Adelaide Thunderbirds midcourter Maisie Nankivell says her side are striving to make South Australia proud with a strong finish to its 2021 season.
The club won its first of three final matches to be played in the Queensland Hub with a thrilling one-goal win over the Sunshine Coast Lightning on Wednesday night.
As SA emerged from a 7-day lockdown earlier that day, Maisie said the team had their home state in mind as they took the court at Nissan Arena.
“We haven’t had the consistency this season that we’d like, so hopefully we can finish strong and prove to everyone that when we play our best netball, we can be a successful team,” Maisie said.
“We just want to do our state and our families and friends proud back at home knowing they’re cheering us on.
“We also want to continue having fun together as a playing group because the more you connect off the court the easier it comes on court.
“When we are gelling and getting those connections, it really does flow, and we are able to show our brand of netball.”
Maisie Nankivell and Lenize Potgieter celebrating after Round 12 win against Sunshine Coast Lightning.After spending her first two seasons in wing defence and centre, the midcourt triple threat has become the side’s primary wing attack in 2021.
“I started my SSN career in wing defence and have now moved my way into the attack line,” Maisie said.
“I love all three positions, in particular centre, but I’m really happy to be part of the starting seven and playing some good netball.
“I’m learning a lot in the wing attack role and having the girls around me back me into the position has helped me find my way.”
For Maisie, having versatile athletes around her gives her great confidence in her side’s ability to adapt.
“We’ve got a really exciting midcourt, a lot of people have described us as gutsy, hard-at-it netballers,” Maisie said.
“We’ve got the speed and the strength which is really exciting, and we can rotate through all three midcourt positions which allows us to have great flexibility and to build a number of combinations.”
The Thunderbirds return to Nissan Arena next Monday night, August 2, to take on the NSW Swifts from 7pm ACST. The game will be live via the Netball Live Official App and Telstra TV.
