Leeds Rhinos Netball's long-term vision fills long-standing international Michelle Magee with confidence

Northern Ireland international Michelle Magee was one of the first players to sign for Leeds Rhinos before the franchise had even played a game in anger, joining the club in the autumn of 2020 ahead of their inaugural season in the Vitality Superleague in February 2021.

During the intervening years, defensive player Magee has been to the play-offs under Dan Ryan in Rhinos’ first season, missed out in mid-table under Tracey Robinson, and has now been on a team that has lost four of its first five games to start the 2023 campaign, and therefore sit bottom of the table.

The arrow would seemingly be pointing down, but Magee, now 23, believes things are looking up.

Liana Leota, the rookie director of netball, might not have been able to wave a magic wand in terms of results, but the fact she is in Leeds on a three-year deal fills Magee with the belief that there is a long-term strategy.

“That continuity was something we were really lacking in the club and every year felt like a new start again rather than building on something,” said Magee, who represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

“It was something that was important to a lot of players here that they had a bit of a long-term thinking and something to aim towards.

“With so much change each year it got to feel like you were starting from scratch.

“It’s nice to know Liana is here for three years and wants to build something and that there is a bigger picture.

“I know it’s not the start that the fans or the club wanted, or we as players, but we just have to stick to everything we said at the start of the season and everyone is doing that.”

Making the play-offs might already appear beyond the Rhinos - who this week announced the signing of Australia U21s international Jemma Donoghue, 21, for the remainder of the 2023 season.

But getting wins on the board can build confidence and show the club is moving in the right direction.

“It’s not that we don’t care about this season, it’s still very important,” said Magee, “we’re trying to see what we can do this season.

“I think there’s some really good stuff to come from us this season but it’s nice to have that three-year plan.”

The fixtures haven’t been kind, though, Rhinos have faced all the top teams in Superleague and that continues on Sunday away at Loughborough Lightning, who have won four of their five games.

“We’re going into Loughborough on Sunday with confidence after our performance against Manchester Thunder last week, we pushed them for three quarters,” offered Magee.

“That was perfect prep for us in terms of giving us confidence but also knowing what areas we need to tweak if we want to push up the table.

“We do have really talented and capable players on our team, I don’t think we’ll struggle to stand up to any team in this league, it’s just a case of the crucial moments, those times when you need to push on in games, that’s when we’re not executing at the minute.

“I wish I knew the answer - but for now it’s about learning more about each other, what we need in those crucial moments, how can we get a lead securely, how to close out a game.

“We can only trust that what we’re doing behind the scenes will pay off.”