'It's a privilege to captain Mavericks. I'm so excited to lead such a great team of individuals and with so many leaders in the team I am really looking forward to it.'
Thursday 7 November 2019 11:20, UK
Sasha Corbin is delighted to have completed a journey that started in 2006 after she was confirmed as benecos Mavericks captain for the 2019 Superleague season.
The England international will be back in purple next year after Mavericks confirmed the popular player will be with the franchise for a second successive season, having initially returned last year.
Corbin captained Mavs to a fifth-placed finish last year, missing out on the top four by just three points as they faltered in the final weeks of the season, and Corbin is determined to learn the lessons of 2018.
"I like to see the captains' role as kind of like the voice of the team, the players, and the coaches and to bring people together, try and be inspirational and a leader on court and kind of have fun and allow the players to know they can have fun too," she tells Sky Sports.
Corbin, who has won four Superleague titles and has more than 50 Roses caps to her name, is currently part of the England squad prepping for the Quad Series, and is a standard bearer for the Mavericks youth programme having come through the system herself.
"What's very cool about Mavericks in general is just they want to bring you through, they give them that opportunity and that's how I started," she added.
"I started in 2006. When they first came out I was the number six player for the club and I was 16 at the time, they gave me my start and they are giving lots of youngsters an opportunity to go out and that's what I love about the club and they really grow and find their roles in the big leagues."
Despite a second successive season outside of the top four, Corbin was quick to dispel any suggestion that there could have been a move away insisting there is plenty to look forward to: "I was always staying, I am so excited.
"The players we've retained, players coming in. I think it makes it exciting for the league so I'm sure the Mavericks fans will be excited and ready to hear all of the announcements.
"It didn't end the way we wanted it to end [last season] but we definitely showed some great patches of play and great performances throughout the year, it was just about holding onto that.
"I think a little bit after the Commonwealth Games break we didn't come back firing well as some other teams and I think that could've done something to us but at the same time, every team was in the same boat. Hopefully without that break as well we can continue some form of momentum in this season.
So with another year of captaincy on the horizon what is the Corbin mantra: "Go out and have fun... as long as they are still performing," she laughs.
"You can only really enjoy it when you're performing so as much as I like to say you just go out there and have fun, you have to stick to the principles and everything that we've been following."
And Corbin knows that with each and every franchise looking to improve the battle to get back into the semi-finals is going to be tougher than ever.
"It is really getting competitive, everyone wants that top four spot and we definitely want to be in and amongst that," she adds.
"We have to show it throughout the year and that's going to be the challenge of building and not just this season but building from last season seeing if we can really put our foot forward.
"It's onwards and upwards. We definitely have to learn from any mistakes that we had last season and just making sure that everyone is ready to take the court just having a full squad that is competitive, everyone wanting to make the seven, the starting lineup and just everyone pushing each other so that we are a better team in general."
