'We need to adapt better on the court' - Leeds Rhinos Netball need to bounce back at Strathclyde Sirens

Strathclyde Sirens lost all nine games in the first round of fixtures, but Leota points to the similarities with her team last year that had managed just one draw at this stage before finishing the 2023 campaign strongly.

Coming off a heavy defeat at title-chasing Manchester Thunder in which she again questioned her team’s on-court leadership, Leota wants her team to be fully focused in Glasgow tonight.

“If anything it’s the best place to sit in; you’re the underdog, you get to play with freedom and you’re just going out there to prove a point,” she said of Strathcylde’s situation.

“We relished being in that space to the point where when we took some scalps or took some teams to the last couple of minutes, the confidence that grew in our group was huge.

“So don’t be complacent - that’s been the message all week. Looking into round two there are games we need to target to keep our dreams of making that top four alive, so we’ve put a hit list together of which games we really have to step it up in and this is definitely one.

“Sirens are putting more strong quarters together but are still looking for that complete performance, but so are we.”

Rhinos lost 67-37 at Manchester last Saturday, ending their own mini revival and leaving more questions than answers.

“Again our training has been really good and intense, I feel like we continuously grow and evolve, and then it comes to the matches and I don’t know what it is,” said Leota.

“It’s not lack of leadership, it’s just identifying critical moments and identifying momentum changes, and how to adapt. That comes from big-time players.

“When you’ve got Joyce Mvula and Geva Mentor at the ends rather than in the middle, it’s hard to affect change and that’s what I’ve noticed.

“With Caroline O’Hanlon being out the last couple of weeks (she will again be rested this week) we’ve missed that leadership and experience in the middle.”

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