‘Four years in the making’: How Wildcats stole the show in Sapphire Series round 2

Round 2 of the HART Sapphire Series brought with it a swirl of upsets for some, and major celebrations for others. Hear from the winning coaches, plus find the round 2 replays and relive it all. Full details inside:

Round 2 of the HART Sapphire Series brought with it a swirl of upsets for some, and major celebrations for others, with two teams confirming ruptured ACLs within their squad, and last year’s premiers taking a back-to-back blow

Hear from the winning coaches about what they thought of the round just past.

Carina Leagues Club Tigers v Brisbane South Wildcats

Wildcats 63 def. Tigers 54

Even without starting goal attack Kayla Anderson (knee, season) the Wildcats mustered a confident nine-goal win over the Tigers.

It’s been a rocky four years for the side, who experienced a mass exodus of players and were left with one returning Sapphire in the 2020 season following a gold medal in 2019.

Head coach Megan Lynch, along with a number of Wildcats volunteers, know all to well the work that’s been put in behind the scenes to grow their club both on and off the court.

Wildcats netball in HART Sapphire Series, pictured: Kayla Anderson Credit: KWP Studios Flagstone

“It’s been four years in the making, this is not something that’s been going in the pre-season just been,” she said.

“A few of us have been working and grinding away and building from the ground up.

“I really think this year we have a culture that I’ve been working on.”

What makes the win even more special, is the fact the club were playing for more than points this week.

Long-serving Operations Manager and much loved Wildcat Annie Jennings lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer on Monday.

“We’d had a really tough week, losing one of our own,” Lynch said.

Both the Wildcats and Tigers donned black arms bands and observed a minute’s silence before the game in honour of their late member.

“It’s knocked a lot of people, not only at Wildcats but in Netball Queensland.”
“We spoke about two things before the game and they were the values of the ANZACS and our memory of Annie.”

“That’s just the culture we have,” Lynch said.

Lynch said her girls put into action everything that has been worked on at training these past few months, and described how the close loss in round 1 followed by this win has given the side a much-needed boost of confidence.

“That’s been the hardest part this past four years,” she said.

“It’s hard to teach kids how to win when they haven’t had it.”

HART Sapphire Series round 1 2024, Gold Coast Titans v Brisbane South Wildcats

The improvement from 2021 to now has been phenomenal, both stats and culture-wise.

“We were losing games by an average of 25.5 every week (2021) and … last year we only lost by an average of 8.8.

“I don’t like to say things out loud, but what I do know, is the girls believe in themselves now.

“I don’t think there’s a team we can’t take it to, it’s just about our four consistent quarters,” she said

Last year, the Wildcats scored an average of 49.7 goals throughout the season, and this year they have already notched up 58 and 63 in the opening rounds.

“If we put four quarters together anything is possible.”

Gold Coast Titans v Bond University Bull Sharks

Bond 50 def. Titans 48

Coming off a bye in round 1, Bond started their season with a bang against the Titans at Carrara Stadium.

“It feels good so early in the season to be able to grind out a win, not only in a physical encounter but also with the added pressure of the animated Titans crowd,” head coach Rebecca Stower said.

“There were outstanding performances from Sapphire debutant Lauren Aubrey, a young raw defender who we are looking forward to seeing her develop into her full potential over the season.

“Sophie Westover and Mia Stower lead and controlled the court with their experience and leadership in clutch moments.”

Stower said she was excited to see what else the team could produce so early in the season.

She touched on the depth of her roster, and pointed to how this year will be different to last.

“I am very excited … the variety of options we have to apply to different strategies to the different oppositions.

“The team has a more mature approach this year and I’m looking forward to taking each team on one by one and match by match,” she said.

Sunshine Coast Thunder v Brisbane North Cougars

Thunder 56 def. Cougars 49

Thunder this week confirmed midcourter Brianna Martyn ruptured her ACL in round 1 against the Tigers and will begin her 9-12 month recovery after surgery this week.

“We are devastated for her and know how hard she’d been working in the off-season.

“She is still an integral part of our team and will now take on a different role … her contribution will still be valuable for Thunder this year,” head coach Simone Nalatu said.

Despite the blow, the side fought hard to beat the four-time premier Cougars by seven goals.

“It’s obviously great to get the first two wins of the season,” Nalatu said.

“On both occasions it has taken the whole team to get the job done which has been the most pleasing part.

“We did learn from areas we needed to improve on from the Tigers game and showed improvements in those areas last night.

“It may seem cliche but it really was a team effort”

The exciting victory means Thunder now sit atop the ladder, the entire squad eager to continue their form.

“There are a number of new faces to squad and we have some new staff which has brought enthusiasm and energy to the group,” she said.

With a double header on the horizon, it’s back to court for preparation this week.

“We are really trying to take it one game at a time as have a number of double headers coming up which can really influence results.

“However both wins so far have given us confidence that we are doing is working, but there’s so much more we can improve on.”

Originally published as ‘Four years in the making’: How Wildcats stole the show in Sapphire Series round 2