By Georgina Gabelich
Young defender Olivia Lewis says West Coast Fever would love to cap their season off with a win against Giants Netball this weekend.
A finals spot is on the line for the Giants, who sit just one point ahead of the fifth placed Magpies.
“As a team, we would love to finish off with a win away against the Giants,” Lewis said.
“We know they will be really hungry for the win too.”
Lewis played a full four quarters against the Firebirds, an achievement the 20-year-old said was highly valuable for her development going forward.
“If you told me at the start of the season that I would be having my eighth game in the second-last round, and a full game, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said.
“It’s been tough to get out there and get a full game under my belt, but I think it has been really valuable for my development.”
Defender Courtney Bruce was ruled out of the Firebirds clash early Sunday morning, giving Lewis only a short amount of time to prepare for the match.
“Courtney wasn’t cleared in the morning so I had to prepare for the possibility of going on, probably more than usual,” she said.
“I also wasn’t sure if I would play a full game because I know that Sunday (Aryang) is more than capable of coming on and absolutely smashing it. That change could have been made at any time.”
With prolific shooter Romelda Aiken swapping into the attacking end at half-time, Lewis was tested against a veteran player once again, after opposing South African international Lenize Potgieter in the first half.
“I felt like I had a solid first half, but Romelda’s been around for a long time and she has a lot of experience so it’s good to get a chance against her,” she said.
Lewis said that although Fever had two good quarters and earned themselves two bonus points, they’re still chasing four quarter consistency.
“I think we’re just chasing that full 60-minute effort that we know we’re more than capable of,” she said.
“There’s flashes in every game showing just how good we are,” she said.
Heading into the final match for the Suncorp Super Netball season, Lewis said it was crucial for Fever to reward themselves, the coaches and the fans for their efforts.
“Rewarding our efforts on the training track, we feel like we train really well, so rewarding each other as a team, rewarding the coaches for their time and rewarding the fans for their support this season is important to us,” she said.
West Coast Fever head into their final game of the season on Saturday against Giants Netball at Qudos Bank Arena.
