Severn Stars’ Jane Taylor believes that the Gloucestershire based side have plenty to build on ahead of their clash with Leeds Rhinos in round seven of the Vitality Netball Superleague.
Stars have only the one win so far this season, coming against Surrey Storm in round five, and sit 10th in the table above Celtic Dragons.
The 49-46 victory over Storm followed a number of tough losses for the stars against Super League’s bigger opposition, but Taylor believes that her side have shown they have what it takes to compete with the best.
“We felt annoyed with ourselves because this is not how we play and we didn’t want to be known for that and it was just frustrating because in training we’d be so clinical and effective.
“But then as soon as we step on court, something wasn’t connecting and unforced errors were creeping in and it was not how we wanted to play.
Taylor continued: “The atmosphere in camp after winning against Surrey and having a great performance against Bath and proving tough competition against a team that’s pretty much top of the League and hasn’t been pushed.
“It’s given us a confidence boost, and it’s proving that this is how we play and we can do this. It’s just giving us a bit of self-belief more than anything. The mood in camp has definitely changed after that weekend and we are pushing forward and looking forward to these next few games as well.”
Monday night offers a fresh challenge for Taylor and Co as they go toe-to-toe with Superleague newbies Leeds Rhinos. The netball branch of Leeds’ famous Rugby League side were granted a license to join the league back in 2019 and are so far proving stern opposition in their debut season winning three of their six games.
“I think Leeds have definitely come out strong. I know they’ve only won three games, but they definitely come out and are very physical,” said Taylor.
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“This season it seems like everyone’s really hungry for that ball and wanting that win, but I think as the season is going on it’s getting harder and harder, but games are getting quite close.
“We had a draw the other day between Saracen Mavericks and Strathclyde Sirens whereas at the start this season there were big scores. Some teams were doubling other teams points and I think it’s just us learning of how to play in a competitive match, but on the way up to the season starting, we unfortunately only managed to only get one because of COVID.
“It definitely was a shock to us at how intense and hard those matches were, and I think as we’ve all played a bit more, we’re used to that and we’re ready.”
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