After a Covid19 delay the Origin Energy Premier League is back with a bang and some of the competition’s newcomers are already turning heads.
The South Coast Blaze have been waiting a long time to hit the court in anger and a fantastic debut win by the franchise’s Under 23s, coupled with a very competitive first outing by their Opens, has shown that competition expansion is already paying dividends.
With top talent in their ranks such as former NSW Swifts and GIANTS player Taylah Davies, the Blaze are quickly showing they belong in Netball NSW’s top high-performance pathway league.
“Our teams are tough, determined and excited to get out on court for our inaugural season,” Davies, co-captain for the Opens, says.
“Blaze will bring a lot of heart to the Origin Energy Premier League season and both of our teams are eager to step on court as a united and strong group.”
It is a sentiment echoed by her fellow Opens co-captain Abbey McFadden: “Last week was a really special moment for all of our Premier League debutants, as they got to debut in the inaugural South Coast Blaze team.
“We have been training extremely hard to prepare for the season and had a few practice matches over the last couple of weeks to get us ready.”
At the highest level, NSW Swifts head coach Briony Akle often talks about the pride her players take wearing a dress that has almost a quarter century of history in it. The South Coast Blaze may be new kids on the block but they are already looking to instill a similar sense of pride in their dress from the off.
“We have a couple of team mottos which really motivate us and capture the spirit of our club,” Under 23s captain Clare McCrohon says.
“One in particular that is very special to our playing group, which sums up the spirit of the club is ‘Our Blaze’.
“This really defines who we are, the pride we feel when we wear our dresses and the connection we have with our teammates and the South Coast communities.”
A strong South Coast is vital to the health of NSW netball. From the sound of things, the Blaze are keeping the game in good health.
