The Fever finished seventh last season, winning just two of their 14 games to only narrowly avoid the wooden spoon.

But the recruitment of 196cm Jamaican goalshooter Jhaniele Fowler and the return from injury of Shannon Eagland has boosted hopes of a swift rise up the ladder in 2018.

The Fever have been in hot form during the pre-season, and Bruce is confident of carrying that into the season proper.

"We're definitely talking about top-four," Bruce said ahead of the round-one showdown with the Thunderbirds in Adelaide on Sunday.

"We want to be playing finals. We think we have the capabilities to be in that position. We're definitely not shying away from having those conversations.

We've had a really strong pre-season. We're the strongest and fittest we've ever been."

Fowler looms as the critical inclusion.

The 28-year-old has starred for Kiwi outfit Southern Steel in recent years, and she also helped Jamaica upset New Zealand in the bronze medal match at the recent Commonwealth Games.

Her presence gives Fever a proven goalscorer who can monster opponents.

"She's an absolute beast underneath that post," Bruce said.

"She's pretty hard to stop. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that any ball you put in, she's going to pull it in and shoot it.

"She's accurate, she'll move, she'll shoot from distance. She's an all-rounder."

Bruce is the first WA player to captain the Fever, and she's keen to lead the side to success.

"I'm just going to try to replicate what I normally do," she said when asked about her leadership style.

"The girls voted me in for a reason, and what I do well is lead on the court and have that strong voice."

Australian Associated Press