Mansfield: “Wasps in great condition”

Wasps Netball head coach Mel Mansfield says her squad are in great physical condition ahead of a double-header to open the season this weekend.

The Black and Gold are taking on Severn Stars and Loughborough Lightning in the space of two days to begin their Vitality Netball Superleague 2021 campaign.

This season sees all games centralised in two locations, with the first half of the games played at Studio 001 in Wakefield and then the second half at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Wasps are facing Severn Stars on Sunday evening (6pm centre-pass) before taking on Loughborough Lightning on Monday (4.45pm centre-pass) – with all games across the weekend available live on Sky Sports or Youtube.

It marks the start of Mansfield’s third season as Wasps head coach, and she believes her squad are in a great position to deal with the physical toll that matches on successive days will bring.

“We’ve been training since September for this and we’re excited to play. It’s been a difficult build up with lots of uncertainty but we’re in as good a position as possible heading into what will be a tough couple of games,” said Mansfield.

“Despite the disrupted training schedule, the team smashed their fitness testing this week and that has proved to me that we are in a great place physically to compete. The aim has to be to make top four again and we have no doubt that’s where we want to be. There has been a lot of player movement in the league, teams have strengthened and we have brought in some new faces too – we’re expecting every game to be a huge challenge.”

“The additions to our squad have put us in a position to be much more of an attacking team this season. We’re delighted with the way the shooting circle is set up and we’re excited to see how the combinations of Rachel Dunn, Gezelle Allison and Katie Harris develop over the course of the season.”

“You always look to focus on your own game ahead of the opening weekend, regardless of how tough your opponents are. We have our game plan and will be looking for developing partnerships out on court which will serve us well in the latter stages of the season.”

The 2021 season will mark mid-court star Sophia Candappa’s first season as captain of the Black and Gold.
Sophia added: “It’s been a really long build-up and the team has been working incredibly hard to get to this stage.

“I’m really proud of the group and how they have got on with it, got stuck into the training despite the difficult circumstances, ahead of what will be a very unusual season. We know we’re very fortunate to be able to play. A year is a long time away from the court and we want to put on a good performance for our fans watching at home.”

Wasps v Severn Stars on Sunday at 6pm will be available on Sky Sports Youtube only. Wasps v Loughborough Lightning on Monday at 4.45pm will be available live on Sky Sports Mix and also Sky Sports Youtube.