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On a Thursday evening in late November, Kelsey Browne posted to her Instagram a goodbye (for now) post to netball, after she realised she wouldn't be getting a contract in the 2024 season after the Collingwood Magpies folded and discovered she was without a home. What she didn't expect when posting to Instagram was getting a call at 10am the next morning from West Coast Fever coach Dan Ryan about a midcourt position opening up. From there, it was a whirlwind to move across the country ahead of pre-season training. "It was quite a short period of time," Browne told ESPN. "I put the post out on Thursday at 5 pm and I got a phone call from Dan [Ryan] at 10 am on Friday. That was sort of the start of the discussions, they went for maybe about a week or five days, making a decision and me putting pen to paper, so it's quite a quick turnaround. "By the time that had happened, I think it was the middle of December and I moved on January 7. So very short [period] to move your life to the other side of the country, but I'm absolutely loving it and so happy that Dan called me and that we were able to turn some things around." It followed a period of uncertainty, not just for Browne, but all players, after the 2023 season drew to a close and no resolution for the CBA had been finalised. The demise of the Magpies created a further cloud over the sport with all 10 players without contracts and forced to find new homes.  Browne found ways to keep herself distracted from the uncertainty, turning to sideline commentating across the NBL season. "I think it was hard for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons. I know my experience throughout that three months was quite different to everybody else's, [there were] a lot of players going without pay. "I guess for that period I had seen the writing on the wall and decided that I would move into the next part of my career and my life and I had kind of come to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be playing netball again. "My three months was quite a different experience, but I am quite aware that a lot of players were doing it really tough. For me, it was moving into that media space, I started doing some commentary with the NBL and some work with Sportsbet and I was loving that. "It was nice to get the call from Dan but also that three months was actually not a bad period for me to see what else I could step into once I decided to finish playing netball." It's been a full circle moment for Browne with Collingwood ending their Super Netball journey with a win over her new club the Fever. "I have brought that up a few times to the dislike of the Fever players," Browne joked. "It was crazy to sort of think that Fever is not a place that I ever thought that I would be playing a season and to be here now having closed the chapter with Collingwood against Fever. "I took myself on a holiday to Perth after the 2023 season just for a little getaway and at that moment, I didn't realise I was going to be living here five months later. I think there were a lot of signs that potentially this is going to happen and the universe is trying to tell me something."  Browne becomes one of six new faces to pull on the green this season with Jamaican duo Kadie-Ann Dehaney and Beckford moving west for 2024, alongside England star Fran Williams, who Browne messaged after the World Cup, not knowing that they'd become teammates in Super Netball. "I think the injection of a number of the Jamaican players, I mean Jhaniele is a stand out in the competition, and for her to have the likes of Shanice and Kadie joining her over here is really exciting. "Fran Williams is another amazing addition. I actually Instagram DM'd her after the World Cup and said how much of a jet she was, again not knowing that three months later I would be lining up alongside her in a Fever kit. I think we've really gathered some cool people to be playing together (like) Olivia Wilkinson coming in for her first season. "I think what Dan has done is put an exciting group of young players together and it has taken a little bit of time for us to learn each other. With the likes of Alice [Teague-Neeld] and Jess Anstiss who have held down the fort at Fever for a long time. Dan is really secure and sure of what he wants from the team and so it's been quite an easy process to put it all together." A top four finish is the goal for Fever in 2024, with Browne hoping to help in any way she can, whether on the court or off. "I think no one is shying away from the fact that we want to be in a finals position this year, we want to make sure we take care of the process which is winning week in week out. That's an aim for the team and making sure we stick together and stay connected as a unit, I think that's going to be really important regardless of what happens. "Personally, I feel like this year looks very different to me. I'm kind of looking at it as a bonus. I didn't think that I was getting this at the end of last year, for me it's about how I can add to this team and how I can bring value whether that is playing one minute, playing 60 minutes or contributing off-court. "I want to be able to contribute to the other girls' games and really create some friendships and some connections on court that are exciting. For me it's a different feel, I don't feel like I have anything to prove. "I'm not coming back to try and assert my name on the netball world again, it's just more how can I add to this already amazing group of athletes that have been put together at Fever and be a piece of the puzzle."
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