Thunderbirds will be tough, coming off a loss

New records set and Steel want fans to carry on the momentum

Southern Steel assistant coach Natalie Avellino is wary of an Adelaide Thunderbirds team hurting from last week’s heavy loss to Melbourne.

Adelaide was a proud franchise which would not have taken a 14-goal loss to the Vixens well, Avellino said ahead of today’s round three game in Dunedin.

‘‘You never want to play the Thunderbirds when they are coming off a loss. We need to be a lot sharper against them this week,’’ she said.

‘‘I’ve seen it so many times with the Thunderbirds, they really don’t like losing.’’

In comparison, the Steel are coming off their first win since round three of last year following a thumping of the hapless Canterbury Tactix in Christchurch last Saturday.

That result has provided an extra bounce in the step at training this week as the Steel players contemplate their first ‘‘home’’ game of the campaign.

About 1700 of the 2700 seats for today’s game had been sold yesterday.

Two bus loads of season members will travel from Invercargill for the game.

Playing at the Lion Foundation Arena in Dunedin creates its own challenges. The team is trialling a new initiative where the Dunedinbased players spent last night in their own homes, with the Invercargill-based players staying in a hotel.

Last year all the players spent the night before each game together.

Former Jamaican international Carla Borrego looms as a key player for the Thunderbirds in the shooting circle, while Emily Beaton provided impact off the bench against the Vixens.

Avellino, a former Australian international, expects the visitors to field a more settled team in Dunedin. Steel will again look to their league-leading shooter Jhaniele Fowler and her combination with Silver Ferns goal attack Jodi Brown, who has been troubled by a leg injury she picked up against the Tactix.

History provides some interesting omens for this game.

Steel’s last win over an Australian team, more than two years ago, was also against the Thunderbirds.

In all six previous games between the two teams, the result has gone the way of the home side.

Avellino, meanwhile, is adjusting to her new role as an assistant after sharing the coaching duties with Janine Southby last season.

At Southby’s request, former Rebels coach Georgie Salter was involved in training this week in Invercargill.

Salter had been brought in to help with the defence after a transTasman league round which featured blow-out scorelines in four of the five games, including Steel’s 19-goal win over the Tactix.

Avellino is due to give birth to her first child in mid-June, about a month before the end of the season.

She planned to leave a decision on what her involvement at the end of the season would be until after the baby arrived.

The only thing better than breaking a record in a game has to be breaking two. The past week has been an exciting time for the Steel franchise as the record books were adjusted not once but twice in one single game.

Last week’s 75-56 win over the Tactix marked a new record in terms of most goals scored by a Steel team in an ANZ Championship encounter.

Our beautiful Jamaican girl Jhaniele Fowler also etched her name into the record books in her debut season for most goals scored by a single person in the competition’s history.

On a personal note, it was my 50th ANZ Championship match and I racked up my first ever ‘‘perfect game’’ with a 100 per cent success rate – albeit 10 from 10.

But until you have been a shooter at this and international level, you don’t realise how big an achievement it is to get 100 per cent stats.

Who knows how the likes of

NETBALL

Cathrine Latu and Irene van Dyk do it week in, week out?

Finally, our first home game of the season is upon us today in Dunedin – it’s our turf and our crowd, so look out Thunderbirds.

I’ve been reflecting on how important home court advantage is.

Some may argue it isn’t the same as it used to be back in the heyday of our predecessors the Rebels and the Sting.

I remember playing for the Capital Shakers and the Canterbury Flames and having to venture south to play in Dunedin and Invercargill – it was so incredibly daunting.

The fans were amazing dressed up in their team colours, posters and banners were loud and proud and there were plenty of bells and whistles that accompanied it all as well.

It made it very hard as an opposition team to go into enemy territory and play good netball. As a player you thrive on that and it was a true act of character if you could come out the other end with a win.

From a player’s perspective it’s nice to be at home in your own environment.

Things are familiar – your own bed, favourite foods cooked just how you like it and not having to hop on a plane and live out of a bag.

Then you have the added motivation to play well for your family, friends and fans who have all given up their time to come and support you.

So this weekend, we as the Steel team are looking to you the fans to come out in your droves, chuck on some blue clothes, paint that face, make a poster and most importantly bring the loudest voices you can because there are some birds coming to fly around and it’s up to all of us to stop them.