Suzy Batkovic Bonds bind us off court

A LOT of column inches have been dedicated to my neck this week.

Since returning to Townsville, I’ve taken real pride in my durability – despite another birthday on the horizon before Christmas – and am desperate to finish my career on a high.

While I’ve been able to play through pain since the London Olympics, more recently a bulging disk in my neck has been creating nerve issues which is impacting my capacity to play.

Having received treatment during the week – fingers crossed it will work – I’ve been doing everything I can to take the floor tonight and the club and I will make a decision just before tip- off.

Irrespective of whether I do or don’t play, I have full confidence that we have a squad that is more than capable of covering my absence.

While I’ve received a lot of pats on the back for our championship success, part of the reason we’ve been so successful in recent years is our ability to play as a team and for play- ers to just play their role. Tonight will be no different.

The other key reason we’ve been successful is the values that we hold and the quality of people that we recruit, so with that in mind, I thought I would lift the lid on this year’s squad and give you a richer understanding of what makes them tick. Micaela Cocks is my longest serving teammate – she’s not far away from chalking up 200 games for the Fire – and she’s like an energiser bunny.

I get tired just looking at her Instagram stories – she’s always cross training or going up Castle Hill or on the bike.

At the moment, Mic and Stella Beck are locked in a crossword obsession and spend their time away from the court tackling the latest version. It must be a Kiwi thing!

If you’re a regular on The Strand, you’ll often see Zitina Aokuso and Tess Madgen riding their skateboards down there. If you don’t see Tess, you’ll certainly hear her as she has this infectious laugh that radiates down the beach and puts a smile on your face. Tess and Stella are also brewing their own Kombucha and seem a little too excited about it.

Meanwhile, their third housemate, Ally Malott, has been painting up a storm and is now taking requests from her teammates. She’s also into jigsaws, so their apartment looks like it could be a kindergarten or an arts and craft store.

Laurin Mincy and Casey Samuels are both obsessed by shoes – I like my Nikes but they put me to shame – and Darcee Garbin is the social media queen of the club.

Finally, Mikhaela Donnelly can be seen around Townsville living that # MumLife and recently bought a trike for Adisyn which they seem to share.

I love sneaking cuddles from her when she’s not on it.

We’re hoping for a big crowd tonight – we want you by our side – and I’ll be doing everything I can to be back on the floor.