Latest news with #KarenGreig
South Wales Argus
7 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
Lauren Palmer loving the ride as Netball Super League head coach
Every athlete has a coach who inspired them, and Lauren Palmer does not need to look far for hers. An associate dentist by trade, the 33-year-old is the youngest head coach in the Netball Super League this season and earned her current role with NIC Leeds Rhinos following spells with Manchester Thunder and England's Future Roses. There, she was able to learn from the likes of Karen Greig, Jess Thirlby, and Tracey Neville and Palmer admits she could not have imagined better places to cut her teeth. 'I started coaching when I was about 18 for a local club coaching their under-9s and under-10s,' said Palmer. 'I was at university at the time and I had picked up a few injuries as a player that brought playing to a halt but I love netball and wanted to still be involved so I started doing that. 'I'm quite competitive and always striving to be better so I started to work with that group as they got older and had a bit of success at county and regional level. 'I do enjoy dentistry but netball is now a viable career option so I ended up with Manchester Thunder for four years as their pathway lead coach and did a bit with England before moving to Rhinos. 'Having been at Thunder for so long, Karen Greig played a big part in my coaching as she used to coach me as a player so you can see similarities in our coaching styles. 'From being part of the England environment, Jess [Thirlby] and Sonia [Mkoloma] have also had a big influence and I was lucky enough to watch some of Tracy Neville's sessions so they're the key figures who have shaped my coaching. 'I've just tried to take the best bits of all of them and put my own personal spin on it.' Palmer has enjoyed a steady start to her Netball Super League coaching career, despite a whirlwind start that saw her brought into the role just weeks before the start of the season. A run to the Netball Super Cup final, where they were defeated by London Pulse, was a good early sign and regular season wins against LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons and Birmingham Panthers have followed. She added: 'As a coach you know your limitations and although I am the youngest in the Super League, the transition has felt seamless. 'I was a little bit nervous going into the first session but because I'd been in and around that environment at Manchester Thunder and I coached a lot of the girls with England futures, I was quietly confident that I could deliver.'The girls had a turbulent time in pre-season and I wanted to see if we could turn it around. 'Reaching the final of the Super Cup took us a back a little, but it gave us confidence coming into the season. 'We've done well in the majority of the games, there've only been a few where we came away frustrated. 'For me, we've been the team that has run everyone close but couldn't get over the line and that's something we want to improve on.' It's clear that Palmer is loving life at the club, helped in part by the opportunity to coach the likes of Geva Mentor Joyce Mvula and Cassie Howard week-in, week-out. She said: 'Walking into an environment with seasoned professionals like Geva and Joyce, and where I didn't know that many faces, was a little daunting but everyone at Rhinos has been so welcoming and that was huge for me. 'The club created a really good environment and I'm loving every second of it. 'Everyone gets access to the same amount of my time and resources but there is a difference in how you talk to someone at the start of their career compared to the end. 'With someone like Geva you've got to give her respect, what she has done in her career is phenomenal and not many people have achieved what she has. 'She has been so open and receptive to ideas. The Super Shot is something new in England but she knows it from playing in SSN [Suncorp Super Netball] and it has been really good bouncing ideas off of her.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Thunder & Forest claim first 2025 Super League wins
Four-time champions Manchester Thunder were dominant in beating Birmingham Panthers 77-47 to claim their first Netball Super League win of the 2025 defeat by holders Loughborough Lightning on the opening weekend, Thunder were much improved in Panthers kept it close in the first quarter but Karen Greig's side pulled away in the second to lead 36-21 at half-time and doubled their advantage in the second half, with 47 goals from South Africa's Elmere van der Friday's other match, league newcomers Nottingham Forest claimed their first win too as they beat Cardiff Dragons 70-54 at Motorpoint Arena. Rolene Streutker scored 31 goals for Forest, with Dragons' goal shooter Georgia Rowe getting 33 in a losing England men's will host Australia, the world's top-ranked side, for the first time in a three-test series in May and three matches will be played as double-headers with Super League fixtures, two at Copper Box Arena on 25 May and 1 June, with one at Motorpoint Arena sandwiched in between on 31 May. Round two fixtures and results Friday, 21 MarchNottingham Forest 70-54 Cardiff DragonsBirmingham Panthers 47-77 Manchester ThunderSaturday, 22 MarchLoughborough Lightning v London Pulse (18:00 GMT) - live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and appSunday, 23 MarchLondon Mavericks v Leeds Rhinos (16:00 GMT)
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Karen Greig eyeing revenge ahead of Manchester Thunder Netball Super League opener
Manchester Thunder coach Karen Greig admits she is eyeing 'retribution' when they face champions Loughborough Lightning in their Netball Super League opener at the AO Arena on Sunday. Greig's side won 17 out of their 18 league games last year, finishing six points clear of second-place Loughborough. But Lightning beat them 70-54 in the Grand Final to clinch the league title - and Greig has revenge in her sights. READ MORE: Mason Greenwood Man United reunion set as talks confirmed - 'I am very confident' READ MORE: Man City will rename the Etihad Stadium in time for Brighton game She said: 'You look at it and think it's retribution. You would like to go into it confidently. We have a squad that can go out there and pull out a good result against them. 'Hopefully, we have got enough in the tank to face Loughborough and get that retribution and stamp our authority on the direction we want to take the league this year.' It is the seventh Netball Manchester Live at the AO Arena - moved from their regular home, the Belle Vue Sports Village - and last season almost 4,500 fans saw the Thunder beat London Pulse 44-40. Greig, whose team will also play at the M&S Arena in Liverpool for the first time, said: 'We love the AO Arena. It's like our second home, going out to the arena and playing in front of what we always say are the best fans in the league, the loudest. 'Over the last few years, we have managed to get about 4,500 people through the doors of the arena. 'If we can get between 4,000 and 5,000 into that first game again, that will be a success. 'I would always say to people, buy your tickets and come along because until you have seen netball in full flight at that level, you don't know what it is. 'And it's exciting. It's fast. Those players work hard. They are athletic. It's a physical game and an exciting game. 'So if we can get bums on seats in that first game, I think it stands us in good stead.' Manchester Thunder last won the Grand Final in 2022 and Greig is confident of reclaiming their crown this new campaign. Unlike last year, they were victorious against Loughborough Lightning three years ago, winning 60-53 at the Copper Box Arena, London. She added: 'I am quietly confident that we can get there. If you had asked me that question back in September or October when we had a full squad of 10 that we signed, I'd say I was fairly confident. 'We have had some injuries in pre-season and a pregnancy too, so we have lost three out of our ten players, which is a chunk. 'But this year will be a different journey for us. We're going to have a tough start to the season. 'We know we've got players down that we are hoping to get back in towards the end of the season. 'It is not going to be straightforward. It's going to be tough. We will have to overcome some obstacles at the start of the season. 'But if we can get into that top four come the business end of the season, then we all know in sport, top four, semi-finals, finals, anything can happen. And we need to be up there and punch our weight.'
