Sasha Corbin is excited to captain the England Roses at the Netball Europe Open Championships from the 5th to 8th October.
The Roses head to Wales as they look to retain the Netball Europe title they won in Newcastle last season and Corbin admits the mood in camp has been positive as the team prepare.
She said: “It’s an absolute honour to be leading the team, especially alongside both Nat Haythornthwaite and Nat Panagarry.
“It’s a fantastic team. We’re really looking forward to playing against our home nations and coming together as new combinations and hopefully there’ll be a few girls getting their first caps for England.”
As an experienced member of the squad, Corbin feels privileged to be able to lead and help the younger players and show them what it’s like at an international level but doesn’t feel any added pressure as captain.
She said: “It’s not a lot of pressure – it’s just about showing them what it’s all about and making them feel confident and happy to go out there.
“But the main thing is having fun, working together, putting out our best performances and everyone’s happy at the end of the day that we do what we’re supposed to do.
With a trophy to defend and world ranking points at stake, the Roses are determined to impress.
Corbin said: “We definitely have to take this seriously.
“There’s a lot of talented young girls in this team – they all deserve to be here and they’ve all performed either in the Superleague or in trials so it’s their chance to step up and take on the reins.
“Hopefully we do what we normally do and come away with some strong wins.”
All of the players will be looking to showcase their talent at Netball Europe and use their performances as a springboard for future selection with the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Netball World Cup on the horizon.
Corbin said: “It’s great to have everyone here doing what they do – the main thing is everyone’s pushing for those positions (in the CWG squad).
“It’s not set yet – no one knows who’s going on that plane to the Commonwealth Games and it’s a fantastic opportunity for the young people to come through.
“They’re so talented and it’s just about giving them an opportunity and this (Netball Europe) is a fantastic way to do that.”
As a player who has been involved in the Roses set-up for several years now, Corbin has seen first-hand how the strength and depth of the squad, and eligible pool of players, has developed.
She said: “I think it’s definitely grown, especially with a few of the girls going overseas and playing over in the Suncorp and the New Zealand league.
“Also, there’s been a huge amount of players who have had the opportunity this year to step up and play in the Superleague and make positions their own.
“It’s definitely a great thing for everyone.”
Corbin is determined to make the most of her opportunity to pull on the red dress and step out onto court to represent her nation again.
She said: “It’s very exciting and an absolute honour to put on the dress again.
“I’ve come away from having some serious injuries in the past – I did my ACL and haven’t played for England for almost two years.
“It’s a privilege to put on the red dress.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to play with these young girls that are coming through and they’re just so talented and I can’t wait to put my best foot forward for them.”
After Netball Europe, the next chance to see the Roses live in action on home soil is in the three-match Vitality Netball International Series against Malawi this November.
It promises to be a thrilling battle between two dynamic teams and tickets are expected to go fast so don’t miss out on your chance to be courtside!
Corbin said: “Come down and watch the games against Malawi!
“Malawi, first and foremost, have a fantastic style of play.
“It’s very different to what we normally play against – they’re very aerial and they hold the ball for longer.
“With us, we’re definitely a more fast-flowing kind of game and we’d like to put out a really good performance for you guys to see the energy and intensity is very high.
“I can’t imagine you’d come away from that being upset so definitely come down and support the girls.”
The England Roses squad selected for Netball Europe is as follows:
Sasha Corbin (Captain), Natalie Haythornthwaite (Vice-Captain), Natalie Panagarry (Vice-Captain), Summer Artman, Eleanor Cardwell, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, George Fisher, Jodie Gibson, Josie Huckle, Leah Kennedy, Gabriella Marshall, Vicki Oyesola
Reserves: Amy Carter, Amy Clinton, Iona Darroch, Razia Quashie, Francesca Williams
The Roses will be in action on the following dates:
Friday 6th October: England Roses v Scotland, 12pm
England Roses v Northern Ireland, 8pm
Saturday 7th October: England Roses v Fiji, 8pm
Sunday 8th October: Wales v England Roses, 12pm
Follow the England Roses at Netball Europe on our official @England_Netball twitter account and watch live through @NetballEurope and @QTV_Sports.
