By Matt Fotia
“I definitely had given up.”
Kelsey Browne had all but called it quits on her professional netball career in December 2023.
The former Diamond had been informed all the Suncorp Super Netball lists were completed, and she would be without a contract in 2024.
Roles as an injury replacement player her best chance of a return to the court.
That was until Verity Simmons made the decision to retire from netball and sign with the West Coast Eagles in the AFLW.
A week later Browne was a Fever player.
“This has been a bonus year,” Browne said.
“Each and every day I go into training trying to savour every single second and every single pass.
“I was happy with where I was, but I can’t explain how amazing this season has been with the Fever, being embraced by the club and making Perth home has been amazing.”
Browne’s inclusion was one of many personnel changes at the Fever this off-season.
Long time captain Courtney Bruce left for the Sunshine Coast Lightning, the aforementioned Simmons had traded the gilbert for a sherrin, Sasha Glasgow was one of the Melbourne Mavericks marquee signings along with defender Kim Jenner. Emma Cosh was delisted, and Rudi Ellis returned to Victoria signing with the Vixens.
Browne recognised the power of work the Fever high performance team did to piece together this squad, who have exceeded external expectations in 2024.
“I know at the start of the year people didn’t think we would do anything because of how much turnover there had been, but a huge amount of credit needs to go to Gaudy (Sue Gaudion) and Dan (Ryan) for the group they’ve put together,” Browne said.
“It’s been a really great combination of ‘stayers’ and newbies.
“We’ve got the four stayers, Jess (Anstiss), Alice (Teague-Neeld), Sunday (Aryang) and Jhaniele (Fowler-Nembhard), who have all experienced a premiership with the Fever, and then new fresh people coming in.
“Fran (Williams) has provided so much, KD (Kadie-Ann Dehaney) has been in the competition for a long time and even the newbies like Shanice (Beckford) and Olivia (Wilkinson), you’ve seen what they can do on the court, but the energy they bring off it is so important as well.
“It’s often spoken about how chemistry and culture off the court can translate on to the court and I’ve never experienced it quite like this.”
The Fever family made Browne's move seamless.Browne has worked with some highly touted coaches in her professional career.
She started under Simone McKinnis at the Vixens, honed her craft with Dame Noeline Taura on the Sunshine Coast and spent the last few seasons with Diamonds assistant Nicole Richardson.
She thinks Fever coach Dan Ryan is right up there with the best of them and feels a strong connection with the 2022 premiership tactician.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Dan,” Browne said.
“He’s smarter than everyone gives him credit for, he knows which levers to pull and how to pull a team together.
“He and I can relate on potentially being polarising figures and he speaks my language.
“He’s tough, expects really high standards and knows where he’s going and what he needs from his players, and as a player all you can ask for is really clear instructions.
“You know what he expects of you and that clarity really gives confidence to a lot of the girls.”
Clarity was key for Browne in 2024.
Traditionally a wing attack, utilising her speed and craftiness on circle edge as best she could, she knew she would spend majority of her court time this year in the centre bib.
She’s taken to it like a duck to water and says a desire to prove the doubters wrong has driven her eagerness for the challenge.
“I’m loving centre, it is so different to wing attack,” Browne explained.
“They are completely different skillsets in themselves, and it’s been awesome to learn.
“When I was sold the challenge at the start of the year, I really wanted to prove it (playing centre) could be part of my game.
“I knew coming to Fever it was going to be whatever the team needed, and I feel like I’ve been able to embrace that role because of how valued I feel.”
Browne has enjoyed the challenge of playing centre this season.It’s not just the Fever players and staff that have made Browne feel so at home in the west. The groundswell of support for the Fever has more than added to the experience.
The Fever averaged more than 9,000 fans at RAC Arena this season and tipped over the 10,000 mark on five occasions.
Browne compared the atmosphere to an international fixture and dragged her travel adverse father across to experience a Fever home game.
“It’ll go down as one of my highlights of the season,” Browne said.
“I knew it was going to be special when I signed with the Fever because going there as an opposing team was really difficult.
“It’s similar to standing on the line and singing the national anthem.
“Running out to start a game in front of 10,000 people who have all got their green on, you can’t help but soak up the energy they bring.
“I forced my dad, who doesn’t get on planes, to come over to RAC this weekend (Minor Semi Final), because I needed him to experience it and he loved it.
“He thought the atmosphere was amazing.”
Browne returns to Melbourne this weekend, with the Fever taking on the Vixens at John Cain Arena on Sunday for a place in the Grand Final.
The Fever are in strong form, having won their past four games, and Browne believes they’re peaking at the right time.
“There’s this incredible laser focus within our team at the moment,” Browne stated.
“We’re humming at the right time, but I don’t think anyone in our team is unaware of how much hard work still needs to be done.
“Every single time we go in to training the biggest thing for us is showing up like a team that wants this, has aggression, knows finals are even harder than the season.
“So as much as we might have found some form again, finals are a completely different ball game, and Vixens are tough.”
Browne believes the key to beating the Vixens is shutting down Diamonds duo Kiera Austin and Sophie Garbin, something the Thunderbirds did expertly last weekend.
“Their goaling end is formidable when they get going, so it’s about trying to break that connection,” Browne explained.
“We’ve looked at the Thunderbirds game and see what they did to force them apart, but their links and combinations all across the court are tough when they get going.”
Browne won back-to-back premierships with the Lightning.Browne is no stranger to premierships, playing an integral role in SCL’s back-to-back glories in 2017 and 2018, and says she appreciates the enormity of that achievement as time passes by.
“After the success we had at the Lightning I had a five-year period where it was really tough,” Browne said.
“As the years went on, I started to appreciate those Grand Finals more and more, more than I did in the moment.
“I said to the (Fever) girls at the start of the year, that I look back on my career and just go ‘did I appreciate everything?’
“I wouldn’t change anything for the world, but my approach to this year has been so different because you understand how hard it is to end up here.”
