Tara Hinchliffe has returned to netball from her second ACL injury with a ‘different mindset’

Ahead of Sunshine Coast Lightning kicking off their season on Sunday defender Tara Hinchliffe shares her thoughts on what we can expect from the team and her as she returns from her second ACL injury.

A Diamonds debut and playing the best netball of her career Tara Hinchliffe’s ACL injury came at a terrible time – but she isn’t thinking about what ifs – the Lightning defender’s focus is on the season ahead.

Hinchliffe, 25, ruptured her ACL during the Team Girls Cup pre-season tournament in February 2023 – just less than two years since suffering the same injury on the same knee late in the 2021 season.

The Sunshine Coast Lightning defender had been in the best form of her career – even making her debut for the Diamonds at the Quad Series in South Africa.

Hinchcliffe plans to pick up her career exactly where she left it when Lightning take on the Swifts in the first round of the 2024 season.

Having suffered the same injury before Hinchliffe knew what she was in for this time around – but being stuck between the couch and bed for the first few months was mentally exhausting.

“It is probably the hardest time because you feel so disconnected from the team,” Hinchcliffe said.

“You are trying to be around but you are not allowed to stand on your leg. You’re trying to work out where you fit in.

“I had a pretty smooth period and then a bit of a rough one where we weren’t sure how it was going.

“I’ve passed all the testing and I’m getting back to getting used to playing again.

“It’s just a different mindset.”

How will Courtney Bruce fit in at her new side? Picture: Getty Images

SEASON START

Hinchliffe, the vice-captain for the Lightning, said this season certainly had a different feel – mostly due to the mounting pressure and expectation that they are going to be playing finals this year.

Lightning won back to back premierships in 2017 and 2018 and played in the grand final in 2019 – all while Hinchcliffe was playing at rival Queensland club the Firebirds.

Hinchliffe signed with the Sunny Coast side for 2021 – she missed the finals due to her ACL injury.

In 2022 Lightning won just four games and just six last season.

With the club bringing in Diamonds players Courtney Bruce and Liz Watson experts have labelled Lightning as the favourite to take out the competition.

“I haven’t played finals and I’m super keen to try and get to finals,” Hinchliffe said.

“I think that is our biggest goal, every team comes in and says you want to win and 100 per cent we want to win but that first part of that is making it to finals.

How will Belinda Reynolds’s side go this season? Picture: Getty Images

“The girls that have been here the whole time they’re hungry but I think everyone else is hungry too – we just want to have a taste of it and see what it’s like – we know we can step up to the challenge.”

Their first opponent will be last year’s grand finalists Swifts – who finished runners-up after being beaten by the Thunderbirds by one point in extra time.

Hinchliffe said it would be a challenge and tough way to start the season.

“They’ve kept the same line-up or similar line up for a long time and this year they have Sam Wallace-Joseph back too,” she said.

“They are clinical and they are great at netball and they are a very consistent team as well.

“We are going to have to come out early and try to crack them dearly but this is probably going to be a 55 minute game and it might come down to the last five minutes.”

The Lightning have recruited well. Picture: Getty Images

THE KEY

On paper Lightning’s squad is formidable. hinchliffe said the key to their success this year would be their depth – something they have lacked in previous seasons.

The defender said their squad had so much versatility and talent that most players would not be on court for 60 minutes week after week.

“Our biggest strength that we’ve seen this pre-season is our depth,” Hinchliffe said. “We can rotate through pretty easily, we don’t have to play 60 minutes.

“We might not see anyone play 60 minutes which will be different for all of us to get used to, but it is our greatest strength.

Lightning will kick of its season on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

“The SSN is so fast and so physical, you probably can’t last 60 minutes like that – there are no easy teams or anyone that you can probably rest players for so I think you will see a lot more rotations from us.”

hinchliffe has tipped the super shot to play an even bigger role this season with most clubs specifically recruiting a specialist distance shooter.

“Looking at everyone’s pre-season results this season is going to be closer than ever,” Hinchliffe said.

“Every game is genuinely a must win game.

“It is where the two point shot will come into it. Teams have gotten better at using it.”

Sunshine Coast Lightning will play NSW Swifts at UniSC Arena at 4pm on Saturday (AEST).

Originally published as Tara Hinchliffe has returned to netball from her second ACL injury with a ‘different mindset’