SEASON GUIDE FLUSHED WITH
Look beyond the stacked deck of Diamonds at the Sunshine Coast Lightning and whether the super-charged team can deliver a Super Netball crown may well come down to the development of their emerging talents.
The big story of the offseason has been the headline grabbing recruitment up north with World Cup heroes skipper Liz Watson and goalkeeper Courtney Bruce - joining Australia teammates Cara Koenen and former Diamonds vicecaptain Steph Fretwell in what many believe to be an unbeatable combination. But scratch beneath the surface and their path to a title is not a fait accompli despite claims from fans the Sunny Coast were “buying” a title. The addition of Watson and Bruce gives Sunshine Coast an outstanding team but the club did not make the finals last season, struggled for consistency and depth once injury hit.
Which begs the question: does the addition of two players, even ones the calibre of Watson and Bruce, make for a premiership? The headline acts are the four Diamonds, yet the biggest signing for the Lightning in the off-season may be young midcourter Leesa Mi Mi. A training partner at the
Queensland Firebirds for the past few years, Mi Mi grabbed her chance as a temporary replacement player for the Purple Birdies last year but when the Brisbane club was not offering any longer than oneyear on a full-time deal, she headed up the Bruce Highway.
Certainly it’s a move that looks to be paying off for both Mi Mi and the Lightning.
At the pre-season Team Girls Cup, Mi Mi was the talk of the tournament with her speed and agility and a blossoming combination with Watson that looks set to bear fruit for her new club.
Part of coach Belinda Reynold’s recruitment strategy was the development value Watson and Bruce would bring to the next generation of players in the Lightning squad.
Watson is working well with her young counterpart and while it’s the first time they’re combining, she needed no reminder about Mi Mi’s prowess.
The 22-year-old ran the Aussie captain ragged in the Firebirds’ surprise 76-71 victory over Watson’s former team, the Vixens, in First Nations round last year and Mi Mi is looking more and more like the ace up the sleeve of second-year coach Reynolds.
“I do remember that game, she smacked us back at Nissan Arena when she was with the Firebirds,” Watson said.
“With Leesa, you just know what you’re going to get, she’s very, very definite in her moves and how she plays the game - and she just works incredibly hard.
“She’s someone who is so passionate and grateful for her opportunity as well, so I think