West Coast Fever (WCF) have re-signed Captain Courtney Bruce, reigning MVP Jhaniele Fowler, and talented mid-courter Verity Charles for a further two years with the club.
2021 West Coast Fever Goldfields Preseason Tour
The Gold Industry Group (GIG) is proud to work with WCF as role models in the community, supporting netball as the Principal Partner of Netball WA and West Coast Fever.
Shooting Stars Program advert
Courtney Bruce made her national league debut with Fever in 2013 and became the longest serving captain in club history this year after her fourth season at the helm.
Courtney Bruce made her national league debut with Fever in 2013 and became the longest serving captain in club history this year after her fourth season at the helm.
Courtney Bruce with Shooting Stars participants
Courtney said she was thrilled to be returning to play in front of the Green Army after 10 years and 98 games with Fever.
“I’m excited to be entering my 11th year at the club that has helped shape me into the player and person that I am and to see where we can go as a club and continue to grow and build towards a premiership.
“I’m so happy to be back with the club for two more years, there’s nowhere I’d rather be,” Courtney said.
Verity Charles with WCF Goldfields Preseason Tour Community Clinic participants
WCF with Northern Star Resources Super Pit team
Courtney led the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball league in deflections (97), defensive rebounds (26) and gains (97), was second for intercepts (48) and finished fourth overall on the competition’s Nissan Net Points leader board with 1007.5 points.
A natural leader on the court, Courtney is also a role model in the community influencing girls and young women across WA. In 2018, she and Jhaniele joined the Shooting Stars program as official Ambassadors along with Verity who joined in 2016.
Supported by the Gold Industry Group as the Premier Partner, Shooting Stars uses netball as the vehicle to encourage greater engagement and attendance at school of young Aboriginal girls living in WA’s remote communities and regional towns.
“I believe the work that Shooting Stars does in empowering young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) women using netball as a tool of engagement is incredible and this role allows me to help engage the next generation.
“I am very proud to be a Shooting Stars ambassador, as much as the girls learn from me, I learn just as much from them,” said Courtney.
Goal Shooter Jhaniele Fowler has been a dominant force in Super Netball since joining Fever in 2018, scoring 3455 goals in four seasons. She has won Fever’s last two MVP awards and three consecutive Suncorp Super Netball MVP awards and said she is also looking forward to returning to West Coast Fever.
“I am definitely happy to be coming back to West Coast Fever. There's a lot more work that I need to get done, not only with the team but for myself and I am really happy to be doing that at the Fever,” Jhaniele said.
In 2021 she topped the league in scoring with 883 goals at 96 per cent accuracy, was second for offensive rebounds with 57 and finished first on the Nissan Net Points leader board with a total of 1611 points.
Verity Charles has starred at Centre and Wing Attack for Fever, leading the competition this year in Goal Assists with a total of 336 from 545 feeds (second overall) into the circle.
“I am really excited and my gratitude and appreciation to be a part of this club is super high right now. I have stayed here for so long is because it’s become a family. It’s more than a club, it’s more than netball, and it’s more than a sport,” said Verity.
As Shooting Stars' first Ambassador, Verity has been passing on some of her experiences in playing netball at the highest level with the program participants since 2016.
Verity’s connection with Goal Shooter Jhaniele Fowler has provided a potent avenue to goal which is now set to continue for the 2022 and 2023 Suncorp Super Netball seasons.
In a recent trip to the Goldfields, Courtney Bruce shared how much the team appreciated being able to go on regional tours to connect and engage with local communities.
“I think that’s why we love working with GIG so much that we get the opportunity to come out to these incredible places and get to hang out with some really incredible kids and share our knowledge but [also] just get out into the community,” said Courtney.
Gold Industry Group members proudly supporting the partnership with Netball WA, West Coast Fever and Shooting Stars are Gold Fields, Northern Star Resources, St Barbara Limited, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Gold Road Resources, Ramelius Resources and The Perth Mint.