Melbourne Vixens coach Simone McKinnis has described the West Coast Fever as deadly and lethal as the teams gear up for Sunday's Super Netball grand final in Perth.
The Vixens finished on top of the ladder with a dominant 12-2 record but were forced to claw their way to the grand final after losing the major semi-final 71-62 to the Fever.
Melbourne's final-quarter masterclass last week, in which they overhauled a 10-goal deficit against the Giants, saw them book a spot in the decider.
Awaiting them is a rested Fever outfit who will be cheered on by a sellout crowd of about 13,000 die-hard fans at RAC Arena.
Fever goalshooter Jhaniele Fowler looms as the key player in the contest, with the Jamaican nailing a finals-record 67 goals against the Vixens a fortnight ago.
"They're one of the best teams in the competition," McKinnis said on Thursday.
"They're one of the deadliest, lethal teams in the competition as far as their scoring ability, and last time we played them defensively they were all over us.
"They have strength across the court. They have confidence this year, they can really do it and it's going to take our best (to beat them)."
The Vixens beat the Fever 66-64 in the 2020 grand final in the Queensland hub.
But McKinnis believes beating the Fever in a grand final in Perth would be one of the Vixens' greatest ever achievements.
"It is one of the toughest road trips in normal rounds, but to be doing it in a grand final (is even tougher)," McKinnis said.
"It's going to be packed. We've done it (beat Fever in Perth) this year before, we did it in a mid-week game, in the middle of three games in one week.
"We came home with the win. We're comfortable that we can cope with all of that.
"It's about executing and putting our best game out there and enjoying the fact it's a grand final."
