By James Reid
Loughborough Lightning boss Vic Burgess is pulling no punches in her side’s ambition to win their third Netball Super League title in a row.
Burgess guided Lightning to an historic defence of their title in 2024, as they swept aside rivals Manchester Thunder 70-54 to become just the fourth to lift the trophy back-to-back.
Now Burgess has eyes on a further slice of history by becoming the first team to win three titles in a row, and the north east native believes she has got the right squad to do just that.
“Our aim is to do the ‘three-peat’ or the back-to-back-to-back, there’s lots of language we have spoken about as we headed into pre-season back in October,” she said.
“We sorted out nice and early what our aims were this season, and it is to win and create more history for our club by doing it three times in a row.
“There is a target on our back, we have just done back-to-back. People will want to beat us but I see it as a privilege and so do the players.
“We have worked really hard to put ourselves in this position and to be the team to beat, so we are relishing it.
“We know that we need to be every single day we are training, every game that we play, so we are as prepared as possible.”
Burgess has retained the core of the side that clinched last year’s title, with captain Nat Panagarry once again leading from centre.
She makes up an unchanged mid-court alongside experienced duo Hannah Joseph and Beth Cobden, plus up-and-coming centre Bella Baylis.
Burgess has also welcomed fresh attacking faces in the form of Samantha Wallace-Joseph and Berri Neil to replace Mary Cholhok and Rhea Dixon.
Dixon moved to new franchise Nottingham Forest while Cholhok signed with Queensland Firebirds in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball after finishing as the league’s top scorer last term.
Wallace-Joseph moves the other way after a controversial exit from New South Wales Swifts while Lightning pulled off a coup in bring in Neil from rivals London Pulse.
With stalwart Ella Clark also returning, Burgess is excited about her new look attack end.
“Mary was with us for five years and there will be a change there, but things change and people move on,” she added.
“We needed a nice strong shooter who can turn to post, but our playing style might look a little bit different.
“I had a good conversation with Sam. I needed to understand who she was and what she could bring to our team. After those discussions, it was clear that she wanted to do well, she wanted to enjoy her netball and I think we have some great players that can support her. She has been a breath of fresh air.
“I have worked with Berri in the past and I know that she is very ambitious. She is really creative and her ability to turn to post and shoot, and the accuracy of her shot, is really strong. For me it was a no-brainer to speak to Berri and try and get her on-board this season.”
Burgess has also added Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jodie Gibson and South African Shadine van der Merwe to her defence.
She is hopeful that her side can rise to the occasion of the Super League’s relaunch for the 2025 season, with more games set to be played in arena and all matches available to watch on TV.
She added: “It feels bigger. There is a lot more funding going into the players themselves. There are more games in arenas, hopefully more spectators are at the venues to cheer us on. I don’t think you can beat a gameday experience, live in an arena.”
