Sam Bird: Pulse excited for the big stage
Sam Bird believes her London Pulse side are ready to embrace the big stage ahead of their major semi-final against Loughborough Lightning.
Pulse finished top of the regular season table and come into Friday's clash at the Copper Box full of confidence off the back of four straight wins.
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Their last defeat came at the hands of Lightning, who have proved Pulse's nemesis in recent seasons. Pulse's last three campaigns have ended at the hands of Lightning, including defeat in the 2023 Grand Final at the Copper Box.
But Bird believes her young squad have matured immeasurably since then and are now relishing the big matches.
'They are so desperate to show what they can do,' said Bird. 'It has gone from being nervous on that big stage to thriving on it. There's no arrogance, there's no complacency but it's an excitement to be involved in these games now opposed to being a bit scared.'
London Pulse are coming off the back of four straight wins.
(Ben Lumley)
Confidence is the watchword for Bird and her Pulse side, who have turned the tears of two years ago into an unwavering determination to achieve a maiden Netball Super League title.
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Twelve wins from their 14 matches this season, including a 77-51 demolition of Lightning away from home in March, has certainly helped.
'It does feel like we have momentum, and the squad is still developing and improving, we are still looking at growth at this point,' added Bird.
'The fact we have won the Super Cup and then league is a good confidence boost, and confidence is really important.
'We know this game is going to be tight on Friday, nobody is going to roll over, but we have confidence to know we can win and that really important going into the game.'
The season has not been without its hitches either; a seven-game unbeaten start to the season came to a shuddering halt at the hands of Nottingham Forest in early May before Lightning won at the Copper Box two weeks later.
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The response, however, was exactly what Bird and her side needed in order to go again heading into the post-season.
'There was no finger-pointing, there was a lot of personal accountability both from the coaches and from players,' she revealed.
'We really recognised it was small things that contributed to those losses, and we were still the same strong roster.'
Pulse's response on the court, four wins in a row to end the season, earned them top spot and a home major semi-final, meaning victory on Friday will send them straight through to the Grand Final at the O2 Arena.
Bird is hoping home comforts can make all the difference, after reflecting that her squad may have been overwhelmed by changes to their routine ahead of last season's semi-final defeat to Lightning.
London Pulse finished top of the regular season standings.
(Ben Lumley)
'It is really important to us to have this game at home,' said Bird. 'There is nothing better than playing at your home venue, an iconic venue like the Copper Box. It feels like we have done everything we can to put ourselves in a good position.
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'Everybody is in their own bed, everyone is familiar with the venue. All our support staff are there; we have extra resource there to look after us.
'[The major semi-final] is all new, so none of us as coaches have been through this process, so it is a new test for us.
'It feels less stressful to be in the major semi-final than a traditional semi-final, as that is knockout netball. It changes the mindset a little bit. We obviously want to win this game and then have a bit of recovery to peak for the final. That's the ideal route.
'It doesn't feel as edgy as when we played Loughborough last year in the semi-final, having beaten them twice in the league and then lost and it was all over.
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'I genuinely feel like we couldn't have tried any harder this year, but just trying hard doesn't guarantee you anything.'
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