STUTTERING START

Q AWho helped you out most to come to terms with the shock?

I actually ended up talking to one of the local South Australian players that represented Australia, Juliet Haslam, who captained Australia for a while and she said the hardest thing was when you’re captain you have to try to be yourself, but also be the front for a team. The hardest thing to do around your team members is make sure you’re the person you are and you don’t fit a mould and not try to be something you’re not because that’s why you were selected in that role. But in front of the press you have to be that mature person. You can’t take a back seat. But she said you’ve obviously been selected in a role because you’ve got the at- tributes so don’t doubt why you’re there.

Q AIn your third game as captain you broke your hand against New Zealand. How’s your luck?

I got it I think in the third quarter. I wish it was more heroic, but I was trapping on a penalty corner. I just must have slipped my hand to the front of my stick and got a hit actually on the top of my finger but apparently it actually pushed my finger back and split it at the end where the knuckle was. Even watching it back on tape I was like, that’s nothing. I would probably get hit like that a million times a game, but it must have just hit me in the right place. I played the rest of the game but I didn’t really hold my stick properly.