The Suncorp Super Netball season is upon us and the hype surrounding the Melbourne Mavericks is something the SSN hasn’t seen before.
That is the case given it’s the Mavericks’ first ever game in the competition and there’s no bigger test to start against the experienced Melbourne Vixens at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
An up and down pre-season for coach Tracey Neville has seen the Mavs deal with a number of key players suffering injuries that will sideline them for the season.
Sasha Glasgow horrifically broke her leg during a pre-season match in February, ruling her out indefinitely, whilst defender Lauren Moore ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against the Giants in the Team Girls Cup Pre-Season Tournament a fortnight ago.
Both star players, Neville and her team have had to scramble to build a squad that will be competitive in the brand new club’s debut campaign.
And with the season just days away, Neville says they’re using that adversity as motivation on the court.
“We’ve probably not had the build-up that we wanted as obviously we’ve had two major injuries to two of our contracted 10, but what the girls have built over the last eight weeks is full credit to them,” Neville told *SEN Breakfast*.
“We’re a start-up team and were delayed getting on court but we’re really excited and we got a little bit of a snapshot on what to expect on Tuesday from our commercial, marketing and events team (at the season launch) and it’s going to be such a great occasion to get out to.
“There’s never any success without adversity and we’ve definitely had our fair share in the last few months.
“We actually said it’s a great story when you look back but now when you’re actually in it and it’s happening in the moment, it’s not a great story because you feel like you’re fighting missiles at the moment and trying to bat them off.
“There’s never any job without a challenge and that’s why we work in these jobs.”
As for her comfortability in the role, Neville says that’s something you can never feel if you want to be a successful coach.
“I don’t think you ever do (feel comfortable) and particularly when you’ve just built a team from scratch,” Neville added.
“There’s always something else to do and that’s all about development and improving your team, if you think your job is done by matchday, I don’t think you’re ever going to be successful as there’s always things you can work on.
“That’s what’s really great about this group, they always want to improve every single day and they go out and show that.
“The start of the season on Sunday is a really going point for us, it will sort of you know remind us of why we’re here and what we’re here to do.”
