Latest news with #VicBurgess
South Wales Argus
07-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Burgess: Reaching a fifth final is something to be proud of
Vic Burgess believes Loughborough Lightning must be proud of the history they made even as they fell short of a third Netball Super League title in a row. Lightning reached their fifth straight Grand Final, extending their record run, but were unable to become the first club to lift the trophy in three consecutive years. They were beaten by first-time champions London Pulse 53-45 in front of 9,326 fans at the O2 Arena. 'I am proud of where we've got to,' Burgess said. 'This is our fifth final in a row, it is not easy to make a final. 'Sometimes the players forget that, they forget that this is tough and they need to be reminded that we are proud of them.' Lightning took an early lead in the game but were soon hauled back by London Pulse, who held onto their advantage even as Lightning mixed it up as they chased the score. Berri Neil made way for Ella Clark in goal attack, with the experienced Clark sinking back-to-back Soft & Gentle Super Shots to cut the deficit to just two at half-time.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lightning 'not hiding' from historic three-peat
London Pulse have beaten Loughborough Lightning twice in their three meetings this season [Getty Images] Loughborough Lightning's chance to claim an unprecedented Netball Super League 'three-peat' makes them overqualified to be underdogs for Sunday's Grand Final, says head coach Vic Burgess. The Leicestershire outfit have a shot at becoming the first side to win three successive NSL titles when they face London Pulse in the decider at the O2 Arena in the nation's capital. Advertisement While Loughborough are two-time defending champions, Pulse topped the table at the end of the regular season and overcame Lightning 50-49 in the major semi-final just two weeks ago to seal a spot in the showpiece event. Loughborough, however, set up the high-stakes rematch by beating Manchester Thunder last weekend to reach their fifth straight Grand Final. "We have a lot of history, we know how to win in pressure situations and we step up to the plate when it's needed," Burgess told BBC Radio Leicester. "This is our fifth final in a row and we are going for a fourth championship. Advertisement "We have beaten Pulse once this season and they have beaten us twice but I don't think we are the underdogs. I think Pulse want it, but I actually think we want it more." And it is something of history-making proportions that Lightning desire on Sunday. "The opportunity to do the 'three-peat' is there because it is their right," Burgess said. "There is no point not talking about it because it is reality - if we do this, we do create some history. So why hide away from it?" Burgess says the narrow defeat by Pulse in their last meeting, which sent Lightning the long way round to reach the Grand Final, has worked to Loughborough's advantage. Advertisement "Leading up to the final we have put ourselves in the best position possible," she added. "We have had that extra game, and that intensity has kept us focused. "I know the players will be raring to get back on the court against Pulse again so we can right some wrongs. "The loss two weeks ago against Pulse in the major semi, that really did hit quite hard. It was a hard loss for everyone to take because it was one point and we had it [the advantage] at certain points in the game. No one wants to feel like that again." Goal keeper Alice Harvey has been with Loughborough throughout their recent years of dominance - with this set to be her fifth Grand Final appearance in as many years - but says "nothing is being taken for granted". Advertisement "This season has been hard and at no point did it ever feel like we were guaranteed to make the Grand Final," she told BBC East Midlands Today. "Just because we have so much success behind us doesn't mean it will continue. We know we have to stick to our structures, processes and everything that has worked so far. "I know it's not a given, but I am also in a team that pushes for high performance and making it into a Grand Final is the reward for that."
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lightning 'not hiding' from historic three-peat
Loughborough Lightning's chance to claim an unprecedented Netball Super League 'three-peat' makes them overqualified to be underdogs for Sunday's Grand Final, says head coach Vic Leicestershire outfit have a shot at becoming the first side to win three successive NSL titles when they face London Pulse in the decider at the O2 Arena in the nation's Loughborough are two-time defending champions, Pulse topped the table at the end of the regular season and overcame Lightning 50-49 in the major semi-final just two weeks ago to seal a spot in the showpiece however, set up the high-stakes rematch by beating Manchester Thunder last weekend to reach their fifth straight Grand Final."We have a lot of history, we know how to win in pressure situations and we step up to the plate when it's needed," Burgess told BBC Radio Leicester."This is our fifth final in a row and we are going for a fourth championship. "We have beaten Pulse once this season and they have beaten us twice but I don't think we are the underdogs. I think Pulse want it, but I actually think we want it more."And it is something of history-making proportions that Lightning desire on Sunday."The opportunity to do the 'three-peat' is there because it is their right," Burgess said."There is no point not talking about it because it is reality - if we do this, we do create some history. So why hide away from it?" Burgess says the narrow defeat by Pulse in their last meeting, which sent Lightning the long way round to reach the Grand Final, has worked to Loughborough's advantage."Leading up to the final we have put ourselves in the best position possible," she added. "We have had that extra game, and that intensity has kept us focused."I know the players will be raring to get back on the court against Pulse again so we can right some wrongs."The loss two weeks ago against Pulse in the major semi, that really did hit quite hard. It was a hard loss for everyone to take because it was one point and we had it [the advantage] at certain points in the game. No one wants to feel like that again."Goal keeper Alice Harvey has been with Loughborough throughout their recent years of dominance - with this set to be her fifth Grand Final appearance in as many years - but says "nothing is being taken for granted"."This season has been hard and at no point did it ever feel like we were guaranteed to make the Grand Final," she told BBC East Midlands Today."Just because we have so much success behind us doesn't mean it will continue. We know we have to stick to our structures, processes and everything that has worked so far."I know it's not a given, but I am also in a team that pushes for high performance and making it into a Grand Final is the reward for that."
South Wales Argus
29-06-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Burgess urging consistency as Lightning aim for Grand Final
Consistency can be hard to come by but it is exactly what Vic Burgess wants her Loughborough Lightning side to produce when they face Manchester Thunder in the Netball Super League Preliminary Final on Sunday. Lightning narrowly lost 50-49 to London Pulse in the major semi-final, with the reigning champions pushing the regular season table toppers all the way at the Copper Box. It will give Burgess plenty of cause for encouragement heading into Sunday's winner-takes-all contest, following a season that has been chequered by some surprise defeats. 'You learn a lot by losing but it also gives the players that drive to show what they are capable of,' she said. 'Those games [we lost] have been against teams that we should have been beating. It gives the players drive to want to be better and perform more consistently. 'Hopefully we are in a good position this week where we can take accountability and learn how we didn't execute as consistently as we wanted to or needed to.' Lightning lost twice to neighbours Nottingham Forest during the regular season and closed out their league campaign with defeat to Birmingham Panthers. It look their tally of defeats up to four, following an early humbling at home to London Pulse, before Burgess' side exacted some revenge with a win at the Copper Box in May. The one-point deficit in the major semi-final showed there was little between the sides, and the fine margins that are at play in knockout netball. For Burgess, it comes down to one word. 'Losing to Forest the first time around was a definite shift for us into a more winning ways focus,' she reflected. 'Facing them the second time, we probably found it more frustrating in that it came with a similar result but it was about consistency across all four quarters for us. "When we found out the Grand Final was at @TheO2 Arena, it gave us that extra bit of fight." 💗 🏟️ @Pulse_Netball captain @ZaraJaelE talks about what it means to have the opportunity to play at the 2025 Grand Final in her 'home' city on Sunday 6 July. Buy your tickets now ⬇️ — Netball Super League (@NetballSL) June 22, 2025 'Finding that consistency across the season has been more of a challenge compared to previous years, with the new rules, the Super Shot. 'There has definitely been a journey of navigating to get consistent performances and making sure we stick to the gameplan in all of our fixtures.' Lightning are targeting history this season and victory in the Grand Final at the O2 Arena on 6 July would make them the first team to win the Netball Super League three years in a row. With an unprecedented hat-trick of titles within reach, Burgess hopes her side's know-how can come to the fore. 'We have got key players who can really draw on their experience from their journeys before coming here,' she said. 'They can share that with the rest of the squad and keep people focussed. We can look after each other and keep everybody focussed on the task in hand.' Leading the way will be Nat Panagarry, who has captained Lightning to their past two Grand Final triumphs. She is part of a core group alongside Beth Cobden, Hannah Joseph, and Ella Clark who have been present at Lightning for all three of the club's Super League titles. 'This season we have really tried to ignore the outside noise and trust our process,' said Panagarry. 'At the start of the season we knew it was going to be a bit of a gradual build; we had quite a few new players and only the midcourt stayed the same and had that familiarity. 'You are beginning to see the shooting circle click now with Sammy [Wallace-Joseph], Ella, and Berri [Neil].' While Burgess spotlighted the defeats to Forest, Panagarry believes the early 77-51 defeat to Pulse in March was a seminal result in ensuring Lightning got back on the right track. 'We discussed at the start of the season that you have got to win when it matters,' she added. Panagarry is part of a core squad that have been with Loughborough Lightning for several seasons. (Image: Ben Lumley) 'Sometimes those losses really give you a kick and a bit of an education. It makes you have honest chats about how you want to play and what the team looks like. 'The Pulse loss in that second game was huge, it shook a lot of us up. There are four or five of us that haven't lost by that sort of scoreline in a long, long time. 'That was definitely a reality check and what we needed. It is about peaking at the right time and winning the final when it matters.' Victory against Thunder would book a rematch with Pulse in the first Grand Final to be held at the O2 Arena. For Panagarry, reaching such an iconic venue would bring home just how far the sport has come since she started playing in the Netball Super League. 'There were points where I played Super League and there were 100 people in the crowd,' she recalled. 'To be going to some now that have 3-4,000 is a huge show. That doesn't go unnoticed, I appreciate every time I step out in these big moments. 'The O2 this season has been on everyone's minds, to say you have done it and been there for the first time. It is definitely a motivator for me. We would love to be there, we will give everything we can."
South Wales Argus
20-06-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Hannah Joseph: Lightning must bring their own energy to the Copper Box
Lightning beat London Pulse 58-53 in May, the only side to defeat the regular season table-toppers at home this season. It continued Lightning's fine record of results at the venue, with their last two Grand Final victories also coming in east London. Joseph knows her side will continue to fine tune their performance, but will be using last month's victory as the base ahead of Friday's major semi-final clash against the same opponents. She said: 'Last time we went down there we were super pleased with our performance for around 50 minutes so going into this one, we are looking at what we did well and how we can repeat that as well as those areas we want to fix up. 'Going away to Pulse is always a really hard place to play. They have so many fans and the Copper Box can get very loud at times, but we will prepare for this major semi-final as we would prepare for any semi-final. 'It is probably going to be majority Pulse, so it is a good opportunity to see how we can get around each other and find our own energy.' Lightning finished second in the regular season table, five points behind Pulse after defeat on the final day to Birmingham Panthers. It was a fourth loss of the season for the defending champions, and Joseph hopes her side can take heed of any lessons learned before they travel to London on Friday. 'We were really disappointed with the loss, we always go out there to win. More than anything we didn't feel like we performed,' she added. 'It definitely will give us a kick in the right direction and fire us up but ideally we would have won that and performed well. That's the way you want to go into semi-finals. Ultimately though for semi-finals it is about how you turn up on the day.' Lightning have plenty of big match experience in their ranks, with Joseph one of the core members of the side who have won the last two Netball Super League titles. Vic Burgess was able to add experienced names such as Samantha Wallace-Joseph, Shadine van der Merwe and Jodie Gibson to the ranks this season and Joseph believes having that know-how will serve them well. 'The big thing is all of us stepping up,' she said. 'There are leaders like Nat [Panagarry] who are super vocal but you need everyone to be contributing in their own way, even if that looks different. 'The amount of experience we have in the squad and the number of people who have played in finals puts us in a good place because it is very different.' While Lighting have good memories from their last encounter with Pulse, they will also be keenly aware of the reverse fixture back in March which saw Pulse power to a 77-51 win. 'That loss against Pulse was huge for us,' said Joseph. 'It was very early on in the season and as a squad we could rationalise that some of it was performance and some of it was just where we were in the season. 'There have been some losses we weren't overly pleased with this year but there aren't huge blowout games anymore. There are super competitive games and for the sport that is a good place to be.' Friday's prize is a ticket straight to the Grand Final at the O2 Arena on 6 July. The loser must fight again in next weekend's Preliminary Final, against either Manchester Thunder or London Mavericks before they too can dream of the O2. 'To play at the O2 is going to be amazing,' added Joseph. 'The way the fans have got behind games this year has been amazing, netball has been bigger than ever. 'To get a final at the O2 is huge. We said at the start of the season we wanted to be there, we want to win three championships in a row but there are still some matches to win before we get to that point.' To keep up with the latest news, make sure to follow the @NetballSL on X, Instagram and TikTok, Netball Super League on Facebook and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter. The NSL Grand Final will be held at The O2 on 6 July for the first time ever. Get your tickets to experience live elite netball!
