Crucial to take sting out of record crowd, says West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan
'The crowd will play a big part in the contest at certain times, but for us, it's about just being really locked into what we need to do on that court together as a team and embrace the challenge of it,' he said.
'It's really tough playing away at times, but no better time to play your best netball more than grand final.
'To play in front of that many people, it's certainly going to bring out the best in both teams on a really special occasion.
'And you know, we've got a big contingent from the west coming over, and lots of family and friends too, so we'll be getting our eyes really focused on those green fans in the crowd. But I just think it's going to be an incredible atmosphere and a great privilege to play in.'
Despite West Coast Fever's top-of-the-ladder finish off the back of a record 13 successive wins, the game is being played in Melbourne after Netball Australia sold the rights to the decider in the pre-season.
The bumper crowd will eclipse the previous biggest grand final attendance of 13,908 who watched the Fever beat the Vixens at Perth's RAC Arena in 2022.
The Fever know they can perform on the road. Part of their record-winning streak included four away victories in five weeks, between rounds six and 10.
They stormed into the grand final with a ruthless 32-goal home victory over the NSW Swifts, but Ryan said there was no chance of the team becoming complacent off their hot form.
'We're pretty tough in our environment. No one has the chance to get too far ahead of themselves ever,' he said.
'Our competitiveness within our playing group has kept everyone really honest and accountable the whole season, and that doesn't change.
'While we come into the grand final in really good form, it is about showing up and performing on the day.
'What's happened across the course of the home and away season, while it might give you confidence and awareness and all those things that you can take with you, it doesn't actually mean anything in terms of what the grand final is going to entail.
'We want to show up play our best netball under the pressure of a grand final and hopefully it's good enough.'
Speaking at the grand final launch at Federation Square on Friday morning, Ryan said there were parts of the Fever game they could improve on.
'We haven't been too caught up in the winning streak, to be honest. We've certainly celebrated every win we've had but been hyper critical of the little details in our game that we think we can keep getting better at,' he said.
'There's no such thing as perfect, and there's always room for improvement in all parts of an individual player's role or the unit's role and that's where I think our competitive edge has been pretty strong, that we just want to keep getting better all the time.'
Fever captain Jess Anstiss is one of four surviving players from the 2022 premiership, alongside Janielle Fowler-Nembhard, Sunday Aryang and Alice Teague-Neeld.
'I've learnt from the past that you have to embrace grand final week. And although you want to try and treat it as just another game, there is different aspects to it in the lead up,' she said.
'We have chatted amongst the group and we know it's a big occasion, but it's just about being able to show up and as a team, just staying connected on the game day.'
Anstiss said the team would take confidence from two big wins over the Vixens, by 10 and 11 goals, this season.
'You definitely take confidence from that. And I think, yeah, take confidence and belief from that the last couple of weeks as well.'
Melbourne Vixens coach Simone McKinniss will end a 13-season tenure with the team in the grand final, but she said it hadn't been a focus.
'All my attention is on this game. I get asked often about your last game and this and that, but my focus is just the team and having the team best prepared for tomorrow and my role as a coach and supporting them to have the best game,' she said.
'I'll worry and think about the other side of things, the other side of the game.'
Vixens captain Kate Moloney said it would be 'absolutely incredible' to lift the trophy for the departing coach.
'We set out at the start of the year that we wanted to win that premiership, and our focus is fully on Fever tomorrow, but wouldn't that just be a bonus to be able to send Simone off like that and be able to celebrate with a premiership?' she said.
'We'll do absolutely everything we can to try and make that happen.'
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