Collingwood Magpies, Nicole Richardson brought to tears by Sunshine Coast Lightning supporters’ class act
3 min read
Collingwood netball coach Nicole Richardson has been brought to tears by a heartwarming crowd act in light of her side’s turbulent week.
On Thursday, the Collingwood Magpies confirmed it would withdraw from the Super Netball league at the completion of the 2023 season following a review of its netball program.
The decision leaves Collingwood’s netballers and staff with no team and causes further uncertainty for the competition given no players from any of the Super Netball clubs are contracted beyond this season with a Collective Players’ Agreement from Netball Australia yet to be agreed beyond September 2023.
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Richardson said she became emotional when rival Sunshine Coast Lightning supporters gave her side a standing ovation as they ran onto the the court at USC Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
« It’s really tough because the girls are hurting, » Richardson told Fox Netball ahead of the round 11 meeting.
»I don’t know what type of performance they’ll put in.
« Emotionally, physically, mentally, it’s been a tough week.
« We’ve got to make sure we get around each other.
« We are still here to win a game, we’ve still got a job to do.
« I think it’s going to be a very tough and emotional four remaining games.
« This is the last time we get to play Sunny Coast Lightning up here in front of their fans. We just walked out onto court and got a standing ovation from them. It brings tears to your eyes. »
Richardson also confirmed that Collingwood’s Australian Netball Championship team would still contest the national tournament in August.
Collingwood captain Ash Brazill admitted it had been an unsettling time for the players since Magpies chief executive Craig Kelly called a meeting last week to advise players and staff of the review.
« Someone like Shimona (Nelson), she doesn’t have any family over here. This isn’t just affecting her having a playing career; it’s affecting her visa to even be in Australia, » Brazill told Fox Netball.
« It’s more than a game now; we’re trying to look after people. »
The Collingwood Football Club launched its netball franchise in 2017 as one of three new teams to join the Super Netball league ahead of its inaugural season.
Since then, the team has returned poor results. Even with star-studded playing lists, the Magpies have reached the finals series on only two occasions in seven seasons.
The team sits at the bottom of the ladder with just two wins this season.
Brazill, a Magpies foundation player, admitted that now being in the situation where she would play in the team’s final game in just four weeks’ time was « gut-wrenching ».
« This group has been amazing, » she said.
« We’re all exhausted from the whole week, but we’ve all put our arms around each other.
« We just want to play and put out a good performance. »
The Magpies slumped to another loss on Saturday, defeated 66-62 by the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
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