The Robinhood Comets have turned to one of New Zealand’s greatest female athletes to draw inspiration for their Synergy Hair Netball League campaign – their theme working as they build nicely into their season.
Olympic champion Dame Lisa Carrington and her training ethics have been the motivation behind the Comets and the Michelle Parsons-coached side said re-visiting their theme had helped get their season back on track after a disruptive pre-season and a tough loss to the defending champion Central Manawa side which left her team feeling flat.
It helped them turn a 14-goal loss to Manawa in Round 2 into a 14-goal victory against the Marvels last week.
Now they must put it together again this weekend and back up their well-drilled performance against the Northern Marvels when they host Mainland in Round 4 of the SHNL
“We’ve had a bit of a theme this season about how we want to train like Lisa Carrington,” Parsons said.
“To appreciate every moment you have to get out there, we’re lucky to have the opportunity and it’s about finding our new best.”
Parsons said they had to ask themselves if they were doing just that following a disappointing loss to Manawa which resulted in some honest conversations between players.
What followed was a target-driven encounter against the Marvels where the shooters shot above 90 per cent – stand-out Crystal Maro faultless with 100 per cent accuracy – and the defenders were asked to pull in every rebound.
“Every quarter was tightly contested, and we knew we’d really have to hang in there against the Marvels and it would be a grind for three quarters.”
But Parsons had asked her charges to put the foot down if they had an advantage at the three-quarter mark, something they did to net the 14-goal win.
“I think they were proud of that,” she said.
It’s something she’s asking of them again this weekend in Papakura against Mainland.
“It’s what gets your gut turning as a coach – how do we keep building and that consistency,” she said.
“It’s about building connections, getting the shooters to deliver 90 per cent plus accuracy and our defenders to own the post and rebounds.”
Parsons can call on three experienced heads to help her young team make those improvements after what had been a disruptive start to the pre-season losing three players to other teams – Greer Sinclair heading to the Tactix, Eseta Autagavaia to the Steel and Lisa Putt called into the Stars.
“It’s what this league is all about and it’s fantastic for the players, but we were thrown a bit in pre-season,” Parsons said.
Maro has been the stand-out in the shooting circle with high volume and accuracy while midcourter Tori Kolose, who has returned to the game as a new mum, is a “critical driver” through the middle with her attitude and mental toughness. Putt has also made appearances despite splitting her time with the Stars.
“She’s critical in that space with our connections,” Parsons said.
“We need those experienced heads to show how to be successful and building toward that ANZ Premiership space.”