New Zealand shooting star Maria Folau ready for Super Netball challenge with Thunderbirds
Maria Folau has been among the biggest names in netball for many years, but there are still tricks she wants to learn after signing with Adelaide Thunderbirds.
New Zealand superstar Maria Folau was given an immediate education on the physical demands of Super Netball when she had her first training session with Adelaide Thunderbirds at their Mile End home on Thursday.
Folau claimed the workout was a huge learning curve on the Australian body-on-body defensive actions and believes the experiences with the Thunderbirds will aid her game.
The shooting sensation has 128 international caps with the Silver Ferns, has Commonwealth Games gold medals in her keeping and has made almost 200 appearances in the trans-Tasman league and Kiwi domestic competition.
But Folau, 31, is relishing the opportunity to confront the unknown and has moved her game to Adelaide seeking new challenges in the twilight of her career.
“I’m at that point in my life I wanted a new challenge, a fresh challenge,” Folau said. “I’m very aware of the different defenders in the competition with the different styles.
“It was very inviting to play in the league. I’ve been around for a very long time and at this point I needed something different.
“In NZ, you know who you are coming up against and know the lines certain defenders run. Here there are lot of defenders who are quite unorthodox and in terms of me opening up new challenges, this is the place I needed to come to.
“Facing physical defensive pressure is not just week-to-week here, it is day-to-day. The lines they run, everything is to the ball.
“Back home, we are not afraid to run away. There were times at my first training session with the Thunderbirds, I was running from the long lead expecting the ball.
“I was like ‘oh, I’ve got to come forward’. These little things will help my game.”
Folau is among the biggest names in the game and there will be enormous expectation, especially with the Thunderbirds coming off a nightmare winless season.
Committed to the Silver Ferns program for the next couple of months, she will be available for full training in Adelaide from February. She expects to be with the team for 80 per cent of the season, while spending the rest in Sydney with husband and rugby star Israel.
“If I am going to play netball in Adelaide I need to be here to build connections,” she said. “I know what it is like to be in a team with girls coming in and out, it is too disruptive.
“I love pressure, pressure is a privilege. But there are a lot of unknowns, it is a brand new team. Once we are all together in February, that is when all the fun starts.
“At the moment, I’m just really blessed to have this opportunity to represent Adelaide.”
Folau spoke with fellow Kiwi champions Leana de Bruin and Cath Tutaia, who were with the Thunderbirds this year, and she said they loved their time in Adelaide.
“They were amazed at the support Adelaide has for the team,” Folau said. “They had not won a game all season and the last game was a sellout.
“I thought ‘wow, I don’t know of many fans like that’.”