The GIANTS have opened their Australian Netball Championships campaign with a convincing 34-goal win over Tasmania.
With their official competition debut two years in the making, the GIANTS Academy have made a strong opening impression.
“We’ve been gearing up and planning for this tournament for so long,” said Head Coach Ali Tucker-Munro.
“It was good to get the cobwebs out and it’s now time to start walking the talk. But really pleasing to get one out there tonight.”
The GIANTS took control of the game early, leading 7-0 in the opening quarter and restricting Tasmania to just two goals in the opening term, 17-2.
But Tucker-Munro said she kept things simple.
“I just kept going back to reinforcing that game plan, which for any team that you play against is to just do the simple things well,” she said.
“While I think we did make a few errors here and there, what we did do its cause turnover pressure to get the ball back.
“It was just a really good opportunity to get a feel for not only each other out on court but also for the environment in Traralgon and the stadium etc.”
Tucker-Munro was able to get all 12 players on to the court in the opening round match.
With the team featuring a range of experience, it was a beneficial opportunity for Tucker-Munro.
“Once again, this tournament has been two years in the making, some of these kids haven’t played on the national stage now since 17’s,” she said.
“It was a really good reminder of the importance of preparing yourself accordingly for these big tournaments. Going through your processes, getting yourself mentally prepared, not just physically.
“And all of that will hold us in good stead as we come up against the others throughout the week.”
Ang Frketic (27/27 goals) and Eliza Burton (34 feeds) were strong in attack, but it was the team’s overall defensive pressure that Tucker-Munro commented on.
“What stood out to me was one of the things that we want to build as our brand, being this defensive team. And that’s what caused a lot of those turnovers,” she said.
“We are all attackers and we are all defenders.”
The GIANTS recorded the largest win on day one and posted the second highest score.
The other match in Pool A saw the Victorian Fury defeat the Sunshine Coast Lightning 66-58, while in the other pool Collingwood defeated Capital Darters 69-51 and the Queensland Sapphires were victorious over the Swifts Academy 59-53.
“I think all teams will be really challenging,” Tucker-Munro said.
“When you do play a week-long tournament it’s about how you do back up day after day, not just physically but mentally, so you can’t afford to be complacent or take anyone lightly – and that’s how we will face every game.”
The GIANTS have their bye on Tuesday August, 23 before returning to the court on Wednesday to face the Southern Force.
