The coastal side kept things close through the first quarters, with the Cavs only leading by seven at the half. But a solid rotation in lieu of attacker Zoe Claridge's absence held the visitors in good stead.

"It didn't matter who we had in there, everyone stuck to the gameplan," Cavaliers co-coach Dannie Carstens said.

This included Estelle Margetts who rotated between defence and offence, as well as keeper Monique Dufty who Carstens said played a "blinder of a game."

With a 2020 grand final rematch against the Northern Hawks looming on the horizon, Carstens said shoring up the defensive form was crucial in their win over Devon.

Carstens had previously said the team's switch from reactive to proactive on defence was a focus early on in the season, and it appeared that emphasis had paid off on Saturday.

She added that Devon had made significant improvements to its form, and the final score did not reflect the true closesness of the game.

"They put out a really good brand of netball out there on Saturday," she said.

Devon's promise also shone in their under-19s victory over the Cavs earlier in the day. The Cavs were overwhelmed by Devon in the fourth, which saw the latter gain a 10-point lead en route to a 46-39 win.