Suffering from fatigue and a loss of fitness after contracting Covid, Silver Fern Shannon Saunders isn't back to her old self, but still led the Steel to a shock win in the ANZ Premiership's first round.
Shannon Saunders would be happy to never lay her head on a hotel bed again.
Her reluctance is natural, having spent 19 days in MIQ isolation after falling ill with Covid returning from the Silver Ferns’ Quad Series tour to England in January.
“I’m a bit traumatised,” the Southern Steel captain says.
“I got moved to a really small hotel, and my room was so small it was like a prison cell. So it was really hard to stay active - not that I really felt like it.”
Saunders says she suffered similar symptoms to her Silver Ferns’ team-mate and Mystics captain, Sulu Fitzpatrick, who was also bedridden for a week and had ongoing concerns with her heart and lungs afterwards.
“It was a bit demoralising, but that was the risk in going to England,” Saunders admits. “I hope it means I won’t get Covid during the season now. That has to be a positive.”
Saunders was back on court leading a full Steel contingent in their first-up ANZ Premiership victory over last year's finalists, the Tactix, 71-54, on Sunday. Although the Steel led at every break - pouring on the goals in the first and third spells - Saunders felt it wasn't the perfect performance, with work to do on their through-court attack.
Nevertheless, she had to be happy with her own stickability, playing 50 intense minutes at wing attack.
“I’m definitely doing better than I was. I’m 60 to 70 percent of where I should be at the start of the season," Saunders says.
“It’s both a loss of fitness and fatigue. But we’ll get there.”
Saunders, one of the fittest Silver Ferns you’ll see, knows time out on court will be the best way to earn that fitness back.
“You just take very day as it comes and see how the fatigue progresses. Everyone has been great at taking a very managed approach to it,” says Saunders, now in her 11th season with the Steel.
“I don’t need to be peaking at the start of the season – it’s going to be a long journey and I’ll be smart about what I do.”
The Steel’s double-header weekends – in the first two weeks of April - will really test Saunders, she expects.
A pharmacist in her life outside netball, Saunders hasn’t returned to work since she came out of isolation.
“It’s just been too chaotic. And I probably won’t during the season to avoid getting Covid again,” she says.
Although she appreciates being in a position where she can focus solely on netball, she says she still needs work as a locum pharmacist in her life.
“I definitely need the balance of doing a bit of work. Netball can get a bit much sometimes,” she says.
Saunders has eased her way back into the Steel environment, alongside England shooter George Fisher, back at the Steel for a second season.
“It’s been a bit disjointed without me and George for most of the pre-season, but the girls have done a huge amount of work while we were away. They’ve made massive strides, which is awesome to see,” Saunders says.
“George feels like she’s come home to Invercargill. And she’s brought her form back from the Quad Series.”
Fisher was dominant in the shooting circle for England in their victories over South Africa and the Silver Ferns, and she played a major role in the Steel's first-up win, shooting 47 from 50 to be player of the match.
“She’s a bit more comfortable in the Steel environment now, she’s more vocal and willing to talk up," Saunders says. "That’s awesome because we need more leaders in our group – we’re quite a young group, and don’t have many who want to take on that leadership role.”
Saunders admits it took her a few weeks to figure out where she fits back in the Steel side, after the team did most of their preparation without her. “I want to make sure I acknowledge all the work they’ve done,” she says. “Hopefully the girls have enjoyed having me back.”
The vastly experienced midcourter is also adjusting to feeding new shooting combinations this season, with Saviour Tui moving south from the Mystics and Georgia Heffernan returning from an ACL reconstruction.
Tui is one of the most talented young shooters in the country right now, but couldn’t force her way onto the court for the champion Mystics last season. She moved between the Steel's two shooting positions against the Tactix, posting reassuring figures of 17 from 20.
“I’m excited to see Saviour out there, getting consistent court time. She has so much potential that hasn’t been tapped into yet, and she’s come on in leaps and bounds since she’s been down here,” Saunders says.
“She’s really quiet but sometimes she offers some chat to me. So it’s really cool to see her coming out of her shell and getting conversation flowing.”
Heffernan (who’s twin sister, Kate, has established herself as a regular fixture in the Steel midcourt these days) is playing some beautiful netball as well, Saunders reckons.
“It’s a huge challenge for me too,” she says. “They offer a different perspective when we’re running moves. It keeps it fresh and forces me to think all the time what we’re doing and adapting - not just doing the same stuff over and over.”
In defence, the Steel are missing the explosive Taneisha Fifita, who’s put her netball career on hold to do missionary work overseas.
They’ve gained another Mystics player, Kate Burley, who has brought her voice with her. It’s a good thing, Saunders says, as the Steel’s stalwart defensive leader, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, “doesn’t talk a lot out on court”.
The versatile Sarahpheinna Woulf, an impact player off the bench for the Steel last season, has been working hard in the off-season too.
In her own game, the 85 test-capped Saunders says she has assigned herself a series of work-ons for the 2022 season.
“My consistency game to game and making sure I don’t fade out. Attacking wise, feeding the new shooters and putting the ball into good space for them. Defensively, I always want to get more ball. And if I go to centre, the transition must be smooth.”
While her sole focus is on the Steel for the next three months, there are things she’ll be ticking off in the background for the Silver Ferns, with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games on the near horizon.
“But if I don’t perform for Steel I won’t get a look in for the Silver Ferns. As long as I take care of my role with the Steel, making sure we’re a cohesive unit, then the Ferns thing will take care of itself,” she says.
And she’s making sure her team stay safe and well.
“I feel like I’m a bit of a stickler. But when they say ‘Oh shall we all just go and get Covid?’ I’m like ‘No, avoid it as best you can. Honestly, it’s not worth it.”
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In their first game of the 2022 ANZ Premiership, the new-look Magic side came out firing, beating reigning champions, the Mystics, 46-43, on Sunday. The last time the Magic won a match was 328 days ago, another first round win over the Mystics, and then they went winless for the rest of the 2021 season.
The impacts of Covid left both teams missing key players, but it was the new shooting duo of Ivana Rowland and Bailey Mes who set the tone for the Magic, scoring 17/19 in the first quarter, and the Sam Winders-led side never relinquished the lead.
Michaela Sokolich-Beatson played a full game for the Mystics, her first time on court since 2019, while Monica Falkner shot 17 without a miss in her first game in the blue dress.
Monday night's match between the Stars and the Pulse has been postponed, after Covid wiped out most of the Pulse squad.
