Geva Mentor hopes her return to the Netball Super League can help continue propelling the sport forward. The legendary defender is set for her first appearance in the UK’s top flight for over a decade when she turns out for Leeds Rhinos at the league’s season opener in Nottingham on 17 February after returning from a glittering career Down Under. The 39-year-old cemented her status as one of the game’s finest goalkeepers across 15 years playing in Australia but now hopes her presence back home can help the English game continue to grow after last summer’s run to the World Cup final. I won’t shy away from the fact that there is only one of me, but my experiences, good and bad, that I have had overseas can help me come and add value wherever possible, said Mentor.
I want to keep doing as much as I can as just one person; I know I won’t be able to change the world overnight, but I am happy to raise the issues and ask the questions. I am still challenging myself, I still want to be part of it all and learn from those around me. I want to empower and inspire those around me but learn from those too. I have had that growth mindset; I can still get better. I am excited to explore; I am not too sure what to expect. I know that the game has evolved a lot, but you can see that on the international stage, the game is a lot faster, a lot more physical. There are more international players playing in the Super League now which is definitely only healthy to come up against different styles.
Mentor returns to the UK at an exciting time for the sport following last summer’s Netball World Cup, which saw England reach the final for the first time before falling to Australia. The Roses also recorded a first-ever group stage victory over the Aussie Diamonds, with England’s only ever other major tournament victory coming at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The tournament in Cape Town saw viewership in the UK jump by over one million to 5.6m, and Mentor, who earned her 175th and last cap in the final, believes now is the time for the sport to harness the extra eyes upon it ahead of the new domestic season. The competitive beast in me was gutted that we couldn’t go all the way, but I think in reflection what we were able to achieve, beating Australia in a round game, something we had never done before in a major tournament and setting ourselves up for an opportunity to win gold was huge, she added. We are starting to get more coverage, and the more we can ride on those coattails, the better for the sport.
My mum picked me up at the airport, and we stopped at one of the services just to grab a coffee, and there were three or four people who came up to me and said they watched me and loved netball, and I was so surprised. To be in somewhere completely unknown, not in kit, and for people to come up and ask for a photo and speak to you, that’s where you can see the change and the difference. The Season Opener marks the start of the 2024 Netball Super League season and takes place on 17 February.
