Super Netball, Round 2: Lightning recruit Courtney Bruce returns to WA to play for first time since leaving as Fever captain
She’s the feisty defender that teammates love and opposition fans love to hate. So how will former Fever captain Courtney Bruce be welcomed back as part of the star-studded Lightning outfit?
She’s the feisty defender that teammates love and opposition fans love to hate.
So how will former Fever captain and RAC Arena darling Courtney Bruce be welcomed back to the west when she lines up as part of a star-studded Sunshine Coast Lightning outfit in her Super Netball return?
It’s the most anticipated match of round two.
Not just because of both teams’ crushing wins in the season opener but because of Bruce’s return.
While a possible shift was flagged well before season’s end, the interminable wait for a new CPA and beginning to the contracting process following last year’s poisonous pay stoush ensured that rumours about Bruce lobbing at Lightning were well and truly entrenched before the news could become official.
For a player grew up and was able to play for her home club without having to leave the nest, the move across the country is a massive one for Bruce.
“Obviously it is a huge move, it’s probably the furthest I could have gone,” she said.
“I think there’s obviously a few draw cards to being here on the Coast.
“One is that I’d been at Fever for so long and I think I played good netball, but I think that I still have so much potential in me.
“I guess I was just thinking whether that could be challenged at Fever or if I needed a new environment to take my game to that next level that I think it has the capacity to go to.”
The installation of former Fever assistant Belinda Reynolds as the Lightning head coach made the move much easier for Bruce who believes she can grow as a person and a player in her new surrounds.
“Belinda, I’ve known her for a very, very long time,” Bruce said.
“I know what her values are as a coach and what she values in her athletes but also in her environment.
“And a huge draw card obviously was her and the way that Steph (Fretwell) and Cara (Koenen) talk about her - that’s the environment that I want to be a part of and help bring some more success to the club.”
Bruce has come into her new environment as arguably the best defensive player in the world having won that gong at the World Cup last year.
And while her own efforts will be important, it’s the mentorship she brings to a defensive line-up that includes one cap Diamond Tara Hinchcliffe and emerging tall Ash Ervin that could be of most long-term benefit to the Sunshine Coast.
“It is really exciting. Ash is still so young and still raw but she’s like an absolute sponge, so I’m really excited to work with her,” Bruce said.
“And then Tara debuted (for the Diamonds) with me.
“I absolutely love how dogged Tarsy is about it the way that she’s rehabbing at the moment. She’s going to come back an absolute force again.
“So I think we’ve got a really agile, diverse kind of defence.
“We’re just really all open to feedback and growing as a unit so I think that’s really exciting to be a part of.”
Certainly Hinchcliffe, who returned from an ACL injury in the opening round, believes the club’s already reaping the benefits.
“She brings in a new perspective and is teaching us how the Diamonds do things who have obviously been so successful lately,” Hinchliffe said.
“She has come in with open ears and open eyes and she just wants to watch and see learn how we do things.
“Being open, we are challenging each other where we can. It’s like a three-way between Ash, Court and I, we can all give each other feedback, which is nice.
“But I think that experience (Bruce has) you can’t beat that and she’s goes into the game with a winning mentality.”
Bruce’s stature in the game is beyond question.
But how the feisty competitor will be received as an opposition player rather than the home team darling in the west remains to be seen.
The 30-year-old’s clash with five-time Super Netball player of the year Jhaniele Fowler will be worth the price of admission alone.
Bruce’s standing in the game is in no small part due to the daily clashes she would have with the Jamaican star while an emerging player at the Fever and there will be no quarter given by either woman in a match-up that could determine eventual winner.
The loss of Bruce could have been seen as a massive blow to the Fever but their canny recruitment keeps them well covered in defence.
Along with England Roses captain Fran Williams, arguably the best new signing in Super Netball, they’ve added Jamaican tall Kadi-Ann Dehaney, who along with Diamond Sunday Aryang gives them a versatile line-up that will cause problems for the star studded Lighting offence of Diamonds trio Steph Fretwell, Cara Koenen and Liz Watson.
Lightning are already heavy competition favourites and Bruce said they were embracing that pressure.
“I think you want to be the team that people want to come up against or fear or see us as a threat, I think that’s a great privilege to have,” she said.
“I think we do have a really fantastic list with a lot of depth so I can see why people have that thought process or perception.
“We want to walk towards that and make it really hard when you come here and play at USC - and with the likes of Lizzy, myself, Steph and Cara, who have all been in those positions before, we can help lead the younger girls on that journey with us.”
ROUND 2 GAME PREVIEWS
SATURDAY
Firebirds v Giants
Nissan Arena, Brisbane, 5pm
Both these teams are desperate to get their first win on the board after going down last week, although in very different circumstances.
The Firebirds would have taken plenty of confidence from their one-point loss to the defending premiers and the offensive combination of Donnell Wallam and Tippah Dwan should thrive on their home court against a Giants outfit still trying to gel.
Vixens v Thunderbirds
John Cain Arena, Melbourne, 7pm
The Vixens were without both Jo Weston and Hannah Mundy last week and both remain under injury clouds for Saturday’s match. The T-Birds defenders picked up where they left off in the grand final, winning plenty of ball and the all-international clash between Sterling-Humphrey, Wilson and Garrett against Garbin, Austin and Moloney is worth the price of admission alone.
SUNDAY
Fever v Lightning
RAC Arena, Perth, 2pm
The match of the round between the biggest winners in round 1, this game should decide the early competition favourites. More than that though, it marks Courtney Bruce’s return to the west after her departure last season. As part of a star-studded Lightning line-up, will the former captain be welcomed back to RAC Arena with cheers or jeers?
Swifts v Mavericks
Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, 4pm
The Swifts will have been disappointed in their uncharacteristically error-riddled performance against the Lightning last week and need to improve. They head into this clash as heavy favourites but throw away the amount of ball they did last week and they’ll be in trouble against a Mavs combination that showed they’re improving with every outing.
ROUND 2 TIPS
Emma Greenwood (2)
Firebirds, Vixens, Lightning, Swifts.
Linda Pearce (4)
Firebirds, Vixens, Fever, Swifts.
Erin Smith (3)
Giants, Thunderbirds, Lightning, Swifts.
Lisa Alexander (2)
Firebirds, Vixens, Fever, Swifts.
Nat Medhurst (3)
Firebirds, Vixens, Lightning, Swifts.
Bianca Chatfield (3)
Giants, Vixens, Fever, Swifts.
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