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Ready to leap into a new era of netballSupporting young local talent
looking ahead to the next 10 years
Celebrating 1 years of west coast fever
our time is
now
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Countless feats have added to the fabric of Australian sport, unravelling moments, memories and achievements worth
reminiscing about time and time again. With a firm lens on Western Australia’s premier netball team, there is no question the list of these moments is worth all the attention it can get.
Cast your mind back to 1997 and a time when the very face of Australian women’s sport was evolving, progressing and generating exceptional feats of success that would forever anchor themselves to the undying time capsule that is Australia’s proud sporting history.
Australia had defeated New Zealand in the Women’s Cricket World Cup by five wickets and also taken out the Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy. Closer to home, after years of history at the grassroots level, something bigger was building for netball.
It was April 12 of that year when, on the other side of the country, a new team dressed in shades of lime green, black and orange had their turn to align themselves with a new era of sporting finesse as one of the original teams of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy Netball League.
Named the Perth Orioles, they lined up against the Sydney Sandpipers to play their first match and mark the beginning of a journey that is still being talked about two decades later.
Shifting forward to 2007, the ANZ Championship took over as the foremost professional netball league in Australia and New Zealand. The Perth Orioles would soon follow suit, rebranding themselves as the West Coast Fever to reflect a fresh start. In 2017, the club celebrates its 10th anniversary after what has been a decade filled with the never-ending hunger for success.
But going from Orioles colours to the black, green and red of the Fever in 2007 was far from the only major change for the club, according to Netball WA chief executive officer Simon Taylor.
“There’s no doubt that 10 years ago, when the club was looking forward, they wouldn’t have thought they’d be running a competition with 12-month a year contracted athletes and all the necessary support systems that go with having a fully professional competition,” he says.
Australian netball shifted from predominantly being a winter sport, concerned with only a few months of the year, to a full-time occupation anchored by development, progress and the drive to get better.
“Our 10-year celebration is a reflection of the journey we have been on,” Taylor says. “As a club, we are still continuing to grow and develop, and in our 10th year we will form a separate entity for the West Coast Fever, with its own board and dedicated resources to support and help it grow to the next level.”
As of 2017, the premier netball league of Australia became the new eight-team Suncorp Super Netball league.
“The last nine years under the ANZ Championship presented us with a certain type of environment, but the new league presents an opportunity for us to move towards professional full-time athletes,” Taylor says.
“In that period of time, the changes that have occurred have been quite phenomenal in terms of the support personnel that sit around our playing group, which now includes the likes of physios, nutritionists, performance analysts, massage therapists. All the roles
that used to be on a part-time or casual basis have now escalated to that full-time environment to provide the athletes servicing and to ensure we are evolving and keeping up with the demands of the sport.
“We have been very privileged to have secured the State Netball Centre over that time, to be able to house all of those pieces of infrastructure in the one spot. The players have their own gym, recovery room, ice baths and high performance cameras overseeing the court so they can analyse their training techniques as a result.”
Moving from Queensland to play for the Perth Orioles, Stacey Marinkovich (nee Rosman) was the inaugural captain of the Fever in 2008, became head coach in 2015 and is the first woman in netball league history to captain and coach the same franchise. But skills and game play aside, she believes the biggest change is the club’s strong vision going forward.
“We have long-term aspirations of sustained success, but we understand the steps we need to take to become the club of choice,” she says. “When you have that mentality, the resources and the dedication and commitment from not only your on-court team, but your off-court team and your board, there is a real alignment and a clear direction as to where the club wants to go. I think that’s the part that’s become more defined as the years have gone on.
“It’s really satisfying to go into an environment that’s just so driven to succeed. I’m pretty ambitious and have great belief that once we get consistency in our process and performance, we will be a great club going forward.
“I have a huge passion for this club. For me, it’s being able to impact change and we’re all about being able to leave a legacy and making the club better than it was before.”
Speaking from her perspective as both a coach and a player, Marinkovich has seen expectations on players, and the game as a whole, shift over the years.
“The demand on the players, the athleticism, their accountability to performance, being role models for our sport and women in our community; all those attributes have certainly progressed over time,” she says. “This has really shaped how the club has gone about the way in which we have our daily training environment; the level of facilities the organisation has and the opportunities the players have are far more advanced than in the early days.
“With that, the role of coaching has certainly
BY SANDRA ARGESE
Fever LOOKING To the future
ALWAYS LOOKING AHEAD.
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PARTNERS
PRINCIPAL PARTNER MAJOR PARTNERS
PREFERRED SUPPLIERS
Thank you to all 2017 West Coast Fever Partners
evolved, it’s more holistic. You have to think of the sports science side of things as well as players’ workload and wellbeing and take into consideration that an athlete is really a 12-month athlete, instead of a few months previously – we impact their lives.”
Coinciding with the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball season, the opportunity for the Fever to secure Perth Arena as their new home in 2017 was just too good to miss.
“It expands the type of fans that we will get,” Marinkovich says. “There’s a level of prestige playing at the Arena; it shapes where the competition has gone. We have a great supporter base in WA and it’ll be great for them to come along to the bigger venue and be exposed to what the sport is all about.”
As for the new season, both CEO and coach feel there is a lot to look forward to.
“All eight teams are going to be very competitive against each other; it’s not going to be one-sided at all,” Taylor says. “There have already been results that have not gone the way people would have expected, so it’s going to be about taking it one game at a time.”
“People really do bleed green when they’re involved,” Marinkovich says. “They’re passionate and understand we are on a journey. The members who have stuck by the team through this change are all jumping to make sure they ride these highs and lows because they know there’s a great reward at the end of it.
“With the team, we’ve got some really exciting young WA talent coming through the ranks. We have put together a team that is providing us with great versatility and a focus on how to play the real team way of playing.” SHARP FOCUS DURING TRAINING.
THE FEVER TRAINING AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON.
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Starting with an historic open air fixture against the Thunderbirds on 1st April and blockbuster games against Magpies Netball and Melbourne Vixens.
» $20 online Scody voucher » West Coast Fever Keyring » Priority access to finals tickets » Access to renewing member rates in 2018
From only $100 for adults and $75 for juniors.
Saturday 1 April 5.45pm
Saturday 20 May 6.45pm
Saturday 27 May 6.45pm
Introducing the 3-Game Fever in the City Membership
AT PERTH ARENA
Fever in the city GA
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MEMBERSHIP
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Membership Type Price3-Game Emerald Adult $150.00
3-Game Emerald Junior $120.00
3-Game Green Zone Adult $100.00
3-Game Green Zone Junior $75.00
Secure your 3-game Fever in the City Membership now at westcoastfever.com.au
Terms and ConditionsA one-off Ticketek service & handling fee from $6.70 per transaction applies on all purchases. The actual service and handling fee may vary depending on the venue and method of delivery selected, or where you add other items to your basket. All ticket/item prices displayed for this event are subject to change at any time without notice. All ticket/item prices include GST, if applicable, and are quoted in AU$.Ticket orders purchased by credit/debit card are subject to credit/debit card approval and customer account verification.
Western Australia has well and truly arrived on the nation’s burgeoning netball scene, developing a
dynamic mix of local talent thanks to its grassroots programs.
West Coast Fever’s 10-year anniversary brings with it a wave of excitement as it coincides with the launch of the new Suncorp Super Netball league in 2017.
The team set to represent the club this season includes six local talents out of the 10-player list, with the state’s commitment to grassroots programs shining through as the game enters an exciting new era.
West Coast Fever players Courtney Bruce, Ingrid Colyer, Kate Beveridge, Kaylia Stanton, Jess Anstiss and Annika Lee-Jones are proud WA locals, each climbing the ranks of WA’s pathway options to today donning the dress and representing the state at a national level.
“We are all very proud to play for Western Australia and we want that to shine through,” versatile goal shooter and goal attack player Kate Beveridge says.
“We want WA to be a place that nurtures up-and-coming talent and be able to show that West Coast Fever stands for WA.”
While spending some of her career over east, Beveridge has found herself back in WA after first progressing through the under-17s, under-19s and under-21s pathways that underpin her success today.
The club’s resident country talent Ingrid Colyer shows location is no barrier to making it at the highest level, having grown up in Karridale, just north of Augusta.
“To be given the opportunity to have a position at West Coast Fever was something I didn’t think was going to be possible when I first started my netball journey,” the talented mid-courter says.
“Before it didn’t look as achievable because it was predominantly girls from the eastern states or overseas.”
Fast forward to today, at the cusp of an exciting new era with a new league and plenty of WA talent, and that vision is becoming more of a reality for others who want to follow in the footsteps of these talented athletes.
“You can see a pathway and that the programs in place are working to help others achieve a position at West Coast Fever,” Colyer says.
Starting netball when she was just
12-years-old with the Margaret River Netball Association, Colyer moved to Perth and won a West Australian Netball League Premiership with the Perth Lions before playing for the West Coast Fever.
“I’m very proud of the unique pathway I took through the country system to establish myself at the elite level,” she says.
“It’s quite rare in our game that players reach the top without having played in an Australian under-age team, but I think it’s proof that a good work ethic and attitude goes a long way in our sport.”
Talented mid-courter Jessica Anstiss and defender Annika Lee-Jones progressed down similar pathways to cement their position in the team, first excelling in the under-17s, under-19s and under-21s state teams to also playing for the Australian under-17s, under-19s and under-20s squads.
The pair also scored spots for the Western Sting from 2014-2016, then became replacement players for the West Coast Fever, a feat that would not have been possible without WA’s accommodating pathways.
Courtney Bruce holds a similar success story; from humble beginnings in her local team at the Southern Districts Netball Association, she then grabbed the opportunity to trial for the state league team, later making it in the under-17s, under-19s and under-21s state teams that would see her go on to play for the West Coast Fever.
“We are all really happy we came through that pathway and get to represent our state at the highest level,” Bruce says.
“There is a lot of pride in our club at the moment.”
Explosive goal shooter and goal attack Kaylia Stanton also found success through the pathway options that saw her excel as a former Australian under-21s player.
In 2014 she was lucky enough to secure a spot on the West Coast Fever team to represent her state, among a list of other accolades.
“What the West Coast Fever and Netball WA are doing at a grassroots level is paying off in that they’re able to choose six out of 10 players from their home state,” Beveridge says.
“The fact we have such a strong WA presence in the team this year will be a positive thing. I don’t think we have had this many WA girls in the team for a long time.”
BY CASSIE GUNTHORPE
Local focus in 2017 fever roster
KAYLIA STANTON.INGRID COLYER.
KATE BEVERIDGE.COURTNEY BRUCE.
JESS ANSTISS.ANNIKA LEE-JONES.
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TRAINING PARTNERSNatalie BrightJessica EalesSophie GarbinOlivia Lewis
coaching and Support staffHEAD COACH: Stacey Marinkovich
SPECIALIST DEFENSIVE COACH: Nicole Richardson
SPECIALIST ATTACKING COACH: Sue Kenny OAM
SPECIALIST TEAM COACH: Tasha Richards
PERFORMANCE ANALYST: Gary Dawson
OPERATIONS MANAGER: Suzanne Lennon
ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE COACH: Liam Warwick
LEADERSHIP & WELLNESS CONSULTANT: Jodii Maguire
TEAM DOCTOR: Dr Gary Couanis
HEAD PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Chris Perrey
MASSAGE THERAPIST: Bernd Adolph
NUTRITIONIST: Terreen Stevens
PODIATRIST: Darryn Sargent
EXECUTIVE OFFICER - WEST COAST FEVER: Tamara Sheppard
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Simon Taylor
nat medhurst33 years old 175cm
GA, GS
kaylia stanton22 years old 189cm
GS, GA
shannon eagland26 years old 182cm
C, WD, GD
stacey francis29 years old 180cm
WD, GD, GK
annika lee-jones20 years old 197cm
GD, GK, GS
ingrid colyer23 years old 165cm
C, WA
KATE BEVERIDGE31 years old 193cm
GS, GA
courtney bruce23 years old 189cm
GD, GK
verity Charles25 years old 170cm
WA, C
jessica anstiss20 years old 175cm
C, WD
west coast fever 2017
When first approached about playing in the groundbreaking Suncorp Super Netball league,
my initial reaction was hesitant at best. I had taken some time away from international netball to pursue my non-sporting professional development and my love for the game, self-belief and passion to compete was diminished. I was thoroughly enjoying what I referred to as a ‘normal’ life. I was working a 9-5 job and playing ‘recreational’ netball with the opportunity to travel at will, without 11 other girls in tow, and having the time to spend with my partner, friends and family.
However, curiosity and an absence of some familiar faces enabled me to dip my toe back into international netball waters after more than a year out in a quad-series against Australia, New
BY STACEY FRANCIS
Getting my groove back
Zealand and South Africa.I have never been paid to play
domestic netball and full or part-time work was not only desirable, but a necessity. My life now is a stark contrast to the one I led back in the UK. In Perth, I am an athlete first. I wake up each day with netball
on the brain and everything about my lifestyle and
the environment that this new netball era has created supports not only that, but also my career aspirations. I have the daily luxury of exploring how I can be technically, tactically and physically a better netballer alongside nine
other incredibly gifted individuals
and this suits the previously dormant passionate and competitive athlete
inside me pretty well.Since arriving in Perth, I have fully immersed
myself in WA life and tried to take every opportunity to explore my new surroundings with the free time we do have. On our three-day pre-season camp in the Wellington Forrest, I slept for about six hours on a ground sheet outside, walked a total of 81km and had my first encounter with a kangaroo!
Over Christmas, I ventured down south and based myself in Busselton for a jam-packed six days that took me to Dunsborough, Eagle Bay, Yallingup, Prevelly and Margaret River. Not one to let time pass me by, I have also squeezed in a fair amount around our training schedule. The Fringe World Festival was a great opportunity for me to get around the hubs and familiarise myself with the CBD. I’ve also visited the Fremantle Prison, taken in Fever’s new official home venue Perth Arena during the Hopman Cup and a Wildcats game, returned to bikram yoga, started salsa dancing and significantly increased my vitamin-D intake at lots the beautiful beaches here in Perth.
Whilst all of these activities certainly make for a busy life, they also make me a better athlete. Being able to focus fully on being a netballer is fantastic, but having the opportunity to switch off my netball brain, engage in some hobbies and continue my professional development makes for a more content me. I intend to use all the resources made available to me to make myself a better player and person and I am committed, for the next two seasons at the very least, to making the West Coast Fever defensive unit one that is both feared and respected by the opposition for our brand of netball and passion with which we play. STACEY FRANCIS.
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