Netball Super League | PREVIEW: Wasps v Team Northumbria at Super Ten

Wasps Director of Netball Tamsin Greenway says her team are firmly focused on developing their own game ahead of their clash with Team Northumbria.

Wasps Netball took home all three points in their Vitality Netball Superleague debut on Tuesday night, beating Sirens 43-57 in front of a sold-out Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

The team now switches its attention to the Super Ten Weekend which will be held at Birmingham’s Genting Arena.

Wasps Netball will face a Team Northumbria on Saturday looking to bounce back from a 53-48 loss to Hertfordshire Mavericks in their opening match.

Greenway is hoping that the Sirens win showed everyone the progress her brand new team has made.

She said: “Everyone got a glimpse of what we can achieve in the Sirens game, so we’ll look to build on that.

“We’re expecting to see similar defensive pressure from Northumbria, they’ll be tight on us, looking to win the ball and they’ve got some great players who are always looking to make an impact.

“We won’t be changing much from Sirens. The focus again is very much on our team, finding our feet and working on the style of netball that we want to play.”

Wasps came away from their first game injury-free and will be boosted by the return of Sophia Candappa, who is expected to return to the bench against Team Northumbria.

Tamsin praised the new combinations on the court, highlighting the new attacking duo of 18-year-old George Fisher and veteran shooter Rachel Dunn who scored 54 goals between them in Glasgow.

She said: “George Fisher was fantastic and responded really well to the pressure. She’s young, but we brought her in to play, we gave her the opportunity and I think she really thrived on it.

“It was great to see her partnered with Rachel Dunn. Rachel really impressed me with how she took on the challenge of switching to goal attack, they worked really well as a duo.

“I don’t mess around a lot with my starting seven, that’s not the kind of coach I am, but the players will get opportunities to prove themselves if and when they come along.”

The Super Ten Weekend will see all ten Superleague teams take to the court in Birmingham on Saturday, February 25 – with Wasps Netball taking on Team Northumbria live on Sky Sports Mix (4pm centre pass).

Tamsin added: “It’s always amazing going down to the Super Ten, it should be a great spectacle for the fans, a brilliant atmosphere and lots of fun.

“The day will give us a good opportunity to take a look at all of the teams and get to know who the biggest threats will be for the season ahead.”

Wasps Netball’s first home game at the Ricoh Arena takes place on 5^th March against Hertforshire Mavericks (6pm centre-pass), where there will be a busy Fan Village with a range of netball activities such as an inflatable pitch, music, face painting, a chance to meet the Wasps Netball players and more.

Tickets for Wasps Netball’s first home league game are available at www.waspsnetball.co.uk/tickets starting from £10 for adults while under-10s go free, with group booking and student discounts also available.