Fever finals path starts at heaving Arena
West Coast Fever will host an elimination final next week if they beat NSW Swifts at Perth Arena on Saturday morning.
Netball WA chief executive Simon Taylor has held talks with ANZ Championship officials over the various scenarios that could play out over the coming weeks, depending on results.
Taylor said Saturday’s fixture against the third-placed Swifts was the biggest in the club’s history.
Fever can finish second in the Australian Conference with victory over NSW, who are one win behind West Coast, to ensure their maiden finals appearance is at HBF Stadium on Friday week.
A record netball crowd is expected at Perth Arena, with 8500 tickets already snapped up.
Taylor said Fever, who have developed dramatically under first-year coach Stacey Rosman, were now hoping for a crowd of at least 10,000.
“We’ve never been in this position, never been able to say we’ve secured a finals berth,” Taylor said.
“To have it determine whether we get the ability to host a final or not in a world-class stadium is great.
“It’s also just a great opportunity to acknowledge the support of all our fans and the community that have got behind us over the course of our history.”
Taylor said the players and coaching staff had been largely shielded from behind-the-scenes preparations for a complicated new finals system.
Under the conference system, Fever would host or travel to Sydney for a sudden-death final on June 5 against Swifts.
If they won that, they would then travel to Queensland to take on the Firebirds in the Australian Conference final two days later.
If Fever play in Sydney and win, they would not return to Perth in between travelling to Brisbane, Taylor said.
The winners of the Australian Conference final will host a home semifinal against a New Zealand franchise for a place in the grand final, while the losers will travel to New Zealand to take on the winners of their conference final for a place in the grand final.
