Home

Loyal Kaylia Stanton aiming high for West Coast Fever

Bridget LacyThe West Australian
West Coast shooter Kaylia Stanton.
Camera IconWest Coast shooter Kaylia Stanton. Credit: Iain Gillespie

Kaylia Stanton has declared fans should expect the unexpected from the West Coast Fever goal circle this season as she aims to stamp herself as a gun goal attack in the mould of internationals Gretel Tippett and Jo Harten.

Speaking ahead of Fever’s season opener against Adelaide Thunderbirds in Adelaide tomorrow, Stanton admitted it had been a tough decision to stay at the club after warming the bench for much of last season behind Nat Medhurst and Jhaniele Fowler.

“I felt like I could have gone somewhere else, but in the end I wanted to stay loyal to West Coast Fever,” Stanton said.

“I’ve been loyal to them now for six seasons and I really felt like there was an opportunity for me to grab and I wasn’t going to let that pass by.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

“When I signed, I said to (coach) Stacey Marinkovich, ‘I will give you absolutely every-thing I can. I’m not going to leave anything unturned’.

“I’ve taken that mentality through to now and hopefully that puts me in good stead for this round and the season.”

The Game AFL 2024

Stanton watched last year’s grand final from the bench.

The 24-year-old admits that drove her to prove a point during the Fast5 tournament and in the pre-season. The athletic 189cm shooter is focused on building her confidence on the court.

Stanton said she hadn’t been given any guarantees about whether she or recruit Alice Teague-Neeld would start in round one, but believed she had put her best foot forward.

“I feel a lot more comfortable out there, particularly in that goal attack role,” she said.

“I’ve probably more defined my style as well. I don’t think I’m the same as Alice. I think I’m a different player altogether.

“I’m probably more similar to someone like Gretel Tippett or Jo Harten and I’ve probably taken aspects of their game and moulded it into what suits me.

“I’m really excited for people to see what that looks like. I’m not your typical goal attack, so expect the unexpected.”

Fever look set to mix up their line-up throughout the season, with Shannon Eagland pushing for court time at wing and goal defence and Olivia Lewis keen for opportunities at goalkeeper.

Adelaide shape as wild-cards. They finished last in 2018 with no wins, but have a raft of fresh faces under new coach Tania Obst.

“We aren’t really sure what they’re going to put out there,” Stanton said. “That’s also exciting. We play our brand of netball, a really strong, fast, speedy game, and it’s not about knowing exactly how they play because we’re just going to do what we do out on the court.”

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails