MAVERICKS PREVIEW | Rothwell feeling right at home in Mavericks colours (NSL RD5)

A change of club is always a challenge. However, young starlet Kira Rothwell has already proved her worth for Camilla Buchanan’s side.

The talented Goal Attack has already formed a formidable partnership with Ine-Mari Venter in the attacking third and admits that she feels like she has already developed a special bond with the rest of the squad.

“I’m so grateful to have been given opportunities out on court, but the girls off the court make it so much more than that. This is one of the closest I’ve felt with a playing group, and I think the longer we have together the more we’ll be able to use this to our advantage on court.”

Last weekend, Mavericks faced a gruelling double header of away fixtures against Loughborough Lightning and Surrey Storm.

Despite suffering defeats in both matches, the side proved that they can more than mix it with the top teams this season, with Rothwell explaining that her side need to trust themselves on court to maximise their opportunities for the rest of the campaign.

“I think our biggest learning was trusting ourselves no matter the score line, which we proved in our fightback against Surrey Storm. I think we are also learning to trust the process and that if we put that into practice consistently, the results will come.”

Ahead of this one, Rothwell spoke of how the side have focused on their own roles and how to make the most of opportunities, as they look to secure a second victory of the season.

“We’ve been working on understanding our own roles specific to the opposition and ways to exploit our strengths further.”

It’s been an unpredictable season so far in Netball Super League, with a number of surprise results. Rothwell was quick to note that every match is an important one for her side and believes that Celtic Dragons will prove to be tough opposition at HSV.

“I think the best thing about the league this year is that almost every game is an unknown. Dragons have had a few losses but also a big win against Bath in the last few weeks, so we’ll be looking to see how we can pull their structures apart.”

Limited tickets are still available for this one. Book here to secure your seat.