“It’s going to be good – it’s going to be really good!” Kim Commane excited by Blue & Gold’s potential for 2021 Superleague season
Australian shooting star Kim Commane says she is “chomping at the bit” to get back to England and Team Bath Netball after being named as the Blue & Gold’s 15th and final squad member for the 2021 Vitality Superleague season.
The 32-year-old has made a huge impact since first joining Team Bath two seasons ago, with her lightning-quick hands, intelligent movement and composed finishing establishing her as one of the Superleague’s leading shooters.
Commane also quickly became a hugely-popular figure with her team-mates, coaches and supporters, sweeping the board in the club’s 2019 end-of-season awards before being named as captain in 2020.
She led them to the top of the table with three big wins before the season was cut short by the Coronavirus pandemic and while she has been back in Australia for the past seven months, Commane cannot wait to return to a star-studded squad she feels is maturing into serious title contenders.
“I’m chomping at the bit to get back,” she said. “It’s a real shame we didn’t get to finish off what we started last season but looking at our line-up for the 2021 campaign, it’s going to be good – it’s going to be really good!
“As a playing group, we have gone from strength to strength in the past couple of years. We finished third in my first year and I really do believe we had the capabilities to win the title last season. We set our standards high early on and as a playing group we demanded that high level of intensity week in, week out.
“If we have everybody on board in every single session – our squad, our training partners, our support staff, our coaching staff, all heading in the same direction – then we can challenge for the title again this season. I’m really excited to see what we can achieve.”
Commane has been able to play competitive netball during recent months, for Sydney-based Panthers in the Premier League, but has also been staying in touch with Team Bath’s players and coaches throughout.
“Team Bath as a club have just welcomed me with open arms, not just the staff and players but the fans as well,” she said. “Everyone has been very supportive and I love that, it really feels like home – but cold!
“Bath as a city is a pretty phenomenal place, I remember the first time driving into there – I couldn’t believe I would be living there, it was such a beautiful place.
“I settled into the squad very quickly. I’m very much a team person and like to make sure everyone feels included and welcome. I always try to get to know the girls as much as I can and that helped me settle in too.
“Being made captain was pretty amazing, to lead such an astonishing group of women was a real honour and it’s something I hold very highly in my career achievements. I was the first import to be captain of Team Bath too, so that was pretty special and I’m very grateful to have been given that opportunity.”
Anna Stembridge, Team Bath Netball Superleague Head Coach, said: “I feel like Kim’s game went to a whole new level last season when she took on the role of captain. We all know her shooting is prolific but her court craft, game smarts and leadership were exceptional. She really gives defenders a headache with her movement and agility, and it has been really exciting watching Kim and Sophie carve it up in that shooting circle over the past couple of years.
“We have a lot of players who can play a leadership role on and off the court, and that has not come about by chance. I want to have people who can step up and take responsibility, who can inspire the players around them, and we have those characters throughout the squad.”
Commane is the final player to be named in Team Bath’s 2021 Superleague squad, joining Imogen Allison, Summer Artman, Betsy Creak, Chartie Curtis, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis, Layla Guscoth, Serena Guthrie, Kirsty Harris, Hannah Passmore, Tash Pavelin, Abi Robson, Jess Shaw, Rachel Shaw and Eboni Usoro-Brown in a line-up packed with England internationals, experienced campaigners and talented youngsters.
The 2021 season is scheduled to begin in February.
