Will Fever get their revenge?

By Stephanie Smarrelli

The rivalry between the Melbourne Vixens and West Coast Fever is one of the biggest in Suncorp Super Netball.

While they may have contested last year’s premiership this time there’s only room for one.

It all comes down to Saturday night’s blockbuster Preliminary Final at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena.

The winner will advance to face the Thunderbirds in the Grand Final and compete for premiership glory, while for the loser, it will be season over.

The sides have met twice this season. The Vixens claimed bragging rights with a six-goal win in Round 7, but Fever had the upper hand more recently, defeating the Vixens by nine goals in Round 14.

With one win apiece this weekend will be a tiebreaker but Fever have won three out of five of the sides’ last meetings.
But you can never write off the Vixens, who have a strong record in Preliminary Finals, winning three and losing two during the SSN era.

Fever’s Preliminary Final record is less impressive, with just one win from four appearances, but they’re unlikely to dwell on that heading into such a high-stakes clash.
 

The last time these teams met in a Preliminary Final, two years ago, it was an absolute thriller, with the Vixens prevailing by a single goal.  

Expect another contest that goes down to the wire, with neither side willing to give up an inch.
 

Finals are the time when big players step up to the plate and can make or break a game.

Last weekend, Ruth Aryang turned the match for West Coast Fever and fans can expect the young gun to have a say in this weekend’s match up as well.

Aryang’s ability to read the play to get her fingertips to the ball was disruptive in the Minor Semi Final and her speedy footwork put doubt in the minds of the Mavericks, something Fever will look replicate against the Vixens this weekend.

Fever head coach Dan Ryan chopped and changed his defensive end against the Mavericks, keeping them on their toes; a tactic that could work well against the Vixens this weekend as it will force them to continuously adjust.  

But Di Honey and co will be ready for it and will no doubt have studied how Fever broke through the Mavericks.

The reigning premiers are in a form slump having not put a win on the board since Round 11 but with a list stacked with Australian Diamonds, they’ve got the calibre of players to turn it all around in the blink of an eye.

Kiera Austin leads the league for Suncorp Super Shots, she’s the barometer for the Vixens and when she’s on she lifts everyone around her.

With a vocal Melbourne crowd behind her expect Austin to ignite John Cain Arena if the Vixens need her to slot the long-range shots.

Speaking of Melbourne, Fever midcourter Alice Teague-Neeld will take to the court in front of her home state.

The Fever midcourter continues to cement her place among the league’s elite with 185 goal assists and 420 feeds.  

In Round 14, Kate Moloney and Kate Eddy both took turns lining up against Teague-Neeld but we’ve also seen Zara Walters handed the wing defence bib throughout the season and Jo Weston is another possibility.  

Shutting down Fever’s path into the goal circle is going to be critical this weekend for the Vixens and it’s something they did well in last year’s Grand Final.

The Vixens’ defensive pressure could make or break this game, every hand over the ball will be important to slow down their opposition.

But they’ll need to stay in play, the Vixens are the most penalised team in the league while Fever are the least.  

While penalties are okay if you’re winning ball back, they’ll want to avoid gifting Fever easy access to the goals.

Once the ball enters Fever’s goal circle, they become incredibly difficult to stop, with Romelda Aiken-George anchoring the attack.

The most-capped national league player could win a fifth premiership if Fever progress into next week’s Grand Final.

Stepping in to ‘warm the bib’ for good friend Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Aiken-George has taken her opportunity and run with it slotting 654 goals at 85 per cent accuracy, including seven Suncorp Super Shots.  

Tasked with slowing her down will likely be Rudi Ellis or Emily Mannix, who combined for four gains the last time they faced Fever.

Both defenders possess the game smarts and timing to intercept Fever feeds, but they will need to execute with precision.
 

Another option in the goal keeper bib is Jo Weston.  

While it’s not a position she often occupies, it was a move Di Honey turned to against the Thunderbirds last weekend and one that could be repeated to throw Fever a defensive curveball.

Both sides have shown they are capable of greatness this season.  

One enters the clash looking to rediscover form, while the other arrives with momentum on their side.

But in a Preliminary Final, anything can happen.

Will the Vixens get their shot at back-to-back premierships or will Fever get their redemption?

We’re about to find out.