West Coast Fever have added experienced duo Shannon Eagland and Numi Tupaea to the club’s Reserves squad ahead of the Australian Netball Championships (ANC) in August.
Eagland played 31 Suncorp Super Netball games for West Coast Fever between 2017 and 2021 as a defender and was a member of the club’s extended squad last season.
She also previously played for the Melbourne Vixens and Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship and is a four-time Victorian Fury premiership player in the Australian Netball League.
Tupaea has represented Australian at youth level and was named at Wing Attack in last season’s GIG WANL Team of the Year after playing a key role in West Coast Warriors’ Open Division Premiership.
She was invited to train with West Coast Fever by new coach Dan Ryan during pre-season, reigniting her passion to compete at the highest possible level.
Eagland and Tupaea have both previously played for the Western Sting, prior to the re-branding of the team as West Coast Fever Reserves for 2022.
They will be joined in the Reserves squad by West Coast Fever training partners Ruth Aryang, Sloan Burton and Zoe Cransberg.
Final selections for the squad will take place in early June following the assessment of talent and form in the GIG WANL competition.
West Coast Fever Assistant Coach Belinda Reynolds will lead the Reserves as head coach, supported by Tracey Swami as Assistant Coach and Ingrid Dick as Team Manager.
Reynolds said she was aiming to repeat Western Sting’s 2017 success at the Championships under the new West Coast Fever Reserves banner.
“I am excited to be part of the new West Coast Fever Netball Club structure and wear green at this year’s Championships,” she said.
“To be able to connect our club from U17 and U19 Futures right through to our Reserves and SSN team brings a great sense of unity and professionalism to our club.
“We are doing a fantastic job at connecting our past with the present format and I know the West Coast Fever Reserves will not only take great pride in representing West Coast Fever but also recognise the legacy of the teams that have come before us.”
The Australian Netball Championships will be held in Traralgon Victoria from the 22nd to 28th of August.
