Burgess: Lightning will bounce back against Thunder

Loughborough Lightning head coach Vic Burgess is confident her side can take the lessons from their heart-breaking defeat to London Pulse to earn their place in the Netball Super League Grand Final.

Lightning lost 50-49 to Pulse in the major semi-final at London’s Copper Box, coming out the wrong side of an absorbing encounter that saw the visitors surrender a six-goal lead with just five minutes remaining.

Burgess’ side will now face Manchester Thunder at home on Sunday 29 June in a winner-takes-all clash to decide who will face Pulse at the O2 Arena on 6 July.

“It was a very competitive game which we were always going to get, and we are obviously disappointed not to seal the deal of going to the final,” said Burgess.

“The players are amazing, and they will dust themselves down and jump back up and prepare as much as possible for next week.

“The intensity that we worked at was awesome. When we are ahead, we have got to keep our foot on the gas and make sure that we keep possession of the ball and get into shooting opportunities. There’s lots of learning to be done.”

Lightning made the perfect start to quieten the home crowd, stretching out to an 11-3 lead in the first quarter as Pulse struggled to convert their possession into goals.

Samantha Wallace-Joseph proved reliable under the post for Lightning, while captain Nat Panagarry controlled the mid-court as Lightning took an eight-goal lead into half time.

But Pulse fought back in the third quarter to level the game, before coming back once more in the final 15 minutes as a trio of back-to-back Soft & Gentle Super

Shots from England shooter Olivia Tchine turned the tide in Pulse’s favour and sent them to the O2 in a fortnight’s time.

“We had a great start, I was really pleased with the first half even though in the second quarter they did start to come back at us,” added Burgess.

“The third quarter we just spilled a bit too much ball and we need to learn from it a bit quicker. We got a little bit hesitant on it.

“I am disappointed but ready to take on the next challenge.”

Lightning will have home advantage on their side next Sunday, after finishing second in the regular season table, one point ahead of Thunder.

Lightning have beaten Thunder home and away this season, most recently at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham in May.

It continues Lightning’s strong record against Thunder, which includes victory in last season’s Grand Final, but they will face a different prospect on Sunday as the visitors welcome back key attackers Lois Pearson and Paige Reed from injury.

Burgess hopes her side can use their home crowd to full effect on Sunday and get over the line to set up a rematch against Pulse at the O2.

“Our crowd is amazing,” she added. “We want them all there supporting us. we want to get to the final and they are really important to us doing that. Hopefully we can deliver for them.”

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