Lightning taking laid-back approach to Fever grand final

Netball’s defending champions have been soaking up some calm vibes on the Sunshine Coast.

Sunshine Coast star defender Geva Mentor celebrates with assistant coach Kylee Byrne after the Lightning’s semi-final win over the Firebirds. Picture: Getty Images

While Perth has been swept up in grand final fever this week, netball’s defending champions have been soaking up some calm vibes on the Sunshine Coast.

It’s been business as usual for the Lightning as they prepare for their second straight grand final on Sunday, according to assistant coach Kylee Byrne.

“Everyone keeps asking if we’re excited or nervous, but none of those emotions have come in just yet. I’m sure they will once we hit Perth,” Byrne said.

The Lightning are so totally committed to their one-week-at-a-time work ethic that the players have banned any mention of the phrase “back-to-back” from the locker room, even though they sit on the brink of a historic achievement.

Queensland Firebirds strung together consecutive premierships in the final years of the defunct ANZ Championship, but netball has traditionally been a sport free of dynasties.

Although grand final week is now familiar territory for Sunshine Coast, there’s a “different feel” to this year’s campaign, according to Byrne.

The Lightning only just made it into the finals, thanks largely to a hot finish to the season, and have had to survive two heated finals matches against the Firebirds and Giants to reach this point.

If that challenging run has taken a toll on the Lightning, it doesn’t show. Byrne argued it had only helped her team prepare for the final hurdle on Sunday.

This is an almost identical team to the one that took home the trophy last year, with Kiwi stalwart Laura Langman the only omission from 2017’s starting seven. Her departure forced the Lightning’s remaining unsung mid-court players to take on a greater responsibility, and they’ve found a new level of composure.

“In reality it’s the mid-courters that have really done the work to get us here, and they are very composed. We actually want the ball in their hands,” Byrne said.

She felt that the defending champions were playing better netball in their second season together, with a more controlled game plan.

That strategy has been built around keeping scores low, denying possession and backing in the talents of their defensive line.

It’s a stark contrast to a West Coast Fever team that has smashed scoring records, led by ­Jamaican shooter Jhanielle Fowler, who has tallied 783 goals this season, 208 ahead of the next best.

Containing that potent attack will require pressure across the court, according to Byrne, but the ultimate responsibility still rests on defenders Geva Mentor and Karla Pretorius, arguably the best defensive pairing in the world.

Mentor is the league’s reigning most valuable player, and Pretorius figures to be her most likely successor this season. And they’re in fantastic form, combining for a ­remarkable 11 interceptions last week against the Giants.

They’ll be hoping for a physical grand final, played on the Lightning’s terms. “I would say this week with nerves, and both defensive ends firing, it probably won’t be the free-for-all in shots that Fever have had throughout the year. That’s the way we want it,” Byrne said.