MATCH REACTION | Camilla Buchanan (NSL Rd 5)

Head Coach Camilla Buchanan was delighted with how her side bounced back, as they secured a crucial away victory over Team Bath.

After defeat to Loughborough Lightning last weekend, Buchanan had challenged her side to come out firing, and she was thrilled with what she saw on court.

“That was a real response. We’ve had a brilliant training week, and we were able to deliver on our structure the best we have done all season. Ine-Mari had her first 60 minutes of the season, and she gave us that variety that we need in the shooting circle. I’m really happy with what we put out on court.”

Mavericks went in after the first quarter trailing on the scoreboard, but Buchanan remained calm throughout, explaining that she was thrilled with the belief and intent her side showed to pull clear in the second quarter.

“We were relentless out there. When you look back at the game, we had some great shooting opportunities. Yes, it wasn’t the start that we wanted but what was pleasing was that we didn’t panic, and the belief was there that we would pull through. There was so much more intent on court throughout that match and that was a huge positive for us as a group.”

Buchanan introduced Indya Masser and Aliyah Zaranyika to the court during the second quarter and she praised their impacts on the match.

“Those who came on made a massive impact for us too. Indya came onto court and entered the game really well. She cuts up the court really nicely and showed that great vision into the shooting circle that we know she has too. Aliyah was brilliant in terms of the task we asked her to do at Wing Defence too. She made the task for those at the back a lot clearer and that was great to see.”

Alongside the impact off the bench, Buchanan was also pleased with the impact of Vice-Captain Georgia Lees and Goal Shooter Ine-Mari Venter, who played her first full match of the season.

“Georgia was really impressive with the way she was able to feed into the shooting circle. That’s what we need from our Wing Attack and she worked tirelessly throughout that match. She constantly looks at how we can break open defences with that passing range and she was superb in doing that in this match. It’s the first week we’ve had Ine-Mari in from the start too and you could see the impact that her presence in the shooting circle had.”

After two defeats in a row, Buchanan explained that her side had built into this match as a change to reset their season and she was left in a positive frame of mind when reflecting on the level that her side had performed at.

“We started off the week talking about needing to reset. That’s how we approached this match and to score 60 goals in this match, I’m happy for this to be our starting point. We know that we are only going to build from here for the rest of the season.”

Mavericks are back on the road next weekend, as they make the trip to face Strathclyde Sirens and Buchanan admitted that they would be travelling north filled with confidence after this result.

“We’ve got a strong plan in place, and we know that the prep heading into Sirens will be good again. We’re heading up to Scotland with some real confidence in ourselves and that’s so important.”