Here, the English international and Sunshine Coast captain shares her thoughts on the Suncorp Super Netball outfit’s title-winning inaugural season of 2017, and how the squad has reshaped following the departure of midcourt superstar Laura Langman.
LIGHTNING STYLE
We had so much trust and faith in what our head coach Noels Taurua had done in putting the team together ahead of our first season last year. A movie was made called Moneyball, which stars Brad Pitt. In that film, the Oakland A’s didn’t just look for the most talented people, they looked at that person's unique skills. I really feel that’s what Noels is about.
Not only did Noels look at what we as players brought to the team individually, she looked at things like our stats and picked a group of girls who obviously had good personalities and contributed to the team off-court wise as well. And obviously having a bit of a quality spine with the likes of Caitlin Bassett with her goal-shooting experience and with Laura Langman and myself with our experience at the back, then it was about laying the other pieces of the squad around that spine of the netball team.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Finding our feet quickly last year and being able to gel together wasn’t easy; it took a lot of bloody tough sessions. We certainly battled it out on court against each other. There were some days where we were probably annoyed at each other, because we were pushing each other and we were challenging each other. But I think that’s what made us so good as a team – we quickly understood our weaknesses and our strengths and our style of play.
Honestly, Laura Langman is a fantastic person all-round, not just a brilliant netball player. She contributed so much to our club. When I first heard she was heading back home to New Zealand and wouldn’t be playing in 2018, I was like, “Oh my gosh, how do we fill that gap?” But after talking to Noels and a few of the other girls, I’ve got my head around it. It’s actually not about filling that gap – it’s about providing someone else with an opportunity.
THE COAST’S GOT TALENT
All of a sudden there was an opportunity for someone else to come into the team - an opportunity for someone who has been in the team, for the likes of Madeline McAuliffe or an Erena Mikaere, to actually learn. To - after being under-studies to someone like Laura in the first year - actually give them that court time and to be able to shine.
Those two girls had outstanding pre-seasons and came back in great shape physically ahead of the 2018 season. And in the pre-season games we played, they really shone. So for me, it wasn’t about replacing Laura, it was about giving someone else an opportunity; about not just rewarding the people who are in the team already, but having the opportunity to bring a tenth player into our environment.
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