West Coast Fever head coach Stacey Marinkovich admits consistency is going to be key for her side as they try to earn a spot in the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final on Saturday.

This year’s preliminary final is a mouth-watering contest between Fever and GIANTS Netball who have fought out two tough battles in 2021.

Coach Marinkovich said the Green Army needed to remain competitive across the entire 60 minutes of the match at USC Stadium on Saturday.

“For us, it is the consistency in what we do in our game plan, we need to make sure it goes for the full four quarters,” she said.

“[Last time we played] was a shoot-out, in the end, there were high attacking numbers from both sides and it will be the team who puts the most defensive pressure on… this is what it will come down to, what team can accumulate pressure.”

It has been widely reported that 2021 is coach Marinkovich’s final season in charge of Fever as she takes up a post with Australian Diamonds.

For her, a grand final appearance would be ‘amazing’ but admits the side still had a giant challenge ahead.

“We have got to win this game to give ourselves the opportunity, for me it is not about me, it has been a long time build with these players and this playing group,” she said.

“They’ve put the work in…. it would be amazing to win this weekend for them to look a little bit further.

“As we have done every week, we will stay in the moment [this weekend].”

Fever took the victory back in Round 5, handing GIANTS its first loss of the season in a thrilling 66-65 match.

On that night, GIANTS Shooter Jo Harten was forced into a held ball in the dying seconds to open up the win for Fever.

Then, in round 14, GIANTS narrowly beat Fever 75-73 to level the season scores and earn the minor premiership.

Coach Marinkovich said the opposition had improved on both ends of the court.

“They’ve been building…. Their juniors have stepped up and provided more versatility to keep possession of the ball,” she said.

“Their understanding defensively as unit has become stronger and stronger.

“They have Jo Harten sitting back, she’s chief of the team and loves the competitive environment and she thrives in finals.”

Read more: The story so far

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