Giants’ Kim Green faces off with Vixens’ Renae Ingles as husbands Trent Copeland, Joe Ingles look on
The action is on the court, fellas, says Giants’ Kim Green as she prepares to take on good friend and Melbourne Vixens rival Renae Ingles, with their husbands looking on from the stands.
Kim Green jokes husband Trent Copeland and pal Joe Ingles will be in big trouble if she glances up at the big screen on Saturday night and sees beers being raised to salute the crowd … again!
Saturday night’s Round 9 Super Netball clash at the Quaycentre sees Green’s Giants take on Renae Ingles’ Melbourne Vixens in a third versus fourth clash.
The encounter pits Green and Ingles against each other on the court with their respective husbands roaring their support from the stands.
A win for the Giants would not only close the gap on the Vixens but could also potentially open up a useful gap on the fifth-placed Magpies in the race for finals spots.
Friendship will be put on hold briefly as battle commences but the respect Green has for Ingles is clear, someone she knows well.
Ingles is the wife of Utah Jazz small forward Joe Ingles and the couple split their time between Australia and the US.
“Renae and I were in our first national team together at 16 and we also played in a schoolgirls Australian team together. Straight away we had a really good connection,” Green said.
“She’s a very relaxed and chilled human but when it comes to netball she’s quite intense and means business, just like me. So we’re similar in that sense.
“The great thing about Renae is that she’s always a consistent person — on and off the court. That’s something I really admire and I know her teammates do the same.
“She’s the ultimate professional and she’s just a Supermum.”
NSW cricketer Copeland and NBA star Ingles love their netball but Green revealed that there is a risk of the men stealing the spotlight.
“Last time, when we were playing in Melbourne I got a hit and had to come off and get my ribs taped up,” Green said.
“They turned to the boys in the crowd and on the big screen and there’s Trent and Joe sitting there. Trent just lifts up his beer to the crowd and I was like ‘mate, any danger of watching the game.’ There they were just chillin’.
“But in all seriousness they’re both super supportive of our careers. Hanging out at Diamonds games they quickly became great mates. You’ll always see Joe at all of Renae’s games and you’ll always see Trent at all of mine. And that’s something really special.”
As for the importance of the clash, the Giants are coming off a draw in Perth and then last week’s narrow defeat against the Swifts. After this round the competition pauses for the 2019 Netball World Cup in the UK and Green has no desire to spend several weeks stewing on defeat.
“We’re mindful of the fact that a gap could open with that win so it’s pretty important (against the Vixens) this week,” Green said.
Saturday night’s clash gets underway at 7pm.
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