Super Netball: Sam Poolman's Giants set to open 2020 season in Sydney

The Newcastle 29-year-old and Giants defender was excited to finally get Super Netball started this weekend but said they must hit the court running with three home games in a week before relocating to Queensland indefinitely.

Super Netball announced on July 19 that due to the coronavirus crisis the majority of this season's matches, including the entire finals series, would be played across Nissan Arena in Brisbane, the University of the Sunshine Coast Stadium and regional Queensland.

The competition will still comprise 14 rounds plus a finals series but will be now played in a condensed format. The first six rounds of fixtures were released last Friday.

"[Giants coach] Julie [Fitzgerald] probably hates this about us, but we've always been a club that plays really well away," Poolman said. "I think that's because we've never owned a home, so we can take confidence that we play well away. But I think anything goes this year. Everything is off the table. It's who's just going to be able to back up.

"It will show people's squads because I don't think you can play eight weeks' worth of netball, two games a week, with your same starting seven. Our squad is really exciting and I think we tick a lot of the boxes."

The Giants open their campaign on Saturday when they host West Coast Fever. They back up midweek against the NSW Swifts then face Adelaide on August 8. All three games will be played at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park before the Giants head north.

"I'd say we're packing our backs for around seven weeks," Poolman said.

"It's a pretty big chunk of time away, but it is what is and you have to do what you have to do to play a full season. If anything we've learned with COVID, it just keeps changing, so the fact that we can actually get it off the ground running together with all teams is a positive thing."

After nearly three months of lockdown, the Giants returned to group training at the start of June and Poolman said some form of normality had returned in recent weeks.

"We've been playing weekly practice matches and are getting to that point where things are starting to finally fall into place," she said.

"You're feeling confident. You are taking risks that are starting to pull off. You're working together as a unit. We're at that point where it's all starting to jell and there's some really nice stuff and the work is all starting to come together."

"That's exciting because there's confidence behind what we're putting out and we are so close, so at least while it is still a bit up in the air we know we're going to play netball."

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