The West Coast Fever Reserves placed seventh at the inaugural Australian Netball Championships last week.
The tournament-style competition replaced the former Australian Netball League and this was the first competition since 2019, after the 2020 and 2021 competitions were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fever Reserves squad was boosted by former West Coast Fever players Nat Medhurst and Ingrid Moss (nee Colyer), who made their return to the netball court after having children.
Medhurst finished the tournament as the Fever’s leading scorer with 141 goals, while West Coast Fever extended squad member Sloan Burton scored 97 and Emma Putt 72.
The Fever finished the pool matches with a two and two record which saw them qualify to play the Giants Netball Academy in the semi finals.
A four-goal loss in the semi final then meant the Fever took on the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the seventh/eighth play-off. A 60-55 win secured seventh place for the Fever.
MATCH SUMMARIES
West Coast Fever Reserves v QBE Swifts Academy
The Fever first game of the competition was on day two against the QBE Swifts Academy.
The girls played fiercely and by the end of the fourth quarter, the Fever secured a one-goal victory over the Swifts, 54-53.
West Coast Fever Reserves v Capital Darters
The Fever had the Capital Darters in their sights on day three of the competition.
The girls finished ahead in all quarters, leaving no way for the Darters to gain the lead.
The Fever absolutely smashed their second consecutive game of the championships, defeating the Darters 64-47.
West Coast Fever Reserves v Queensland Sapphires
Day four of the Australian Netball Championships saw the West Coast Fever Reserves take on the formidable Queensland Sapphires.
Despite a solid game from the girls, the match ended with the Fever’s first loss of the championship, going down by 15 goals, 64-49.
West Coast Fever Reserves v Collingwood Magpies
The Fever played a strong game against the Collingwood Magpies on day five but with the Magpies scoring 100 per cent of goals attempted, the Fever recorded their second loss of the championship, 67-44.
Semi Final – West Coast Fever v Giants Netball Academy
The Fever were full of fire in their semi-final against the Giants Netball Academy.
Scores were tied at quarter time before the Giants took a three-point lead into half time.
The Fever came up firing in the third quarter scoring 15 points to 11 to hold a slender lead at the final change.
They fought tooth and nail but the Giants finished stronger defeating the Fever by only four goals, 58-54.
Play-off – West Coast Fever Reserves v Sunshine Coast Lightning
The Fever’s final match of the 2022 Australian Netball Championship was the play-offs against the Sunshine Coast Lightning to decide seventh and eighth place.
The Fever were invigorated and playing to win and after a slow start took the lead at quarter time, 17-15.
The second quarter was a tight tussle with the Fever taking the lead again just before the main break and from there maintained the lead for the remainder of the match.
A seven-goal run after the half time break produced a handy buffer and the Fever continued to control the contest as they claimed victory 60-55 and earned seventh place at the championships.
