Netball Super League | No room for mistakes against Mavericks

Severn Stars’ defender Sam Cook says there will be no room for error as her side take on high flying Saracens Mavericks.

Stars have been buoyed by an away victory against Sirens in Scotland last week, but now return to the University of Worcester Arena on Monday 4th March, searching for their first win there this season.

“Like the game against Sirens, we will need to be extremely clinical,” said Cook. “We need to be comfortable in playing the ball around until something opens up. There is no room for mistakes against a team with so much experience. In defence we will need to keep to our structures, set up early and put pressure on every pass they receive and deliver to force mistakes and promote turnovers.”

Cook, who has been a key player for the team for two seasons, says they had been “almost a different team” in their recent win, but that she anticipated a “very physical and contested” match against the Vitality Netball Superleague’s second-placed side.

“I’m expecting lots of flare from Mavericks in their attacking unit especially from the likes of Kadeen Corbin,” she said. “Their attacking unit are very experienced and their strength lies in their entire team, including their bench players, as they are packed with internationals and ex-internationals.

The team has taken a lot of positives from the Sirens game, Cook said. “The atmosphere in camp is good,” she added. “We are really chuffed about the performance last Friday. It was significant in the sense that we were finally able to feel and show what we can achieve as a squad. It helped that we had the motivation of not wanting to return home after a mammoth journey having lost the game.

“We were almost a different team to the games we had previously played. However, we know that Mavericks are a completely different team to Sirens and so we are prepared and know what to expect.”

After a couple of recent tough losses, Stars, a joint franchise between the University of Worcester and University of Gloucestershire, put that behind them, with a ruthless display against Sirens, coming away 56-37 winners. Thanks to the work in particular of the Stars’ defensive trio, Cook, Jodi-Ann Ward and Ella Powell-Davies, and shooter Georgia Rowe, the team were 16 ahead at the half-time interval and did not look back, extending that lead further.

Cook added: “As a team, we always say that it is about the process, not the result. So for us, we will turn up, put ourselves in the best position to stick to what we know, work together and just enjoy the process and hopefully the performance will come.”

Click here for Severn Stars home games visit www.ticketline.co.uk/netball-superleague-severn-stars#bio.

In other news, the fixture between Team Bath and Severn Stars, which was postponed due to snow disruption earlier this month, will now be played on Monday, March 25 (7pm). All tickets that were sold for the original fixture at the Team Bath Arena are valid for the rearranged game.

More information on ticket refund or transfer requests is available at https://netball.teambath.com/2019/02/27/vitality-superleague-severn-stars-rearranged-date/.

Tickets are now available for the Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Final!

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