By Amanda Myler
SUNSHINE Coast Thunder head coach Simone Nalatu will be watching Sunday’s HART Premier Netball League Sapphire Division preliminary final against the Bond University Bull Sharks from a room in Fiji.
The 21/U Fijian coach has returned to the Pacific Island nation to prepare her young side ahead of their departure to Gibraltar for the Netball World Youth Cup, knowing a clash of competition schedules was always a possibility.
And she couldn’t have left the Thunder in better hands.
Retired Papua New Guinea international netball player and Queensland Firebird No.51 Maleta Roberts will proudly step up from her assistant coaching role, after joining the club at the start of this season.
“I’d been in Victoria for seven years, and came back,” Roberts said.
“Sim gave me a call. I wasn’t ready to coach again, but it’s Simone Nalatu asking.”
Roberts described her reunion with Nalatu as a “full circle” moment, reflecting on their time together as teammates playing for the Sunshine Coast Lynx under now-Sunshine Coast Lightning assistant coach Jenny Brazel.
“It just feels like home, it’s comforting,” Roberts said.
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to coach under Sim, and with this club. It’s an amazing club and an incredible pathway up to Lightning. It’s very visible and clear.”
The Thunder, who finished fourth after the regular rounds, qualified for this weekend’s preliminary final with a 58-57 minor semi-final victory over the Gold Coast Titans.
It was their ninth match decided by a margin of three points or fewer, including three draws.
“I can’t believe how many close games there have been this year,” Roberts said.
“It’s incredible but so healthy for the competition. We’ve joked that we could make it easier for ourselves so I don’t have the baby prematurely.”
Roberts was referring to her pregnancy, almost eight months along with her third son, who seemed to be playing every minute of last weekend’s nailbiter.
“He was kicking me, especially in that last quarter,” Roberts said.
“I was telling him to stay in there.”
Roberts has guided the Thunder from the sidelines previously this season, with the support of Ruby Division head coach Jacqui Delaney.
“A solid coaching crew was set up across all of our teams on purpose, because life happens, including travelling for work,” she said.
“We can call on each other when we need to. We follow the same framework, so it doesn’t matter who steps up as we’re on the same page.”
The Thunder managed to draw with the Bull Sharks in Round 4, before defeating them 77-71 in Round 11.
“We’re focusing on what we can control, our basics, and hitting our targets,” Roberts said of this weekend’s preliminary final.
“We’re embracing the pressure and the challenge. It’s about processes and shutting down those instrumental players when we can.”
Whatever happens on Sunday, Roberts said Thunder will take each moment as it happens.
“I’m very confident in our team, I’ve seen how much we’ve improved this season,” she said.
“We’ve got a great bunch of girls, with a great attitude so I can’t fault our fighting spirit. We’ve been down and overcame it, and just had some amazing games this year.”
The winner of this Sunday evening’s preliminary final will play the Kedron-Wavell Cougars in the HART Premier Netball League Sapphire Division grand final on Sunday, September 14 at Nissan Arena.
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KommunityTV is your home to watch Queensland's top talents LIVE and exclusive. The top-flight Sapphire division is being exclusively live streamed on News Corp Australia mastheads, including The Courier-Mail and Gold Coast Bulletin.
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