SINCE their inception in 2017, Wasps Netball have been setting the standard and dominating the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL). The midlands franchise won back to back Superleague titles in their first and second seasons, and have played in every Grand Final opportunity since they first formed – including Fast 5’s in 2018 and 2019. Draft Central spoke to head coach Mel Mansfield and England Roses shooting legend Rachel Dunn about what we can expect to see from the side in 2021 and beyond.

Mansfield has been busy recruiting for her side over the past few months, and throughout this process, she places a heavy emphasis on club culture and finding a balance with players and coaching staff.

“It’s all about the people – and that means the staff and the players. When we look to recruit, it’s really important that we get the right characters for the group as well as the right players and for me the whole thing links together.”

Wasps have recruited rookie import Gezelle Allison to boost their attacking end for 2021. The Sunshine Girl representative will combine with Dunn and Katie Harris to form an experienced and exciting front line.

“I’m a great fan of tall shooters, so I wanted some size in there,” Mansfield said. “I believe those three are going to be a really lethal combination. Gezelle’s going to be a really strong and robust player and I want her to come here and really rock the boat.”

Allison stands at 6ft and is a dual code athlete who also plays basketball at a high level. She earned her first cap representing Jamaica at the Netball Nations Cup earlier this year and can impress in both goal attack and goal shooter, giving Wasps good flexibility with their shooting combinations.

Dunn, who is entering her 16th Superleague season, is looking forward to having a new face alongside her in the shooting end.

“It’s exciting to have Gezelle come on board,” Dunn said. “We’ve got some stalwarts in the squad who’ve been around for a while but also injected some new talent in, so we’re quite excited to see what we can do.”

Two key names missing from the side are former captain Hannah Knights, who announced her retirement, and midcourt superstar Jade Clarke, who will be continuing her career at new franchise Leeds Rhinos. Mansfield has worked with Clarke a long time and said her decision to leave the franchise was disappointing but not unexpected.

“Obviously, I didn’t want her to leave and I think it was a very difficult decision for Jade. There are many reasons why players stay and many reasons why players choose that it’s the right time to move.”

With this in mind, Mansfield had to carefully select her new leadership group and surround herself with experienced players who are capable of stepping up next season. Sophia Candappa will take on the role of captain.

“For me, Sophia as the captain was the obvious choice. She’s been around from the beginning of Wasps and throughout all the obstacles that she has had in her seasons. I knew I wanted her as the captain very early on in the process.”

Supporting Candappa will be Amy Flanagan, Fran Williams, Josie Huckle and Wasps stalwart Dunn. These four athletes are all fantastic role models for the sport and have a huge amount to give both on and off the court.

“Amy is a bit of an unsung hero. There’s no doubt everybody rates her as a player, but what you wouldn’t necessarily know about Amy is how tactically brilliant she is. Fran is part of the England leadership group now, she works extremely hard in training, and really raises the tempo… Josie’s our loudest player and fully deserves to be shouted about this year, she’s going to get some great opportunities on the court this season.”

For Wasps, Dunn is a leader on court without needing to be named as one. She has played in every Superleague season since its inception in 2005, picking up a handy seven titles along the way. She notes that the league has come a long way in terms of exposure and professionalism.

“I remember when it first started out you were playing in front of a handful of people in certain venues so it’s good to see bigger crowds and venues starting to sell out. Contracting has changed massively, when it first started you used to not even get expenses and now there’s a salary cap and it’s got a lot more professional on that side of things. The increase in the number of international players has really grown, the league is attracting star names from all over the world so it’s growing in that respect.”

As well as being an elite netballer, Dunn is also a scientist and works full-time for the NHS managing a laboratory. Whilst many players in the Superleague juggle full-time careers alongside their training, the recent introduction of the full-time Roses programme provides another option.

“Back in the day, when I first started out, there wasn’t an option to be a full-time athlete so I’ve always managed to balance school, university, work so I have a routine I’ve always been in – mentally I quite enjoy that. Unfortunately, our sport doesn’t yet hold professional status for the majority of athletes and whilst I think it’s great that our Roses have the option now to be full-time, you’ve got to have one eye on the future aswell.”

At 37, Dunn is showing no signs of slowing down. She was in the form of her life for the 2019 season, and this culminated in the shooter earning World Cup selection alongside Jo Harten, Helen Housby and Nat Haythornthwaite.

“Playing in a home World Cup – it was fantastic to be part of it. Having seen how 2020 panned out and other things that have been affected you’re just grateful that we could experience something like that.”

Looking ahead to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Roses fans will be curious to know if we might see her on court again in the red dress.

“As a player of my age it’s a long way off! I tend to take things one season at a time at the moment and just see how things go. I honestly don’t know myself. I’m going to see how this season goes and see where we’re at.”

The athletes are working through a progressive return to play programme and the intensity of training sessions is increasing. Fortunately, the Superleague is classed as elite so training can still continue despite the second lockdown in the UK.

“I’m really confident that England Netball will get a league running in 2021 and that’s what we’re all heading towards,” Mansfield said. “Everyone is 100% committed to bringing Superleague netball back to the court and back to our loyal fans.”

The competition for the 2021 VNSL title is looking tough, with all franchises boasting big-name signings and a host of talented players. This will make for an extremely competitive season, however as we have come to know over the past few months, things can all change very quickly.

“We’ve got to bear in mind that at any moment players or staff could be required to self-isolate,” Mansfield said. “The training partners need to concentrate during training because they could be called the night before the game if somebody becomes unwell and suddenly they are starting seven.”