Emma Thompson: Northern Stars midcourter ahead of the must-win clash against the Southern Steel

It's a battle of the cellar dwellers this afternoon in Auckland when the Northern Stars host the Southern Steel in netball's ANZ Premiership. 

It's pretty much a must-win for both sides, if they're to make the post-season. 

The Steel, who've won two games from eight attempts, are second-bottom but surprisingly have the same points as the winless, dead-last Stars. 

Both teams need the points if they're to close the gap on the top-three playoff places with six rounds to go, but are well behind the fourth-placed Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. 

Emma Thompson out of the Northern Stars joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the clash.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from Youth Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Seven eighteen All Sport Breakfast and Darcy. We're joined now
by Emma Thompson out of the A and Z Premiership
netball team the Stars. Been a rotten old season for
them so far. Emma, welcome to the show. And you've
had a bit of trouble with concussion. This is the
avant you.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Hi, Darcy, thanks for having me. Yeah, I had a
pretty tough transition into netball this year, dealing with a
concussion for about ten weeks. So finally feeling fit and
feeling it myself and everybody to go again.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Now it's an interesting time for your team, the Stars
as well. I don't have to mention, I'm sure, but
I will anyway, you've had a rotten season. What's the
energy like within the side?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, Look, we've actually sort of used it as an
opportunity to really speck and grow as a team and
we're learning a lot about each other and at the
moment we're just taking each match at a time. There's
a lot of focus on working together and really trying
to bring home a win for us, so that would
be very exciting.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
How do you know that what you're learning is actually
bearing fruit? Well, presumably a win word help, but can
you see advances in what the group is actually achieving
in practice.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, so we're working towards our KPIs. You know, we
are improving each week. Our center pass conversion rate is
going up, and if you look at the scores, like, yes,
we haven't got the win yet, but we've been very
very close for a lot of the matches. You know,
it don't even three or four points and we've been
able to get a bonus point almost every round. So

(01:48):
we're doing a lot right. We just need to be
able to execute for the full sixty minutes moving forward.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
What do you take out of last week? It was magic,
wasn't it? And you came home with a bit of
a wet sail, but just simply not enough your dominance
in that fourth quarter.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
Yeah, we came out of that much and decided that
as a team, we'd like to play how we played
in that fourth quarter for the whole match. So yeah,
that's been a real focus at training this week, is
trying to replicate that one.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
So tell us what that actually involved. What was the
attitude change. What was what actually happened that clicked? So
you did so well in that fourth quarter?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
Yeah, I think it was a ferocity. We obviously would
dealt that hard though, with me La going down and
doing her knee, and we came together as a group
and we really wanted to fire up and play for
her because she's such an such a big part of
our team and a big leader on court, so we
really wanted to channel her energy and just try and

(02:48):
get a win for her.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
I like you did say ferocity, didn't you, Emma? Yeah,
I love that word. We need more of that word
and it well, we need more of it in sport.
Channel there, Emma times and joins us as we look
toward Pullman Arena. It's not rece evening as I mistakenly
said four o'clock, other so afternoon against the Steel So
it's the bottom of the table. So both teams really

(03:10):
really keen to make sure this season doesn't trickle away.
It's going to be I won't say ferocious, it's going
to be brutisal, right, Yeah, well.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
It's just it's again what a good opportunity for us
US to play. They are a quality side. Again, we
worked really hard sort of this week trying to prepare
for this match, and you know it's our home crowd,
so we're really looking forward to it and we're excited
to put everything into practice and hopefully get the win
against the steal.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
So you've been back for a couple of weeks, but
you're out for such a long time with concussion. It
must have been I won't say stressful, but interesting coming
back on to court again. You feel like now you're
running at full steam, you don't have that shadow of
concussion hanging over you in it.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, it was definitely a challenge because I missed the
whole preseason so I wasn't able to actually even do anything.
I couldn't walk more than fifty or sixty meters, so
preparation for you know, an am Z Premiership March was
minimal to say the least. And then I just tried
to come in and do my job and really build
connections with the girls. So look, all of us just

(04:15):
have to do our job today and we're really looking
forward to it. So yeah, like I said, hopefully we
get the women.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
You've been tasman hopping for the last few years, but
now you've you've made you made a home in Auckland.
You put down some routes, say, how's the Queen City
treating it?

Speaker 3 (04:33):
Well, I'll answer that in a couple of weeks because
I haven't really gotten to experience. But to be honest,
because I'm a concussion but I'm starting to explore, explore
this beautiful city a lot more. And I think the
culture of our team has been really really crucial in
helping me rehab this injury. So I couldn't fault New
Zealand so far.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Well, I'll give you the tip rains all the time,
and it's not going to get any better over the
next sect the next few months. And one last thing, Emaron,
thanks so much for joining us on the All Sports Breakfast.
Who in the team have you really created a bond with?
Not not on court, but look, I know you've been
out concuss but as far as friendships outside of court,
anyone on the team that you really connect with.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
To be honest, I connect with all the girls. Probably
Maya Wilson though, has been one of the most crucial
friendships that I've had. She's been so supportive. She actually
very early on came and supported me when I was
very unwell, so shout out to her because she's such
an amazing person and leader of our club.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
I thought there was a very good answer to start with,
you don't want to alienate anyone in particular, but then
you climbed into it. But that is good to hear,
Emma Thompson, A real pleasure. Thanks very much for your time.
Get that W four m seed the past tonight in
the ain Z Premiership. Thanks for your time, amazing, Thanks
for having me, Thanks for joining us, Samit Thompson.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
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