A preseason injury ruled Trident Homes Tactix shooter Aliyah Dunn out for the early rounds of the ANZ Premiership in what is her second season in the red-and-black dress. We talk to her about her knee injury, getting back on court and the tight run to the league’s Finals Series.
The Tactix are on track for a place in the ANZ Premiership Finals Series – how do you stay focussed on the game at hand, against the Stars this weekend, and not look too far ahead?
We’ve got three rounds left to play and the table is super tight which means teams are going to put everything on the line and do whatever it takes to make sure they get a spot in the playoffs. That includes us too! We just need to stick to our processes and train and play like every week is Finals week from here on out. This is probably my favourite part of the season where everyone is playing and fighting harder. Games are tighter and teams have opportunities to create upsets. It’s going to be an exciting few weeks of netball are coming up.
Can you tell us about your injury and how disappointing it must have been after such a strong preseason?
Year, injuries definitely suck, but it’s a part of sport. When you sign up to play any sport you are aware of the risks that come with it too and unfortunately injuries are one of those risks. But I’ve been pretty lucky so far and this is my first major injury and surgery – this is my seventh season so I must just be getting old!
What has it been like getting back out on court – you got some time against the Steel and 20 minutes against the Mystics. How did it feel?
My knee has been strong enough for a while, it’s just post-surgery you have to be a lot more careful. So the weeks leading into the Steel and Mystics game I was doing managed minutes in training and games which have allowed me to get my bearings back on court and get connections back with the girls.
What needs to be worked on before you take on the Stars this week?
There are a couple of things we have tidied up at training, but the most important thing is making sure we all do our own jobs well. It seems really simple but sometimes we can get carried away with focussing on what the other team are trying to do rather than focussing on what we are trying to achieve and what our role is in that.
Who were your netball/sporting idols growing up and why?
It would have to be Michael Jordan. But if I had to be more netball specific then I would say Donna Wilkins because she played both basketball and netball.
What are your earliest memories from the netball court?
Just playing with all my cousins and friends at kura (school).
What’s your favourite dessert?
My favourite dessert at the moment is Tiramisu.
Netball is a large part of your life – what gets you excited about Game Day?
Probably the opportunity to compete with and against mates. And when the game is over, that satisfying feeling of a win is my favourite part of Game Day, although I would definitely say I can be a bit of a sore loser!
- The Trident Homes Tactix meet the Stars in Round 13 of the ANZ Premiership, in Auckland on Saturday, live on Sky Sport at 4pm.
