Super Netball 2025: Meet West Coast Fever captain Jess Anstiss, the heart and soul of grand final giants

Jess Anstiss is the undisputed heart and soul of the West Coast Fever. Many athletes would say they’d bleed for their club. The Fever captain has done it regularly throughout her remarkable career. A leader who likes her actions to speak louder than words, Anstiss leaves it all out on the court every time she pulls on the green dress. Anstiss has broken fingers attacking the ball, played through a serious foot injury for two seasons and is regularly hitting the floorboards as she scraps for every possession without concern for her safety. And all of this came after she was told by a doctor as a child not to play netball because she had only one kidney, having been forced to have the other removed only four weeks after her birth in emergency surgery because it was blocked and had shut down. She’s not only tough but she’s also resilient. COVID protocols broke her incredible 82 consecutive game stretch she played from her debut in 2017 until midway through 2022. So when premiership captain Courtney Bruce shocked the netball world at the end of the 2023 season and left for the Sunshine Coast Lightning, Anstiss was the obvious choice to succeed. Now in her second season at the helm, the 28-year-old gets to live out a dream she had as a girl playing in Kalamunda, leading Fever to a second premiership in club history when they take on Melbourne Vixens at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday. “She’d be pretty excited and pretty surprised that I’m in this position,” Anstiss said when asked what her younger self would think about leading Fever into a grand final. “As a young kid growing up, dreaming of playing for Fever and potentially being able to take them to a premiership is pretty exciting.” Anstiss took over at a time of change for Fever. For years the line-up had been settled, but at the end of 2023 not only did Bruce leave but so did premiership stars Verity Simmons, Sasha Glasgow, Rudi Ellis and Emma Cosh, as well as experienced defender Kim Jenner. It was the biggest overhaul the club had gone through and meant the midcourter was leading a near-new line-up which featured international stars in Fran Williams, Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Shanice Beckford as well as talented youngsters in Zoe and Jordan Cransberg and Ruth Aryang. Fever coach Dan Ryan said Anstiss had grown into an incredible leader who had played a pivotal part in the power team, which is on a league record 13-game winning streak heading into the decider. “Jess’ style of leadership is what the playing group was screaming out for. Her ability to bring a group together in a measured and mature way is important,” Ryan said. “Jess is the ultimate team player and very centred around her teammates and her peers. And making sure everyone’s in a good space. “She’s a leader by example, through action more than anything else, but she has really developed over the past year, in particular her leadership presence within the group and finding her voice a bit more. “And the respect she has from the playing group and staff is just incredible and it’s a testament to her for who she is as a human being. That connection we have to Jess leading the way for us is really important.” Anstiss made her debut at 20 in 2017 and while Fever struggled, winning only two of 14 games, the young midcourter thrived at the top level. Playing in wing defence, Anstiss won the club’s most valuable player award — later renamed the Marinkovich Medal — to edge her more experienced teammates. Such is her humility, Anstiss was back behind the checkout counter at Coles the next day. Then coach turned Diamonds leader Stacey Marinkovich lauded Anstiss’ achievement in her first year. “I don’t think I’ve seen a more complete or impressive debut season than what Jess has produced across 14 rounds this year,” she said. Fast forward nearly a decade and Anstiss is one of the most respected players in the league. And her experience is set to help her lead Fever into one of the biggest games in their history. “I am really excited. I have learnt in the past to embrace this pressure and embrace the feeling heading into a grand final,” she said. “I am just trying to have fun and I’m excited for the experience.” A grand final is familiar territory for Anstiss. It will be her fourth, having been part of the defeats in 2018 and 2020 as well as one of only four remaining players from their inaugural premiership in 2022 alongside Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, Sunday Aryang and Alice Teague-Neeld. Anstiss said while she would lead the side in a decider for the first time, which came with a lot of added responsibility, it didn’t feel any different to others. “I don’t know if it should. It doesn’t really. This is such a great group of people and there are four of us who have been in that grand final as well,” she said. “Knowing that we can all lean on each other, and I feel like the rest of the team is always comfortable to speak up if they feel nervous or extra pressure. “I feel like this group’s so good that we play for each other and lean on each other. I think we’ll be OK.” Anstiss leans on her fellow premiership players, who are all part of the leadership group, to ensure the pressure doesn’t mount on her, something she has learnt in her first 18 months in the role. “One of the biggest things is leaning on everyone else around me and not necessarily feeling like I have to do it all and have the pressure of if performances aren’t going well that it’s on me,” she said.