring to next year’s Netball World Cup to be staged in Cape Town, South Africa.

The ace shooter will lead an experienced line-up that includes the likes of Shanice Beckford, Adean Thomas, Nicole Dixon-Rochester, Khadijah Williams and Shamera Sterling to the July 28 to August 28 Commonwealth Games.

Shimona Nelson, Rebekah Robinson, Shadian Hemmings, Kadie-Ann Dehaney, Jodi-Ann Ward, and Latanya Wilson are the other members of the team.

But while it seems a solid team on paper, Fowler is wary of one particular hurdle which could prove a major sticking point for the number-four-ranked Sunshine Girls.

“There is no doubt that the Sunshine Girls team named for the Commonwealth Games is a solid team with a lot of depth and potential to topple any team, on any given day, and win the gold medal,” she declared.

“However, our greatest challenge is the limited time we have together as a full team to prepare — and we are mindful of that,” Fowler, who has well over 50 caps, noted.

And while Jamaica’s chances of a podium finish will depend heavily on Fowler literally leading from the front, she is adamant that it will require efficient execution on the team’s part to make it happen.

“I’ve learnt that there is no one person that makes a team great — greatness is the unity and strength of everyone combined. The teams I’ve been on have definitely taught me that and made me a better player and person because of the unique experiences I’ve had with them,” she shared.

“So I’ve always held on to the saying that ‘The price of success is hard work and dedication to the job at hand,’ and the determination that — whether we win or lose — we can feel proud knowing we applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand,” Folwer, who has also won bronze at the World FastNet netball series in 2010,” ended.