Fever focus on Firebirds
West Coast Fever coach Norma Plummer says a win over the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane on Sunday would be a huge step forward for her side.
The Fever were buoyed by consecutive victories at home against last year's ANZ Championship grand finalists before a week off with the bye. They will take on the Firebirds for the second time in three weeks this weekend.
West Coast had a gutsy six-goal victory when the teams met at Challenge Stadium on April 13, but the Firebirds bounced back to their best against the NSW Swifts with a 15-goal win last Sunday.
"Firebirds certainly came back with a lot of passion last week," Plummer said.
"We have got to win away and certainly against an Australian side.
"This is the time we really have to step up."
Plummer acknowledged the pressure would be on former Firebirds Nat Medhurst and Chelsea Pitman, now with the Fever, who will face their former home crowd for the first time.
Medhurst said she had recovered after breaking her nose in the last clash against Queensland and was hoping for a friendly reception in Brisbane.
The Fever captain said they had gained plenty of confidence from the wins against the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Firebirds but warned there was plenty to improve.
"We had to dig deep a few times in both of those games and we had lapses and while there are two wins on the board, I don't think either of them were overly convincing," Medhurst said.
"We have still got to be able to play a lot more consistent netball and this week we are playing Firebirds again and they had a great win on the weekend against the Swifts so it's a big battle.
"I don't think anyone can get too complacent with what we have done.
"We have got a lot to work on and we need to come out with a lot of intensity and play a lot harder and smarter across the whole four quarters."
The game is crucial for both sides, with the Firebirds just one win ahead of the Fever in fourth place on the ladder, having played one more game.
West Coast appeared out of contention for a maiden finals berth when they managed just one win from the first five rounds, but Medhurst acknowledged they now had an opportunity to extend their season.
"This season is all over the place," she said.
"We need to keep working away at what we're doing and focus on us. At the end of the day we are trying to be there in finals and it's going to take a lot of hard work from everybody to get there."
