Severn Stars travel up to Manchester this Saturday when they play Manchester Thunder. Severn Stars captain and ex-England international Laura Malcolm has been speaking ahead of the game and despite the team struggling to get points consistently, she is hopeful of improvement over the course of the rest of the season.
She said: “We want to end the season strong and have always been aiming for a better finish than last year.
“We want to push for back-to-back wins and to put right some wrongs from the first half of the season.
“The team is in good spirits at the moment and we have built a lot in terms of culture and identity from last season.”
“It’s not easy to deal with losses, but we have been relentless with our analysis and it feels good knowing that this team doesn’t have a defeated attitude, but is always striving for more.”
The Stars did get their third win of the season last week against benecosMavericks winning 55-44, but Malcolm knows this isn’t enough as they look to improve on last season’s tally of 15 points.
They are currently on nine points and sit seventh in the table, which is one place higher than where they finished last year, but, they will need get at least two wins from the last seven to equal last years performance.
She said: “It was great to get the win against Mavericks especially after such a heavy defeat against them the first time round
“I was so proud of how the coaches and players responded to a difficult loss against Team Bath and everyone involved played their part to get the win.
“The most pleasing thing about it is that it was at home and we put out a strong performance for our fans.
“They have truly been fantastic this season and it was very frustrating that we hadn’t won at home. The result will help in our next game because everyone knows the work that’s needed to win.
“It is a confidence boost and it would have been tough going up against another big team if we were coming from a loss.”
Manchester are fourth in the Super League but their form has been up and down recently. When the two teams last met it was the opening game day of the season and the Manchester just edged it by one point. This set a trend for the season so far for the Stars but Malcolm claims that whether it’s a win or it’s a loss, they always have things to work on and improve.
She said: “For every game we reflect on the good and bad, we train hard to improve our game and we move on.
“You don’t get given anything in this league and each team has a different style so you have to approach each game with a fresh mindset and a new focus and that’s exactly what we have done this week.”
To approach each game with a fresh mindset, you need to stay hydrated. this is what Laura believes and helps to promote with her Maias Netball network. This is however, by her own admission, one other thing she personally needs to work on.
I can’t lie to the world I have always been under par when it comes to hydration…I’m really going to commit to these hacks to see if I can finally sort myself out! Have a look if you’re in the same boat as moi! ?♀️ https://t.co/lXILbavVxU
— Laura Malcolm (@ljmalcolm1) May 11, 2018
If the rest of her teammates are as committed to improving their results as she claims she is at improving her hydration then the team should be on course for an improved finish on last season.
Tickets for the next home game against Surrey Storm on Friday, May 25 are available at www.severnstars.co.uk.