And we are back! Each round, I will be giving you my team of the round, my highlights, the next fixtures and the players to watch out for in the next round!
As a Loughborough Lightning fan, I’m hoping that my team can achieve an unprecedented three-peat, but I’ll also be here for the action regardless of the team. This season is a new-look league with new teams and new players.
First, here are my final predictions for the season ahead:
Champions: London Pulse
Finalists: Loughborough Lightning
Semi-Finalists: Manchester Thunder & Leeds Rhinos
5th: London Mavericks
6th: Nottingham Forest
7th: Cardiff Dragons
8th: Birmingham Panthers
Let’s see how right I am after the Grand Final!
Now onto my Round 1 roundup! ☺
Team of the Round:
GK: Jodie Gibson (Lightning)
GD: Shadine Van der Merwe (Lightning)
WD: Alex Johnson (Dragons)
C: Gracie Smith (Pulse)
WA: Alicia Scholes (Pulse)
GA: Emma Thacker (Mavericks)
GS: Ella Clarke (Lightning)
Highlights:
1. Rhinos took their Super Cup success into the first round with a win against Birmingham Panthers.
2. Reigning Champions Loughborough Lightning produced cool, calm and composed performance against rivals Manchester Thunder.
3. 16 year old Gracie Smith shone in her debut for London Pulse as they sealed the win against Nottingham Forest.
Round 2 fixtures:
Friday 21st March, 19:30: Nottingham Forest vs Cardiff Dragons
Predicted winner: Cardiff Dragons
Players to watch: Rolene Streutker and Jacqui Newton
Friday 21st March, 19:30: Birmingham Panthers vs Manchester Thunder
Predicted winner: Manchester Thunder
Players to watch: Jas Brown and Amy Carter Saturday
22nd March, 18:00: Loughborough Lightning vs London Pulse
Predicted winner: London Pulse
Players to watch: Berri Neil and Funmi Fadoju
Sunday 23rd March, 16:00: London Mavericks vs Leeds Rhinos
Predicted winner: London Mavericks
Players to watch: Suzie Liverseige and Geva Mentor
You can catch the NSL action throughout the season on Youtube, Sky Sports and BBC Sport.
Additionally, if you want to hear more from me, you can head over to @tash_talker1 on Instagram to find my viewpoints and predictions!
