The Capital Spirit is determined to put the COVID-19 challenge behind them and build consistency with a full-strength squad in this year's NSW Premier League.
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Travel restrictions left Kate Carpenter's outfit scrambling to field a team each week in their inaugural season, with the Spirit coming away with just one victory in 2020.
The Canberra-based franchise is working towards turning their on-court results around, and if their pre-season is anything to go by they may do just that.
Former Diamond Vicki Wilson was brought in to do specialist work with the Spirit's shooters last month, while Proteas great Bronwyn Bock Jonathan helped out the defensive end.
They'll travel to Queensland in late March to fine tune their preparations ahead of April 14's curtain raiser, with the Spirit to play two trial matches against that state's premier league sides.
"That's a new initiative, it's just for the top group so it's an incentive as well," Carpenter said.
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"When you're away for the weekend you can do a lot of work on team culture at that time. Difference is also important, it helps the ability to assess where we're at ahead of round one.
"We're way further ahead to where we were this time last year. We're just more familiar with ourselves as a group, our culture has grown and we're at a way higher starting point in March than we were in 2020."
The season draw will be released by Netball NSW on Friday, with a target in sight to help the Spirit narrow their focus in the final weeks of pre-season.
Keely Rodrigo, the team's inaugural captain, said the Spirit has built well from last season and is looking forward to seeing how they'll contest their Sydney rivals with replenished stocks.
"We're definitely looking for that consistency," Rodrigo said.
"Hopefully we can have this one unit to build from week to week throughout the season.
"This will be more of a learning year than last year, just because we've got the same girls. I'm more excited for this year."
The Spirit launched their campaign with a trial match against the South Coast Blaze at ACT Netball Centre on Saturday, falling 60-54 to Marji Parr's side.
All Spirit players had court time, including new recruit Ashlie Edwards, elevated member Samantha Bondietti, and 17-year-old training partner Abbie Worswick.
"Our intensity is there. We're really trying to put what we learned the other day with our specialist sessions on court," Rodrigo said.
"That's a good sign. We do have a lot to work on though, we can do that in the next month."
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
