THE 2016 season has been an interesting one for myself and the Lady Cougars - at times we have played well above expectations and at times we have played well below. This lack of consistency has been frustrating at times but I feel after a weekend of two big wins we are heading in the right direction.

As a team we have had to adjust to a very different playing style under John, it has been a challenge but as a team are starting to build some chemistry. It was a huge loss on and off the court when Doccy left us but I feel our two imports this year have added plenty of fire power to our offence.

Candace is absolutely dominant inside and outside the paint and Turk has offered a physical presence we have lacked in previous years. Both Candace and Turk have also brought an increased level of professionalism to the team which has helped to increase the level of intensity in our training sessions.

Again we managed to maintain a core group of players and also have an absolutely fantastic group of young girls which make Cockburn’s future seem very bright and hopefully a championship is on the horizon!

My club’s greatest strength is the culture we have built; it is based 100% around loyalty… Simply, we do not have the money to pay players to stay at the club! Luckily, we have the most incredibly loyal core group of players, which I feel this is quite rare feat these days especially as the women’s league continues to grow and more money is being thrown around.

It was an absolute honour to be voted in as captain by my teammates at the start of the year and I feel I am slowly growing into the role and becoming more of an on court leader. I am really enjoying the job of being a role model for the young girls coming through the program and am also enjoying the challenge of managing different personalities within the team.

The only thing that could top being the captain of this incredible team, would be to be the captain of a championship winning team for the Cockburn Cougars.

There have been some very tough years in my SBL career, whether it has been sitting on the bench for extended periods or the team not being overly successful, there have been some periods of time where it just seemed like too much hard work!

What has got me through?

It is the relationships I have built with my teammates, I have been playing alongside a regular core group of girls for the last 10 years, which has been amazing. I have known Kristen Everard for over 17 years and we continue to be great friends because of this great sport. If asked what I will remember when my SBL career ends, it won’t be the wins I have had, it will be the friendships I have built and the great times I have had with the most incredible and hilarious group of girls I could ever imagine!

Personally it has been an insanely busy year. I am currently juggling full-time work as a physio while studying part-time, coaching a WABL team and building a house! Unfortunately, I do not seem to have the ability to just be happy and content with what I have or what I am doing, I always want more.

My basketball career definitely went on the backburner when I started my Bachelor of Physiotherapy at Notre Dame six years ago (where did that time go!!), my personality is slightly obsessive and I became consumed with my studies. I feel I did not improve much as a player during my university years and my fitness definitely fell away, I am currently working very hard at getting that work-life balance right and have been able to hit the gym more regularly!

I feel my year this year has been like the team’s year, a bit inconsistent! So over the next few weeks I will be working really hard alongside my team mates in the hopes that I can maintain the level in which I know I can play.

It all starts this weekend against our biggest rival Willetton, this game will really tell us where we stand as a team. I’m feeling a W!