Pulse put setbacks behind them ahead of season opener

March 31, 2016
Pulse put setbacks behind them ahead of season opener

Hard on the heels of a major setback, coach Tanya Dearns couldn’t be happier with how her Central Pulse team have prepared for their ANZ Championship netball opener in Wellington on Monday.

The Pulse kick off their 2016 trans-Tasman league campaign with a challenging first-up assignment against a well-credentialed Cold Power Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in what will be a close examination of their character.

With little time to consolidate after losing experienced shooter Jodi Brown to a career-ending knee injury, Dearns is pleased with the inner resolve and resilience shown by her charges.

``I’m really happy with the way they’ve come together and supported each other as well as Jodi but knowing that they’ve got to get on and get a job done,’’ she said.

``The first game after she got injured (pre-season tournament in Sydney) was pretty ugly but a few stern words from myself and Tania (Hoffman, assistant coach) after that game and they bounced back really well. So, while they were feeling for their mate, they certainly remembered that they had a job to do.’’

With the Pulse undergoing the most changes of any team this year, Magic have the luxury of a stable, settled and experienced line-up, Dearns expecting them to flex their considerable muscle from the outset.

``There’s a lot of history that goes with that franchise and I’m not taking anything for granted,’’ she said.

``They’ll come out like a bull at the gate from the first whistle, so we need to be able to absorb that initial pressure and take control of the game in the way that we want to play it.

``We’ve acknowledged the strengths and weaknesses of them as individuals and as a team earlier in the week but more latterly have been focussing on what we do and what we do well and acknowledging what contingencies we need for certain situations. We’ve had a really good week of training in that respect.’’

The Pulse have faced their challenges with an extra spring in their step this week and are now just eager to get the season underway.

``The mood at training today was very upbeat……cheeky, smiling, high energy levels and that excited anticipation of just four sleeps to go type of mentality,’’ Dearns said.

``People are going to write us off now and that’s cool, that’s just human nature but the girls aren’t letting that worry them in any way, shape or form. They see it as a positive because it gives others opportunities, it just tests what we’ve been doing in our processes and backs up that our structures are pretty robust at the moment.’’

ENDS

© Scoop Media