MAVERICKS PREVIEW | Rothwell eager to continue developing (NSL Rd20)

Saracens Mavericks head into Monday's clash with London Pulse knowing that they can snatch fifth place, should they avoid defeat.

It's been an up and down season for Kira Rothwell and her teammates, but the young Goal Attack is eager to finish on a high, against a side that will be contending for the title.

"The mood is good. We’ve had a couple of massive wins this second half of the season and we really want to transfer some of these learnings to against a top four side like Pulse. We didn’t manage to do that well enough against Thunder last weekend and I think everyone is pushing to finish on a high."

It's been a breakthrough season for Rothwell, who was recently named as the Fan's Player of the Season. She and her teammates have had their fair share of ups and downs this season, but Rothwell insists that it will all make her side stronger in the long run.

"I’ve been so grateful to get on court consistently this year. It's something I haven’t had in the past and I want to be able to start developing what sort of GA I want to be. It’s definitely not all been perfect, but each low has been a chance to learn and work out what coaches and selectors need. We’ve had some massive highs and equally some games that have blown out more than we would have liked, so every training session is still about how we can improve from last time and bring out the strengths of all the amazing individuals in our group to shine. I’ve learnt so much this season and I’m so grateful to the coaching staff and the players around me for this."

Pulse have arguably been the standout side in the league this season and Rothwell is anticipating a tough, but exciting challenge at the Copper Box.

"Their defence is always an exciting challenge to come up against, and one that we are excited for. It gives us a chance to think of new ways to break their structures and I’m excited to put what we’ve been building into practice. Equally, their attack end have shown they can keep possession in tight games and so a full court defence will be needed to slow the ball."

Whilst it's been a season of change for Mavericks, the development of relationships off the field has been a crucial factor, which Rothwell believes will only help the side in the long run.

"I think one of our biggest developments has been our relationships off court. It’s the closest I’ve felt with a whole playing group and an environment I really enjoy being in. Speaking for the attack end, we’ve also made massive developments in some structures in the circle and learning our roles with different players on court."