By Sophie Taylor
2025 will forever be known as the “what if” year for the West Coast Fever.
They started their year without Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, and it showed.
Back-to-back losses in Rounds 1 and 2 made it a challenge for a new-look attack to really fire.
But the return of Fowler-Nembhard ahead of Round 3 brought new life into the Fever unit, who came out firing from then on to dominate the league.
Thirteen wins in a row led them to Rod Laver Arena to host the SSN Grand Final, coming in as clear favourites against the underdog Vixens.
But despite two double figure victories during the home and away season, it was the Vixens who came out with a point to prove in a grand final for the ages.
Fever will still be hurting after a tantalising 58-59 loss and will come back next year with a fire in the belly and everything on the line.
The return of an injured player and former Grand Final MVP will certainly pave the way for improvement in 2026, so watch out for a new and improved Fever group next season.
BEST WIN
With 13 wins in a row at the back-end of the season, there are plenty of matches that could be Fever’s “best”.
But honestly, there’s one that sits head and shoulders above the rest: their Major Semi Final win against the Swifts.
Fever were named Minor Premiers after an outstanding winning run.A monumental 46-20 first half locked in Fever’s Grand Final attendance before the first 30 minutes were up, with outstanding performances across the court showcasing just how much depth the squad had.
A 66-goal haul from Fowler-Nembhard started them off strong, combining effortlessly with compatriot Shanice Beckford (four goals, 17 assists).
Alice Teague-Neeld (25 assists, one intercept) and Jordan Cransberg (22 and one) were similarly dominant through the midcourt.
Sunday Aryang, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Fran Williams combined for 14 gains, with Aryang’s four rebounds especially important up against the likes of Grace Nweke and Helen Housby.
Intriguingly, Fever only put up two successful Suncorp Super Shots throughout the clash, both in the final quarter, proving just how dominant they truly were in the opening 30 minutes.
MVP
It’s hard to bypass Fowler-Nembhard’s impact on any given day.
The goal shooter was named the club’s Stacey Marinkovich Medallist (MVP) for a seventh consecutive year despite not playing their first two matches.
Fowler-Nembhard was once again the league’s leading scorer in 2025 with 724 goals across 14 appearances (including finals).
Kadie-Ann Dehaney had an outstanding year.She dominated the air as only she can, and did not score less than 50 goals a game during the season.
Credit must also go to midcourter Cransberg and goal keeper Dehaney, who both had career-best seasons for the club.
2026
Like their 2025 Grand Final opponents, the Fever are staying virtually unchanged heading into next year.
The return of Sasha Glasgow adds a handy attacking option to the goal circle, particularly working alongside Olivia Wilkinson during the Power 5 if they choose to go down that path.
The return of Ruth Aryang (Achilles) will bode well for Fever’s defensive stocks, adding extra elevation to their already stacked defensive circle.
Aryang’s return will not only add depth to the defensive circle but also open up opportunity for greater versatility in the defensive midcourt with sister Sunday able to rotate through wing defence.
Most importantly for head coach Dan Ryan, these changes should not disrupt the team too much given their proven connection in the past – particularly Glasgow in the front-end.
