West Coast Fever
Australian netball team
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West Coast Fever is a professional Australian netball team based in Perth, Western Australia. Since 2017 they have played in the Suncorp Super Netball competition. Between 2008 and 2016, they competed in the ANZ Championship. Between 1997 and 2007, as the Perth Orioles, they competed in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league.
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| Founded | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|
| Based in | Perth | |
| Regions | Western Australia | |
| Home venue | RAC Arena | |
| Head coach | Dan Ryan | |
| Asst coach | Sharni Layton | |
| Captain | Jess Anstiss | |
| Premierships | 1 (2022) | |
| League | Super Netball ANZ Championship (2008-2016) | |
| 2025 placing | 2nd | |
| Website | westcoastfever.com.au | |
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During the ANZ Championship era, the Fever were the only Australian team not to win a title, play in a grand final or feature in a finals series. However, during the Super Netball era they emerged as challengers. They were grand finalists in both 2018 and 2020, and eventually claimed their first premiership in 2022. They also made the grand final in 2025 after winning the minor premiership for the first time in club history.
History
Perth Orioles (1997-2007)
Between 1997 and 2007, Perth Orioles represented Netball Western Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. In 2008, when the Commonwealth Bank Trophy was replaced by the ANZ Championship, the Perth Orioles were rebranded as West Coast Fever.[1][2]
ANZ Championship (2008-2016)
Between 2008 and 2016, West Coast Fever played in the ANZ Championship. Fever's best performance in the ANZ Championship came in 2015 when they won nine games and finished third in the Australian Conference.[3][4]
Super Netball era (2017-present)
Challengers
Since 2017, West Coast Fever have played in Super Netball. In 2018, Fever reached their first ever grand final. The team was coached by Stacey Marinkovich and captained by Courtney Bruce. During the regular season they finished second. Jhaniele Fowler finished the season as both Player of the Year and Leading Goalscorer while Jessica Anstiss was named young player of the year. In the grand final, Fever lost 62–59 to Sunshine Coast Lightning.[3][15][16][17][18][19][20] Fever were again grand finalists and runners–up in 2020, losing to Melbourne Vixens by two goals.[21]
Salary cap breach
In December 2020 Fever were fined $300,000, of which $150,000 was suspended, and stripped 12 premiership points for the 2021 season, after they were found to have breached the salary cap in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The penalties amounted to the biggest in Australian netball history, with a Netball Australia investigation determining the Fever made payments of more than $127,000 above the salary cap in 2018, and more than $168,000 above the cap in 2019.[22]
First premiership
In 2022, head coach Dan Ryan and captain Courtney Bruce led West Coast Fever to their first premiership. In the grand final they defeated Melbourne Vixens 70-59.[23][24][25][26]
Premierships
Runners Up
Grand finals
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners up | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018[18][19][20][28] | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 62–59 | West Coast Fever | Perth Arena | 13,722 |
| 2020[21][29][30] | Melbourne Vixens | 66–64 | West Coast Fever | Nissan Arena | 2,061 |
| 2022[23][24][25][26] | West Coast Fever | 70–59 | Melbourne Vixens | RAC Arena | 13,908 |
| 2025[31][32][33][34] | Melbourne Vixens | 59–58 | West Coast Fever | Rod Laver Arena | 15,013 |
Home venues
As of 2019, the West Coast Fever play all of their home games at RAC Arena.[35] The venue was first used for a Fever game in 2013, and occasional matches were played at the venue over the following few years. It was the main home venue for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, sharing with HBF Stadium, which had served as the club's main home venue since 2008. RAC Arena has hosted 2 grand finals (2018 and 2022), and the venue consistently draws the highest average attendance every season.[36][37][38]
Players and Coaches
2026 squad
| 2026 West Coast Fever roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaching staff | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Player profiles: Team website | Last updated: 28 April 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club Captains
| Captains[3] | Years |
|---|---|
| Stacey Rosman | 2008–2009 |
| Johannah Curran | 2009–2011 |
| Catherine Cox | 2012–2013 |
| Natalie Medhurst | 2014 |
| Ashleigh Brazill | 2015–2016 |
| Natalie Medhurst | 2017 |
| Courtney Bruce | 2018–2023 |
| Jess Anstiss | 2024- |
Club Head Coaches
Internationals
Australia
| Diamonds | Kelpies
|
England
Jamaica
New Zealand
Club Award winners
Stacey Marinkovich Medal
The Stacey Marinkovich Medal is awarded to the club's MVP. After previously being known as the Most Valuable Player, it was renamed after Stacey Marinkovich (née Rosman) in 2021 to recognise her service to the club as a former club captain and head coach. Marinkovich played over 90 games for the Perth Orioles/West Coast Fever from 2002 until her retirement in 2009, with the final four seasons of her career being captain. Upon her retirement, Marinkovich moved into a coaching role with the Fever, first as an assistant coach in 2012 and 2013 under Norma Plummer, and then taking over as head coach for 8 seasons, 105 games and two grand finals.[42]
The medal is awarded based on 3,2,1 votes given by both the head coach and assistant coach for each home-and-away season game.
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Larrissa Willcox |
| 2009 | Madison Browne |
| 2010 | Madison Browne (2) |
| 2011 | Caitlin Bassett |
| 2012 | Ashleigh Brazill |
| 2013 | Eboni Beckford-Chambers |
| 2014 | Eboni Beckford-Chambers (2) |
| 2015 | Natalie Medhurst |
| 2016 | Natalie Medhurst (2) |
| Season | Winner (votes) (career wins) | Runner-up (votes) | Third place (votes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Jess Anstiss (52) (1) | Courtney Bruce (41) | Verity Charles (37) |
| 2018 | Courtney Bruce (35) (1) | Jhaniele Fowler (34) | Jess Anstiss (32) |
| 2019 | Jhaniele Fowler (1) | Courtney Bruce | Ingrid Colyer |
| 2020 | Jhaniele Fowler (60) (2) | Courtney Bruce (39) | Verity Charles (22) |
| 2021 | Jhaniele Fowler (55) (3) | Courtney Bruce (35) | Sunday Aryang (21) |
| 2022 | Jhaniele Fowler (58) (4) | Alice Teague-Neeld (37) | Courtney Bruce (36) |
| 2023 | Jhaniele Fowler (38) (5) | Courtney Bruce (35) | Jess Anstiss (25)
Sunday Aryang (25) |
| 2024 | Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (43) (6) | Sunday Aryang (29) | Alice Teague-Neeld (28) |
| 2025 | Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard (43) (7) | Sunday Aryang (38) | Alice Teague-Neeld (27) |
Competition Award winners
| Player | Season |
|---|---|
| Jess Anstiss[45] | 2018 |
| Player | Season |
|---|---|
| Sasha Glasgow | 2022 |
| Player | Season | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Caitlin Bassett | 2015 | GS |
| Stacey Rosman | 2015 | Coach |
| Player | Season | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Jhaniele Fowler | 2018 | GS |
| Jess Anstiss | 2018 | WD |
| Jhaniele Fowler | 2019 | GS |
| Jhaniele Fowler | 2020 | GS |
| Jhaniele Fowler | 2021 | GS |
| Sunday Aryang | 2021 | GD |
| Courtney Bruce | 2021 | GK |
| Jhaniele Fowler | 2022 | GS |
| Courtney Bruce | 2022 | Reserve |
| Courtney Bruce | 2023 | Reserve |
| Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard | 2024 | GS |
| Sunday Aryang | 2024 | GD |
| Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard | 2025 | GS |
| Alice Teague-Neeld | 2025 | WA |
| Sunday Aryang | 2025 | Reserve |
West Coast Fever Reserves team
The reserve team of West Coast Fever is known as the Fever Reserves, and previously known as the Western Sting. This team currently plays in the Super Netball Reserves competition, which began in 2024, after rebranding from the Australian Netball Championships and prior to that, the Australian Netball League. The Fever Reserves team won the 2025 premiership, beating the Melbourne Mavericks in the grand final 67-57.
Premierships
- Super Netball
- Super Netball Reserves / Australian Netball Championships / Australian Netball League
- Winners: 2017, 2025
- Minor Premiership: 2025