Vitality Netball Superleague | Clarke confident Wasps can bounce back

Jade Clarke is confident Wasps Netball can bounce back from their first defeat of the season in style this weekend.

Wasps will host Severn Stars in a West Midlands derby at Ricoh Arena on Sunday 10 March (4pm centre-pass).

The Black and Golds’ seven-game winning run came to an end against Manchester Thunder on Wednesday – in what was their first loss of the Vitality Netball Superleague season.

But Clarke, who is England’s all-time international appearance record holder, believes team culture and strong leaders will help the team return to winning ways.

Clarke said: “We have great leaders throughout the group. It’s not just the older players, we can always rely on the team culture we have here to get back on track.

“At Wasps we are a squad full of perfectionists, so it’s good to have a game so soon after a loss to put what went wrong right.

“Experiences like the loss against Thunder will put us in good stead for the latter stages of the season, it taught us a lot about ourselves as a team.

“To pull it back like we did from a 20-goal deficit in the final-quarter was promising.

“We showed real character with our second-half performance and we’ll need that against Stars again on Sunday.”

Wasps come into this weekend’s fixture still three points clear at the top of the Superleague table.

The fixture will mark the midway point of the season, with Stars currently sitting in eighth position.

It will also see the return of Lucy Harris, two-time Superleague champion with Wasps, who joined Stars in the off-season.

Clarke added: “Stars are looking for that performance where it all comes together. They have been unlucky at times this season but have had some standout wins like recently against Strathclyde Sirens.

“It will be great to see Lucy Harris and play against her in the mid-court. In Georgia Rowe they have a skilful and tall shooter, which will be a different challenge to what we have faced so far this season.

“If the last couple of weeks have proved anything it’s that every team in the league is capable of a win on their day.

“You have got to be at your best every match to come away with three points.”

Tickets are available for Wasps Netball v Severn Stars at Ricoh Arena from www.waspsnetball.co.uk

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Photo credit: Ben Lumley