Olivia Lewis has wasted no time making an impact in the Victorian Fury side, voted in as co-captain alongside Sharni Lambden ahead of next week’s Australian Netball Championships.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” the Melbourne Vixens defender said.
“We all play leadership roles and I think that’s a strength of our group, I don’t think the title of captain necessarily changes that much because it’s not just two captains, it’s actually 12 leaders.”
Lewis is hoping to use her SSN experience to share knowledge and support with her fellow squad members throughout the week.
“I’ve always been a big chatter, I give a lot of encouragement. I want to be someone who leads by example and lives the Fury values on and off the court – I want to give my absolute everything and hopefully that inspires the girls to do the same.”
“It’s a team sport and it’s about playing for each other. Whatever you do, you want to do it for the best of the team.” she said.
Having won an ANL premiership with her native Western Australia in 2017, the talented defender is looking to replicate the feat albeit in different colours this time around. With ANC only days away, the Fury squad has upped the ante in preparation for a blockbuster week in Traralgon.
“We’ve ramped up training to help emulate those back-to-back games and it’s been a good test for us. I think the beauty of this team is our depth – we’re trialling a lot of different line-ups and the combinations are working well,” she said.
Having developed some pre-existing partnerships with the likes of Gabby Coffey throughout their junior days, Lewis is eager to see how those combinations play out throughout the course of the ANC.
“I’ve played with Gabby Coffey coming through the pathways at Australian camps and in 17/Under and 19/Under squads, so it’s nice to be on the same team as her.
“Gab and Maggie [Caris] have both been in the Vixens environment as training partners this year as well. Tori is also a great talent, she’s come through the Netball Victoria pathway too so I’ve been enjoying developing different combinations as a group.”
With a packed schedule for the tournament – four games over five days with finals to follow on the weekend – Lewis knows the Fury will need to be versatile and adaptable to keep their legs fresh.
“Keeper is my most comfortable position, but I try to get out into goal defence when I can and it’s part of my game that I’ve wanted to work on. Hopefully I’ll be able to cover both across the week depending on what the team needs.”
The Australian National Championships kick off this Monday 22 August – watch every game live and free on Kayo Freebies.
