Super Netball: Mavericks coach Tracey Neville eyes finals spot in club’s inaugural campaign

Melbourne Mavericks coach Tracey Neville is not in the business of just making up the numbers. And neither are the players she recruited for the inaugural Super Netball side.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 11: Tracey Neville, head coach of the Mavericks speaks to players during the round five Super Netball match between Melbourne Mavericks and Adelaide Thunderbirds at John Cain Arena, on May 11, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

When Tracey Neville was putting her inaugural Melbourne Mavericks list together she gathered a group of players who are itching for more.

Those that perhaps had finals or rep experience but felt there was more they could have achieved in that situation, who weren’t content, were still hungry.

The Mavs notched their second win of the season on Sunday, conquering a lacklustre Queensland Firebirds outfit 69-62 in Brisbane.

Tracey Neville, head coach of the Mavericks speaks to players during the round five Super Netball match between Melbourne Mavericks and Adelaide Thunderbirds. Photo: Getty Images

It was their second victory in three weeks and despite an 0-3 start to the year puts them just one win outside the four just ahead of the halfway point of the season.

After losing two players to season-ending injuries before even taking a Super Netball centre pass as a club and picking up more issues in the opening six weeks of the season, the Mavs had every excuse not to be in the playoff conversation this season.

But that’s not how Neville rolls.

She, like the players she has recruited, is itching for more.

A premiership winner in the English Super League with Manchester Thunder, assistant at Adelaide Thunderbirds when they won the Super Netball title last year and England head coach in 2018 when they toppled Australia in a home Commonwealth Games to snare the gold medal, Neville is a proven winner.

And that’s where she’s heading with this team.

To make the finals this year would be a massive win for the Mavs in their inaugural season - but it’s not where Neville’s focus lies.

Tracey Neville steered England to the gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s about the process … and that sounds really boring but last week we weren’t even good enough to challenge a top four team,” she said of the team’s worst loss in their short history, a 22-point shellacking at the hands of defending premiers the Thunderbirds.

“In respect to challenging for finals, that was always in our minds before Christmas. Always.

“Obviously we’ve had a few hiccups along the way but why are you in this competition if you don’t want to win?

“We sat down (last) week and we just went, these next two games are very, very important to us in respect to what we want to put out there and how we want to set the standard going forward.

“We could either be four-and-three or one-and-six (at the halfway pint of the season).

“We want to be in the best position we can to be challenging and then that puts the threat on the scoreboard and puts the threat on the opposition to obviously come out and compete against us and that’s really important.”

The win against the Firebirds chalked up, the Mavs take on the last-placed Giants on Sunday where a win could give them that four-three record after the first full round of fixtures and a share of fourth place on points depending on other results.

Mavericks thank the crowd after their inaugural Super Netball match against the Melbourne Vixens at John Cain Arena. Photo: Getty Images

But asked whether she wanted more than just to be in the running for a playoff spot, Neville had a wry smile.

“What do you think?,” she said.

“When I started to set out this team, that the importance was the style we wanted to do, the people that we wanted to get involved - those that have been in finals but are still itching to get a little bit more from their game, a little bit more from their team.

“Those are the people that were really important to my journey.

“As we’ve come through, obviously our style has had to change but in a way that’s really challenged me as a coach and us as a playing group to say … adaptability is really, really key going forward.”

Adaptability will be the key this season given Sasha Glasgow (broken leg) and Lauren Moore (ACL) will miss the remainder of the year.

But Neville does not see the Mavs’ growth finishing in July when the whistle is blown on the grand final.

Tracey Neville, head coach of the Mavericks reacts during the round three Super Netball match between Melbourne Mavericks and West Coast Fever. Photo: Getty Images

“You look at the potential of where this team can grow,” she said.

“We’re adding players every week and we’re really building our training environment but also we’ve got players still to add to that in the next two years.

“If you look at the number of contracts that are up for place at the moment, there’s not many, so these teams are going to be settling over the next two to three years. But we’re building that charisma as we start to go through.

“You always put together a finals team … but I always say if you get into finals, that’s when it gets a little bit more spicy and that’s when there’s a lot more to play for and anything can happen.

“The first part of season is important but the second part is (crucial) because there’s a lot more to play for to get into those top four positions.

“We’ll just keep plugging away.”

Originally published as Super Netball: Mavericks coach Tracey Neville eyes finals spot in club’s inaugural campaign