West Coast Fever squad ventures to Collie for preseason bonding

Students participating in a netball-based leadership program had an opportunity to get up close and personal with their heroes when the West Coast Fever rolled into town. The West Coast Fever squad ventured to Collie this week for a training camp, and on Monday paid a visit to the town’s high school, where the South West’s first Shooting Stars site is located. The netball-based leadership program geared towards empowering Indigenous girls and women throughout Western Australia expanded to the South West in August, with 45 students joining the program during its Term 3 launch. During the Fever’s visit, the players and coaches participated in tribal wars with the students, followed by a yarning circle. Fever player and Shooting Stars ambassador Verity Charles said it was impressive to see the students engage with the Shooting Stars program since its launch. “The girls are so lucky to have this and they’ve been so welcoming and they’ve really engaged with the program,” she said. “The staff as well have done an amazing job. “The girls are full of confidence and the attendance is high, and to see them all working together and encouraging each other, that’s what Shooting Stars is all about.” The trip to Collie was also one of the first team ventures with West Coast Fever’s new head coach Dan Ryan, with Charles telling the South Western Times she was excited for the new journey. “Stacey (Marinkovich) was amazing and brought a lot to this club and we’ll always be forever grateful for what she has done,” she said. “I think the freshen-up is really good for us, especially after two years of such a grind. “To come back and really have a whole new skill set, new drills and a new voice, it has been awesome. “He’s really thriving in this and he feels supported and we’re certainly seeing that flow through to the team.” During their visit, the Fever have been holding clinics and Q&A sessions with the locals. Charles said she enjoyed the hospitality Collie had shown the squad. “That’s what I love about a country town,” she said. “You have that involvement with everyone, and it’s amazing that sport can bring people together. “It’s great to be able to get out, and I hope we get to do these sorts of trips more often.”