Tara Hinchliffe is no stranger with going toe to toe with the Sunshine Coast Lightning attacking duo in Steph Wood and Cara Koenen on match day.
The defender says the opportunity to now train against the Origin Diamond shooters week in, week out will only benefit her game.
“At the Queensland Firebirds, the biggest thing we talked about was Steph and Cara and how dominant they are in that shooting circle,” Hinchliffe said.
“To practice against that each week – they’ve really impressed me so far.
“Then to also to know that whatever we do in Lightning’s defence, our attack end have our back and will put up the volume we need was definitely a big drawcard.
“To have new people to learn off like Karla [Pretorius] is also really cool.”
Hinchliffe has no regrets in her decision to relocate north to the Sunshine Coast and begin a new chapter in her netball journey.
“It’s exciting to be here, it’s been a Club that has had a lot of success,” she said.
“It’s been a great start with the first few weeks of pre-season and I’m just really grateful I made that decision.
“You can’t beat the Sunny Coast lifestyle.”
The defender’s reputation of being a hard worker precedes her but she was quick to establish it as truth at Lightning as she continues to work hard in her injury rehabilitation.
“It’s so different the pre-season the way they schedule things – there’s big weeks of double days but I love being busy,” she said.
“I love training and this has been the perfect environment to get my rehab done right with the girls around me too.”
Former teammate Mahalia Cassidy said she was thrilled to have Hinchliffe join her in Lightning colours after a year apart.
“I’m so excited to have Tara up here,” Cassidy said.
“I’ve been so lucky to play with her previously and she brings so much to the team off the court as well as on the court.
“She’s a hard worker. I can’t wait to play with her again see what she can bring to our team – a bit of fresh blood is always nice.”
