Whitney Souness will be a key midcourt weapon for the Pulse in the upcoming ANZ Premiership.
Playing netball under a roof at Te Rauparaha Arena still gives Whitney Souness pause for thought.
“It’s still surreal, because I grew up [playing] outside on the courts at Mungavin,” she said.
Coming back to Porirua to train and play is very much a homecoming for the 23-year-old Pulse and Silver Fern midcourter.
“Porirua is such a small place and it’s great to run out and see so many familiar faces I’ve grown up with. I live in Wellington now but it is important for me to see family out in Porirua and always remember where it all started.”
After making the Pulse squad in 2015, Souness had a breakout season in 2017 for the ANZ Premiership side. She also made her Silver Fern debut that year against South Africa, showcasing her impressive speed, change of direction and feeding skills in the wing attack position.
The WA bib is what Souness will wear for the Pulse as the new season beckons, one she hopes will be another standout for her as the Netball World Cup looms in England in July.
“I would love to go to the World Cup, I think the Ferns can do the job there.
“Noeline [Taurua, national coach] has a real high-performance environment and you’re working at a high intensity, but you’re also able to ask questions and you always know where things stand.
“It’s cool to be a part of, enjoyable and challenging.”
But in the shorter term, there is the small matter of helping the Pulse win a maiden premiership, exorcising the last-gasp 54-53 loss to the Steel in last year’s final.
A pre-season trip to play three Queensland teams in Brisbane, along with the annual Otaki tournament featuring all six ANZ Premiership sides, will help a settled Pulse fine-tune, Souness said.
“We’re looking to perfect things from last year and I feel there is a leadership role for me, it’s certainly something I want to work on.
“I want to step up and be more dominant down that [attacking] end.”
The Pulse season begins on Sunday, 24 February, against the Mystics in Hamilton. The Pulse games at Te Rauparaha Arena are on Wednesday, 3 April, against the Stars (7.40pm start) and Wednesday, 17 April, (7.40pm) against the
For a full list of fixtures, go to pulse.org.nz.
12 Feb 2019
