West Coast Fever players Chanel Gomes and Chelsea Pitman get ready for the new netball season.
Camera IconWest Coast Fever players Chanel Gomes and Chelsea Pitman get ready for the new netball season. Credit: Supplied/Andrew Ritchie

Making a splash in 2014

Denise S. Cahill, Western Suburbs WeeklyWestern Suburbs Weekly

While Claremont roommates Chelsea Pitman (25) and Chanel Gomes (22) agreed the pre-season competition rarely dictated how the season would end, they said it provided valuable court time for the Perth team.

The Fever played a President’s 12 team of State League players earlier this month but does not get to match up against championship teams during pre-season like interstate teams do.

The pre-season games have enabled coach Norma Plummer to test various combinations in each third.

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Pitman, who joined the Fever from premiership team Queensland Firebirds this season, said there was plenty of strength in the team, so Plummer was testing various combinations.

She said players would be vying for positions until the first game.

Gomes is among four defenders ” Eboni Beckford-Chambers, Courtney Bruce and Josie Janz ” in the 2014 Fever line- up.

‘It’s really competitive down our end,’ Gomes said.

‘It’s exciting to have the four of us back because towards the end of last season we were getting really competitive.’

Pitman and Gomes live with WA and former Test cricketer Ashton Agar but said they often avoided sport talk in the house.

Fever will play NSW Swifts in Sydney on March 2, with their first home game a week later against the Melbourne Vixens.