Melbourne Vixens are looking to bring the heat from the start of their Super Netball preliminary final clash with a West Coast Fever side who have had their measure in recent finals encounters.
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Both defences wil be tested, with Fever boasting the competition's leading scorer in Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard and Diamonds duo Sophie Garbin and Kiera Austin leading the Vixens' shooting brigade.
The Vixens were slow out of the blocks in their 25-goal mauling by the Thunderbirds in last weekend's major semi-final. trailing by six at quarter-time.
"We have to bring that belief and that hard work and that fire from the start," Vixens coach Simone McKinnis said in the lead-up to Saturday's match at Melbourne's John Cain Arena.
"I think our start is really important and that ability to keep that work rate and intensity for a full game."
The two teams split their regular season encounters, each winning on the other's court.
The Vixens inflicted Fever's first loss of the season following six wins, triumphing 76-65 in Perth. West Coast won 68-67 in Melbourne in the penultimate round earlier this month.
"It (the win in Perth) was probably one of our best games of the season collectively as a team," Vixens defender and co-captain Emily Mannix said.
"I think it's going to come down to the wire. Hopefully we can get a really good start and everyone is really going to want to step up after last week."
It will be the fourth time in three seasons the clubs have clashed in the finals, with Fever winning the previous three.
They beat Vixens 64-57 in Perth in a 2023 semi-final and also overcame them in the 2022 major semi and grand final.
"We're really confident going into this game. We had a really good battle with them a few weeks ago in Melbourne," said Fever wing attack Alice Teague-Neeld.
"If you look back at the history of the last few years we've had some really tough battles in finals against Vixens."
The sides have had very different form lines heading into the preliminary final.
Fever have reeled off four straight wins while the Vixens have stumbled down the stretch, losing three of their past four.
"What we need to anticipate and are preparing for is Vixens at their very best, irrespective of past performances, past games," Fever coach Dan Ryan said.
"Recent form, recent results, that stuff doesn't really matter when it comes to a preliminary final.
"It's do or die for both teams. It's bring your best or get booted out of the competition.
"So we expect Vixens to be absolutely firing and we expect the same of ourselves as well.
"We know that our game is in really good shape and the form of the players is really good."
Australian Associated Press
