‘How good is this’: Geraldton’s Emma Cosh a netball champion following Fever’s breakthrough win
Emma Cosh is a netball champion following West Coast Fever’s stunning win over the Vixens on Sunday, adding another chapter to her remarkable netball journey.
“I still don’t quite believe it,” the Geraldton netballer told the Geraldton Guardian on Thursday.
“I don’t think I relaxed until the final two minutes and I just remember looking out on to the court seeing how well we all executed our roles, thinking how we built through every quarter and just thinking how good is this.”
Cosh turned down a full-time teaching role and took leave without pay to join the Fever in their Queensland hub in 2020 as a training partner.
Making her debut that season in the midst of the pandemic, going on to feature in the heartbreaking two-point grand final loss in 2020 and then seeing the team docked points in 2021 for salary cap breaches committed in 2018, her path to glory couldn’t have been forged through tougher circumstances.
But Cosh said it those experiences were what made this win possible.
“The resilience we built as a group through that made us a better team and that’s what we saw on Sunday,” she said.
“Leading into the week we were full of confidence. Of course some nerves crept in but we all knew what our roles were and what we had to execute.”
Cosh talked to the Guardian about her feelings walking out into what was a sold-out crowd at RAC Arena.
“I walked through an entrance which had this big Wildcats picture on the wall of a sea of red and I turned to one of the assistant managers and saying how cool is that,” she said.
“Then I walked out on to the floor and it was just this huge sea of green and I couldn’t believe it.”
The Fever were always in control of the game and as such Cosh’s skills weren’t needed on the day but she couldn’t be prouder of her achievements.
“I looked up at the crowd at the presentations thinking how did I get here,” she said.
“I’ve come a long way from the pathways playing up in Geraldton and put in a lot of work to get here.
“I remember turning to my mum after the game and telling her this was a dream come true.”
The Fever have turned from cellar dwellers to power house over the past few years and Cosh believes this win could lead to even more success.
“Coming into next year I think it will be a huge confidence boost and eight of this group have already been re-signed for next season.”
However, it remains to be seen if Cosh will be a part of those future plans as she is currently out of contract with the Fever.
“It’s been a difficult thing to deal with post the final, not knowing my future and dealing with contract talks,” she said.
“But I’m trust trying to focus what I can control, I would love to remain with Fever and whether or not that happens either way I’ll be pushing as hard as I can in my netball.”
Whatever happens Cosh is a champion and is still able to bask in the glory of her achievement.
“I only took the medal off cause I had to, otherwise I’d still be wearing it,” she joked.
Cosh’s whirlwind week will be capped off when she and her teammates are celebrated at a ceremony and fan event in Perth’s Forrest Place on Friday.
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