‘Attacking flair’ key to more mid-court minutes for former Swift after ‘scary’ move to Mavericks

Tayla Fraser admits the move from the club she grew up idolising, to Super Netball’s newest franchise, has “been a challenge” and her search for mid-court minutes is incomplete. The now-Melbourne Maverick spoke to REBECCA WILLIAMS about the changes and how she is adapting.

Tayla Fraser made the “scary” decision to leave the NSW Swifts in search of more attacking midcourt time at the Melbourne Mavericks.

A two-time premiership player at the Swifts, Fraser was spending a lot of her time on court at wing defence, “sitting behind” Paige Hadley and Maddy Proud for the other midcourt roles.

She wanted more time in the attacking midcourt positions, wing attack in particular, and saw an opportunity with the new Super Netball franchise.

Midway through her first season with the Mavs, Fraser said she was still searching for the midcourt minutes she craved and had been working on honing her “attacking flair” to better fit in with the game plan of Mavericks coach Tracey Neville.

Tayla Fraser is seeking more “attacking flair”. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

She has been sharing wing attack duties with Maisie Nankivill, who has played 23 quarters in the position to Fraser’s 12 for a total of 304 minutes to 146, according to Champion Data.

“I feel like you don’t ever really want to not be getting as much (court time) as you possibly can,” Fraser said when asked if she was happy with her court time at WA.

“But it’s a learning curve and I am really starting to hopefully click into it and be able to play the game plan that Tracey wants.

“I would never say that I wouldn’t want more court time but I’m just doing my best and seeing what comes from it.

“I play very differently to how Maisie plays and that’s a great strength at the Mavs to have two very different players. You don’t want two robots or two of the same.

“I’m just finding how my style fits into what we are trying to put out there.

“I think it is probably just around getting my attacking flair back.

“I come from a very clinical and possession-based team at Swifts, so just getting a bit more flair and being a bit more brave with my pass selection and stuff like that.”

A long-time Swifts fan before she was a player with the team, the NSW junior said her decision to leave the club at which she had grown up had not been easy.

Fraser acknowledging the adoring crowd when at the Swifts. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

However, Fraser felt she needed to make it to further her career.

“I have had a very lucky run with the Swifts and I am very, very grateful,” Fraser said.

“But I feel like I was just ready. I was at the stage of my career where I had been sitting behind ‘Paigey’ (Hadley) and ‘Mads’ (Proud) for quite a few years.

“I was playing quite a bit of wing defence, which I was grateful for. I would rather play wing defence than be on the bench. But I feel like I really wanted to take that next step forward.

“I started in a grand final twice, which was incredible and something I will be so grateful for forever, but I really wanted to go back to my roots and play wing attack and centre, and that was quite alluring.

“When Tracey gave me a call and said she had watched me and really enjoyed the way that I played in my attacking positions I just thought ‘You know what, I’ve got to take the leap’.

“It was scary initially but I think it has been really cool so far and I am learning so much.”

If leaving the only Super Netball club Fraser had ever followed and played for was not hard enough, the job of building a new team entirely from scratch added to the challenge of her move interstate.

Fraser playing against her former team in early June. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

“It’s been a challenge,” Fraser said. “That was one thing that (general manager of netball operations) Shae (Bolton-Brown) spoke to us about when she initially asked us to come on this big adventure.

“She didn’t hide the fact that it was going to be challenging and very different to what some of us were used to.

“But I feel like we have come together as a group really well and we have tried to create a culture by bringing the best bits of all of our other clubs.

“There has been success at the Thunderbirds, success at the Swifts and the Vixens are such a great outfit, so getting to bring little bits that we loved from all of our old clubs and then try to create something that’s very Maverick has been very exciting.

“I feel like we are doing a pretty good job considering it’s only been six months.”

The Mavericks kept themselves in touch with the top four with their first win at home this season when they defeated Fraser’s former team the Swifts by six goals last weekend.

Fraser remains confident the Mavericks can reach the finals in their debut season.

“There are the top three clubs that are quite far ahead of everyone else,” Fraser said.

“But that battle for fourth is on and we are very confident that if we start to perform the way we can, we can hopefully get in for that fourth spot.”

Originally published as ‘Attacking flair’ key to more mid-court minutes for former Swift after ‘scary’ move to Mavericks