2018 Issue 2 - GIANTS Netball Match Mag

MATCH MAG ROUND 4 V QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS SATURDAY 19 MAY 2018 QUAYCENTRE

SERENA GUTHRIE AN ELITE MILESTONE + BEC BULLEY MOMENTS TO CHERISH + VOLUNTEERS THANK YOU

Playing sport builds confidence for life.

Start playing, keep playing. suncorp.com.au/teamgirls

IN THIS ISSUE 04 2018 ROSTER 05 SPOTLIGHT 06 AN ELITE MILESTONE 09 PLAYER MATCH UP 10 GIANTS IN THE CROWD 11 THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS 13 MOMENTS TO CHERISH 15 COURT SKILLS

+ FUEL YOUR BODY

LIKE A GIANT 17 GIA'S GIANTS

HERE COME THE GIANTS Welcome to Round 4 of the Suncorp Super Netball 2018 Season members and fans. Thank you for joining us at the Quaycentre today where we will take on the Queensland Firebirds. We are excited to be back in Sydney Olympic Park and the team are once again ready to give it their all to deliver the biggest and best netball action.

We have had an exciting start to the season playing Lightning, Thunderbirds, NSW Swifts and today the Firebirds. All the teams take to the court each week with the aim of taking home the full 8 points on offer. The new points system in 2018 has made every quarter more thrilling and competitive, and I’m certain that today will be no different.

We hope that you enjoy the netball on display today and we look forward to seeing you at GIANTS Netball home games throughout the season.

Julie Fitzgerald Head Coach

FOLLOW US: @GIANTSNETBALL @GIANTSNETBALL @GIANTS_NETBALL GIANTSNETBALLTV CONTACT US: GIANTSNETBALL@NETBALLNSW.COM GIANTSNETBALL.COM.AU (02) 9951 5000 PHOTOGRAPHY: NARELLE SPANGHER

2018 ROSTER GA/GS

GS

GD/GK

WA/C

LEADERSHIP TEAM

WD/C

KIERA AUSTIN

KRISTINA BRICE

BEC BULLEY

KIM GREEN CAPTAIN

SERENA GUTHRIE

26/08/97 @KIERA_AUSTIN

09/07/94 @KRISTINA_BRICE

18/08/82 @BECBULLEY

05/03/86 @KIMMYGEE8

05/01/90 @SERENABOB

GS/GA

LEADERSHIP TEAM

GA/GS

GK/GD/WD

GK/GD

LEADERSHIP TEAM

WD/C

JO HARTEN VICE-CAPTAIN

KRISTIANA MANU'A

SUSAN PETTITT

SAM POOLMAN

JAMIE-LEE PRICE

21/03/89 @JOHARTEN

03/09/95 @KRISTIANAMANUA

23/03/84 @SUSANPETTITT

04/03/91 @SPOOLMAN

10/01/96 @JAMIELEE_PRICE

WA/C

TRAINING PARTNER

TRAINING PARTNER

GD/GK

TRAINING PARTNER

GS/GA

TRAINING PARTNER

GK/GD

TRAINING PARTNER

WD/C

TAYLAH DAVIES

STEPH MACGOUGAN

GEORGIA MARSHALL

TEIGAN O'SHANNASSY

AMY PARMENTER

03/10/94 @TAYLAHD4

26/05/95 @STEPHMACGOUGAN

24/07/96 @G_MARSH_

14/04/99 @TEIGAN_OSHANNASSY

01/08/97 @AMYPARMENTERR

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS GABI SIMPSON CAPTAIN

CAITLYN NEVINS

VICE-CAPTAIN

ROMELDA AIKEN

MAHALIA CASSIDY

GRETEL TIPPETT

LAURA CLEMESHA

KIMBERLEY JENNER

JEMMA MI MI

LAURA GEITZ

TARA HINCHLIFFE

SPOTLIGHT GIANTS V FIREBIRDS The last time GIANTS Netball met the Queensland Firebirds was in Round 13 of the Suncorp Super Netball 2017 Season at the Quaycentre. The GIANTS fell agonisingly short, going down 56-53 in the final moments of the game.

Previously, GIANTS gave the Firebirds too much of a lead early in the game, allowing them to score a flurry of goals. GIANTS tried to regain control of the game in the second half, but were unable to reclaim the lead.

The Firebirds have a changed line-up from last year, with Laura Geitz back in and the strong combination across their mid-court with Captain Gabi Simpson and Caitlyn Nevins. At their shooting end, the Firebirds have an unpredictable combination of Gretel Tippett and Romelda Aiken, who play to entertain.

However, in GIANTS camp we have Captain Kim Green back on board, who is currently one of the leading feeders for 2018. While Bec Bulley, Sam Poolman and Kristiana Manu’a in the defensive end provide multiple plays and options for Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald. Today is going to be a thrilling match with both sides out for the win.

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OFFICIAL AUTO PARTNER

Entries close: 29/07/18. See terms and conditions at https://nissan.nine.com.au/

AN ELITE MILESTONE Serena Guthrie will be playing her 50th national league game on Saturday, 19 May. She reflects on her career and journey to the GIANTS. GIANTS Netball player Serena Guthrie is cool, calm and collected on the court, but she knows what it’s like to battle nerves. Looking back on her career as a GIANT, and before that as a member of the New Zealand leagues’ Northern Mystics, Guthrie is contemplative as she considers the journey that she’s been on. “I was nervous,” she says of her first moments with both teams. “It’s a whole new crowd, a whole new system.

You’re not quite sure if people are going to enjoy the brand of netball you bring to the table”.

It turns out that she needn’t have worried, as she’s been embraced by her GIANTS teammates and GIANTS fans alike – and not just for her strategic plays, timely intercepts and smart circle feeding, but also her sense of humour, down to earth approach and optimistic nature.

On her end, Guthrie is grateful for the bonds she’s built. “I’ve been very fortunate that all of the clubs that I’ve been to have been incredibly friendly, supportive and really cared about me,” she shares. “That’s something that matters to me a lot as an athlete, a player and a person. I think it’s really important to enable someone to get the best out of themselves. That's what Julie (Fitzgerald) has done with me here and that’s what I had over in New Zealand. I’m very fortunate,” she continues.

Guthrie will play her 50th national league game on Saturday, 19 May, as the GIANTS take on the Queensland Firebirds.

Thinking back on those 50 games, there are a couple of moments that stand out in particular. In an interesting development, both of them involve her current teammates, though in very different ways.

The first moment occurred during Guthrie’s time with the Northern Mystics, when they faced the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, who had on their roster Jo Harten, Kristiana Manu’a and Jamie-Lee Price under then Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald. The Northern Mystics were down by 10 and were able to bring it back and claim victory by one point in the last quarter. It was a moment to celebrate for Guthrie, although she concedes that

“they (Harten, Manu’a and Price) weren’t happy.” She adds with a grin, “But we were pretty happy about it in the end”.

Specifically thinking of her time with the GIANTS, Guthrie says that there is one moment that was a real highlight, and it has a familiar narrative. Guthrie looks fondly back on the semifinal match at home against Collingwood Magpies Netball, where the GIANTS surged back from a seven goal deficit in the final quarter to win by one point – scoring a goal in the final seconds of the game. “It was just insane,” she says of the home crowd’s reaction to the moment. “I still think about the noise and the atmosphere to this day. It was just incredible”.

Guthrie sees the journey to now as one that was both unexpected and rewarding. “I never really knew where netball was going to take me in my career” she muses. “I’ve had a very good career and I’ve also been very fortunate to share it with some amazing people”.

The idea of playing away from England was also something that seemed unimaginable. “I never thought that I’d get the opportunity potentially to play in an Australian club, particularly with the old import rule”, she says, referencing the new Suncorp Super Netball rules allowing more than one import player on each team. “The fact that it opened the floodgates, I thought oh what a cool competition to be a part of. I thought, let’s go and see what happens”.

It wasn’t ever an option for Guthrie though to say no to the opportunities and adventures that her career has afforded her.

“I’m a yes person. I like taking opportunities. And when I do I work hard and put in 110% and see if anything positive comes out of that,” she says. 50 national league games is certainly one GIANT positive.

“I never thought that I would make it to 50 games, but the fact that I am going to do that is pretty cool. It’s a great achievement,” says Guthrie. “I do work hard for it, absolutely.

And I’m very proud of my achievements up until this point”. ¼

I LIKE TAKING OPPORTUNITIES. AND WHEN I DO I WORK HARD AND PUT IN 110%.

PROUD PLATINUM PARTNER

I like

PLAYER MATCH UP

V GIANTS NETBALL

WATCH THESE PLAYERS ON COURT AS THEY GO HEAD TO HEAD IN ROUND 4.

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

BEC BULLEY

GRETEL TIPPETT

Position: GD, GK Age: 35 Height: 186cm Debut: 2000 National League Games: 215 Test Caps: 42

Position: GA Age: 24 Height: 192cm Debut: 2013 National League Games: 51 Test Caps: 16

2018 FIXTURE 1

DOUBLE HEADER

Sunday, 29 April 1PM Qudos Bank Arena Sydney

3

DERBY

SWIFTS V GIANTS

Sunday, 13 May 1PM Qudos Bank Arena Sydney

4

GIANTS V FIREBIRDS

Saturday, 19 May 3PM Quaycentre, Sydney

5

GIANTS V VIXENS

Sunday, 27 May 5PM Quaycentre, Sydney

7

DOUBLE HEADER

Sunday, 17 June 1PM Qudos Bank Arena Sydney

9

ACT

Sunday, 1 July 3PM AIS Arena, Canberra

10

DERBY

GIANTS V SWIFTS

Sunday, 8 July 5PM International Convention Centre, Sydney

14

GIANTS V FEVER

Saturday, 4 August 7PM International Convention Centre, Sydney

GIANTS V LIGHTNING

GIANTS V MAGPIES GIANTS V THUNDERBIRDS

Times are AEST. Fixture is subject to change. Quaycentre previously Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Full fixture at GIANTSNetball.com.au.

SYDNEY AND CANBERRA GAMES BE A PART OF THE GIANTS NETBALL 2018 SEASON.

GIANTS IN THE CROWD

THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE TO CHEER US ON! #HERECOMETHEGIANTS

Aussie apples ready for the picking Sweet and crisp, Australian apples are a family favourite. From the rosy blush of a Royal Gala to the classic green Granny Smith – get inspired to use freshly picked apples in cakes and crumbles, sliced in salads or simply a snack on their own.

Discover delightful recipes at woolworths.com.au/now-in-season

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS ROUND 4: VOLUNTEER ROUND We want to celebrate and thank all of our volunteers. Without your support, hard-work and dedication, netball in NSW would not be possible.

From bench officials, ball kids, venue volunteers and game day volunteers, through to everyone at our associations – committees, umpires, coaches, parents and canteen helpers – this round is for you!

Thank you for supporting netball in this state. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to play this game that we love and grow our sport in the community.

construction & fitout

MOMENTS TO CHERISH Bec Bulley has been an invaluable asset on the GIANTS’ defence since returning to the game. She reflects on becoming a GIANT and the important role she plays off the court – that of Mum to her daughter Indie.

Back in 2015, GIANTS Netball defender Bec Bulley would not have imagined that she’d find herself where she is today.

The GIANTS defender from Pyramid Hill in Victoria had just hung up her netball uniform after a successful career that included three national league premierships, 42 Test Caps, a Commonwealth Games Silver Medal and a Netball World Cup Gold as part of the Australian Diamonds team.

Fast-forward to 2017 and the unfortunate season-ending injury that Kristiana Manu’a sustained in the GIANTS’ preseason. Bulley received the call up from GIANTS Head Coach Julie Fitzgerald to step in and, after some deliberating on the achievability of returning to netball, she soon found herself thrust back into the life of a professional athlete. There was a

twist though, as she had also recently become a full-time Mum to her young daughter Indie.

There was a lot of juggling upon her return at first, with the addition of an 11-month-old daughter to her training schedule, but Bulley soon struck the right balance. Now, moving into her second year being both a mum and a professional athlete, Bulley is finding that things have settled even more. “It’s so different. It’s a lot easier now,” she says. “I love being a mum and I think that being able to do both things and combine them well is really rewarding.”

For Bulley, it’s something that is increasingly satisfying as a mother and a player, and having Indie there at her games is an extra special part of the whole experience. “I think when you go out and play you want to make your family proud,” she shares. “Whether that be your mum and dad, your partner, your husband or your child”.

Having that little face in the crowd cheering her on doesn’t hurt.

“You know at the end of the game – whether you win or lose – she’s just going to be happy to see you. And you get a hug.

She doesn’t care. She thinks it’s amazing no matter what.”

The value of her daughter growing up with netball is recognised by Bulley, in particular when it’s linked to family and parental bonds. Bulley was also a netball kid and her mother was her first netball coach. She reflects, “She taught me a lot – not just about netball but about life and what sort of person she would want me to be.” It’s the values she herself learnt as a player and the benefits of sports participation that she wants to pass on to her daughter. “I want Indie to grow up and be a well-rounded person, participate in sport and be a team person. Hopefully being around this environment she will be like that,” Bulley says.

Bulley knows Indie is in a unique position as a member of the GIANTS family and she isn’t overlooking how fortunate this makes her. “I think she’s probably a very lucky girl, one of the luckiest girls in Australia hanging out with this amazing group of girls who are like her aunties,” says Bulley of the bond that Indie has with the GIANTS team.

It’s a journey that Bulley wouldn’t change for the world – for her and for Indie. “It puts things into perspective. We are really fortunate that our job is to play sport. To go out and play a game of netball,” she says of herself and her fellow GIANTS. “So you just make the most of it. You just enjoy it. And I know for myself when I’m enjoying it I’m playing well”. ¼

COURT SKILLS

WITH TANIA OBST ASSISTANT COACH A DRILL FOR MIDCOURT PLAYERS TO IMPROVE THEIR CHANGE OF DIRECTION, AWARENESS OF CIRCLE EDGE AND REPEAT MULTIPLE EFFORTS TO RECEIVE THE BALL.

•

Starting at 1 , dodge through cones to receive ball over transverse line.

•

From 2 , drive down the court, use the outside foot and push off to a lateral movement, before changing direction again to receive ball on circle edge.

• • • • •

2

Feed ball into circle.

1

Drive around circle edge and receive high ball into pocket 3 .

Feed ball into circle.

Come off edge, drive back onto the circle edge (pocket) and swing ball to top of circle 4 .

3

Do this both sides of the court, if appropriate add in a defender.

4

FUEL YOUR BODY LIKE A GIANT SMOOTHIE TIME Smoothies are a great way to add extra energy and nutrients, and can be used as a post-game snack, light snack between meals or as a meal on the go.

Adding different types of food will help you cover all the nutrients you need.

Smoothies are a good way to have personalised nutrition for your needs and tastes. Here are 5 of our favourite Super Smoothies for netballers.

COMBINATIONS 1

Almond milk + natural yoghurt + berries + cucumber + spinach + oats + avocado

2

Milk + banana + blueberry + kale + oats + LSA

3

Milk + banana + peanut butter + chia seeds

4

Coconut milk + banana + baby spinach + kale + lime juice + chia seeds + walnuts

5

Water + protein powder + berries + carrot + all bran + almonds

READY WHEN YOU ARE. Mid-Year Entry Information Day. Saturday 19 May. Parramatta City campus. westernsydney.edu.au/midyear

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12/4/18 12:58 pm

A VIP EXPERIENCE TO SEE THE GIANTS Visit the lockerroom.com.au to enter

GIA IS OUR NEWEST TEAM MEMBER AND SHE WANTS YOU TO JOIN THE GIANTS! IF YOU’RE UNDER 15 YEARS OF AGE, BECOME A MEMBER OF GIA’S GIANTS TODAY FOR ONLY $15!* As part of GIA’S GIANTS you will receive: • GIA’s GIANTS wrist band • Birthday card • Invitation to meet GIA after the Round 4 GIANTS game • EXCLUSIVE wall poster, newsletters, special offers and competitions throughout the season!

JOIN GIA'S GIANTS AT GIANTSNETBALL.COM.AU

*Handling fee of $3.95 applies.

THANKS TO OUR 2018 PARTNERS PRINCIPAL PARTNER

PLATINUM PARTNERS

MAJOR PARTNERS construction & fitout

PARTNERS EST

88

BROADCAST PARTNERS

STRATEGIC PARTNER

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9/5/18 4:27 pm

WITH THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS PRINCIPAL

MAJOR

ASSOCIATE

BROADCAST

CHARITY

CORRECT AS OF 30 APRIL 2018