By James Reid
London Pulse captain Zara Everitt insists her side are hungrier than ever to get their hands on a maiden Netball Super League title.
Pulse have finished in the top four for the past three seasons but are yet to go all the way, their closest being defeat in the 2023 Grand Final to Loughborough Lightning.
Lightning again struck Pulse down in the 2024 semi-finals and Everitt believes her side have learned the required lessons to go all the way this season.
“Pulse is a great team to be a part of but this year is really exciting,” she said. “We are building into a really strong squad who wants to lift the trophy this year.
“Last year we had a really strong season in the regular games and then we couldn’t quite finish it off. That’s something we know we have to work on and keep in the back of our minds. There’s definitely a bit of extra hunger this year.
“We are not such a young team anymore. We’re not old by any means but we have lots of experience, both winning and losing, and that is going to benefit us when it comes to crunch time.”
Everitt will captain Pulse for the fourth season in a row but the wing defence insisted leadership is something carried by all players wearing pink on court.
She added: “It is great to have the confidence of the girls behind me and know they want me to lead them this season. It just means that when the harder conversations come, I know that they’re backing me and on court, they know that I will back them.
“It has been about learning to trust each other in the team and making sure that everyone takes on the responsibility to lead as well.”
Everitt is part of a quintet of Vitality Roses in the Pulse ranks, with the defender joined by Halimat Adio, Funmi Fadoju, Alicia Scholes and Olivia Tchine in having represented England over the international window.
Their squad also includes England pathway players Sophie Kelly, Darcie Everitt, and Gracie Smith while Tyler Orr and Nichole Breedt add international flair and experience.
Everitt took a six-month sabbatical from her role as a trainee solicitor in order to commit to the Roses programme full-time in the second half of 2024.
She will once again balance her legal career with the 2025 Netball Super League campaign, and is determined to earn more opportunities in the red dress in the future.
“It is definitely one of the things I am continuing to learn how to do well,” she added. “I did it for all of last season and I felt really well supported by both the club and also the firm that I work for. I am really lucky to be in that position.
“I took six months off to take part in the England programme, so I had a taste of being a full-time athlete which I really enjoyed but I do value my legal career and having another string to my bow. I hope to continue to be able to do that for as long as possible.
“It has been really cool to be on the England programme. Any time I can pull on the red dress is really exciting for me.
“I was disappointed with some of the selections that I missed out on, I didn’t quite make it on all of them apart from Nations Cup so I am hungry for more and get more opportunities to show what I can contribute to the team.”
