Pulse Boosted By Return Of Souness
Against the backdrop of a shortened season, players trickling back from injury has been a welcome boost for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and their expectations of a successful ANZ Premiership netball campaign.
Refreshed and repaired after a lengthy lay-off following ankle surgery, sparkling midcourter Whitney Souness made a successful return when going on to play three quarters of last week's opening round match while adding to the Pulse's playing stocks for their clash against the Mystics in Auckland on Saturday.
Speed, agility, deft footwork and pin-point feeds are all part of the pivot's trademark skills and after several months of inactivity, she was quickly back into her work, defying her time away but conscious of needing to raise the bar against a well-credentialled Mystics.
Both teams had opening round wins.
``After their first game, they'll be on a high and seeing them play, they've got flair, speed and experience, so they'll be ready to play hard,'' Souness said of the impending clash. ``We've just got to stop them early, bring the intensity from the first whistle and really take off from the outset.
``It's going to be tough, it's going to be fast, it's going to be physical and they'll bring it but we'll bring it too.''
Injured when playing for the Silver Ferns in the second test of the Taini Jamison Trophy series against England last September, Souness eventually underwent a total ankle reconstruction to repair the two ligaments, one of which was hanging upside down.
The mercurial little midcourter mirrored her on-court presence with immaculate timing through her five months of rehabbing.
Having just two pre-season hit-outs for limited minutes in the two weeks preceding the opening round of the ANZ Premiership, the plan of being ready for Round 1 couldn't have worked out any better.
``I'm really grateful for all the support from our physios, coaches, trainers and team-mates to get me there,'' she said. ``I probably just started doing court stuff about five weeks ago and up until then had not done any.
``Getting rid of a few cobwebs was important in that first game and just getting used to playing netball at that intensity and that level again. It wasn't just about me having to find my feet back on the court but also finding my netball mind, that took a bit of adjusting.
``Because I've been loaded and managed for a bit on the court, I haven't been able to train fully some days but I'm back to normal now, so hopefully from here, with more game time and more full trainings, I'll find my full confidence and be able to just keep pushing.''
The down time has given Souness a complete mental and physical break from netball, from which she has returned refreshed and invigorated.
Having started a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Samoan Studies, some years ago, she has returned to the books with relish, completing four elective papers during summer school.
Souness has welcomed the injection of former Australian Diamond midcourter Gabi Simpson and shooter Amorangi Malesala, as temporary injury cover, both adding to a vibrant Pulse mix.
``Gabi just brings a different intensity that we're not used to, so it's really cool having her in the group, her experience, her speed and her netball head,'' Souness said. ``There's lots to learn from her and she's always got some good feedback that we can take in and improve from. She's bringing real of value to this group.
``Having Amorangi come in and have an opportunity to play is great for her and both she and Gabi did really well in our first game. They've been training hard, they really want to be here and they're making their mark.''
Souness was happy with how the Pulse adjusted to the new rules in the first round, particularly the two-point shot, expecting as time goes on with more practical game-time experience, there will be refinement according to what works best and what doesn't.
The match will be screened live and free to air on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ at 4pm on Saturday.
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