Rant 104
Our netball grade is not quite the top one, which seems to mean that we have athletic players, but not necessarily ones who are used to playing netball. We have big, solid rugby league guys playing against us. They're quick and jumpy, but don't know how to go for a ball without nearly maiming people.
I know it's not particularly intentional, but at the end of our last few games all I can remember is a montage of me cowering against the net or sprawling/stumbling/bracing-myself as some big Poly guy shoulder-barges me from the side as I innocently try to catch a pass. I think they often match the female D with Brad back in the circle, and send the sprint-star rugby player guy out to mark me. Neat. I think Michelle handles it just fine, because she's zippy and cunning enough to get around him, but I'm too accepting of my glacial qualities to even try that.
So I just play for angles/space, which means they're always nearby and can't resist trying for an intercept, which (given I call purposely for the ball in a direction I can protect/hold) means a lot of times they come across my body and hit me from the side as I catch it. They're not often going to be able to get the ball cleanly from the angle they're coming from - but they keep on trying. And they're rugby players, so their version of 'trying' is a lot less controlled than an experienced netball player usually is. It's more a free-for-all tunnel-vision attack on the ball.
After getting hit a few times in tonight's game I said to the ref, 'Just watch they don't injure someone.' She said, 'I'm calling the contacts.' I said, 'I know - but it's getting pretty rough - I don't want to end up with a sprained ankle or anything from it.'
She started justifying herself, which I didn't intend - just wanted to signal that I was feeling a bit vulnerable from the heavy contacts. All power to anyone who can intercept the ball off me and in a way I don't mind that they go hard even against a girl, but this guy wasn't usually getting the ball - he was just getting me. And his buddy at centre had hip-checked me pretty solidly last time I'd tried to cut into the shooting circle. Bit of a human pin-ball machine.
It's just one of those things with non-netball players that refs should tell them off for more, so that they learn. They need to start using their judgement to decide when they're not going to be able to get the ball without hitting people, and pull out before that happens. It's the spirit of the game.
Social netball is not worth screwing up your back/ankles for. I have pretty decent control generally and don't get injured. I can take a hit and fall in a controlled way, but when I have 100kg blocks of muscle pounding into me most times I catch the ball in open play I do feel a little vulnerable. If there's a 50-50 ball and I see these guys barrelling in from across the court, to be honest, I'm just going to let them get it. It's not worth the risk.
And the guy got righteous at me. He said, 'Oh - come on. You know I'm faster than you - I got that ball.'
The fact he thought he needed to point out he was faster than me was almost flattering - he said it in a way that he expected me to put up a fight about it. Erm. He had just sent me sprawling, when I had my hands on the ball. His point was odd. Sure, I'd slightly Hollywooded my fall....
Then the ref tried to make out we were contacting each other evenly - 'Both teams are aggressive and physical - you were both contesting equally.' Huh? I wasn't contesting - I was merely putting out my hand to catch a ball. I wasn't silly enough to initiate any kind of contact with a guy who could accidentally knock me out with his elbow and not even notice.
And then in the second half a different guy crunched into me while going for a ball that I'd already caught and had me pinned on the ground underneath him, against the net. That one scraped both my knees and hurt my back. The ref even asked afterward if I was alright.
I was able to haughtily reply, 'That's what I was talking about!' as I got up grimacing (half-wishing I'd actually sprained my ankle and had to be carried off court just to prove my point). I'm not sure if my moment of righteousness was worth it though .... I'll see how the old back feels in the morning.
It's a bit grim to prophecise your own injuries.
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I am looking forward to playing a bit of gentle basketball tomorrow.
Basketball generally is a safer kind of rough - your defender is right behind you, so while they may have a forearm in your back, they haven't got a full head of steam and it's generally not aerial contact until you're shooting it, at which point you're usually both going straight up, rather than being hit from the side.
The refs in basketball are generally pretty strong and wouldn't allow it to get dangerous, anyhow.
And except for some tank-like women from the Trentham Armybase team, there aren't a lot of women I'd be afraid to take on for a ball.
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Post Script
I'm quite possibly grossly exaggerating - if I watched play-back of our game I'd probably cringe and say, 'Stop being a cry-baby, you lazy wussie! Harden up!'.
Just venting a little.
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