Nottingham Forest Netball Captain Niamh Cooper Eyes Historic Title Challenge
Nottingham Forest Netball captain Niamh Cooper is dreaming big as her team enters its second season in the Netball Super League, with ambitions to fight for the historic title. Despite the franchise being only in its second year of existence, Cooper believes the squad has the potential to challenge for top honours this campaign.
Building on a Strong Debut Season
In their inaugural Netball Super League season, Nottingham Forest emerged as one of the surprise packages, finishing fifth and just three points shy of the semi-finals. Reflecting on that achievement, Cooper stated, "It was fantastic. As a club, we were really striving to be in the top four, but with hindsight, I think we did really well to build the foundations of the franchise."
Cooper, who works as an A&E doctor, noted that many clubs underestimated Forest initially. "A lot of the clubs underestimated us coming into the league. Some of the players were relatively unknown and proved everybody wrong. A couple of the clubs now really see us as true title contenders, and so they should," she explained.
Key Additions Strengthen the Squad
With a largely unchanged squad, Forest have made strategic additions by bringing in Ané Retief and Anya Williams. Cooper believes these signings will address one of last season's biggest challenges: a lack of depth off the bench. "This year we have got increased depth on our bench. We brought in Anya and Ané, two brilliant players in attack and defence," she said.
Cooper highlighted the unique qualities each new player brings. "Anya has brought real energy into training. She is the youngest in the team but you wouldn't know it because she is so loud. She's a really accurate shooter, and her movement is very different to the styles we have." Regarding Retief, she added, "Ané is probably one of the hardest workers in the team. She has that real true South African grit. She's come in and been really impressive, and I think she will be a force to be reckoned with."
Aiming for Consistency and Championship Success
The passionate fans at the Motorpoint Arena cheered on a team that could match the league's best when performing well, but consistency was an issue. Cooper sees the new signings as key to solving this. "We talk about togetherness and strength in numbers. Having that core eight and adding Ané and Anya has really strengthened us," she noted.
Looking ahead, Cooper set clear goals for the season. "The goal is to be top four. I think we have everything we need in this team to be a Championship-winning side. If we can align the strengths of every player we have in the ten, we have everything we need to succeed, so hopefully you will see us on finals day."
She emphasised that the added depth will force opponents to rethink their strategies. "This year, they will probably work a bit harder to look at how to combat some of the different tactics we brought, especially around the Super Shot. To be able to turn around and completely change the style up with an Anya or an Ané is a real added string to our bow and will give other teams a lot more to think about this season."
As Nottingham Forest Netball aims to live up to the expectations of the sports-mad city, Cooper's leadership and the squad's enhanced capabilities position them as genuine contenders in the Netball Super League title race.
