There is obviously a massive feel-good factor around this story, but I would really like to see her prove something against decent opposition before getting too carried away. Firstly the World Cup schedule is absolutely brutal, even for young players. Frankly it's a stupidly crammed schedule that seems intentionally designed to result in medals for the deepest teams rather than the best ones. But secondly, let's be real. The players that LJ has been dominating this season are not remotely comparable to those she would face as an Opal. I'd love to see her play warm-up games against some strong teams. Then we can really see where she really sits in 2022. It doesn't sit well with me that someone could walk straight back into the team just because it would be a lovely story. With all the strides that the Opals' culture has made in the last year and a bit, that would feel like a big setback. But if she can prove she deserves the spot on playing merit then that goes beyond a feel-good story and becomes an extra layer of amazing on top of a status that is already legendary.
There is obviously a massive feel-good factor around this story, but I would really like to see her prove something against decent opposition before getting too carried away. Firstly the World Cup schedule is absolutely brutal, even for young players. Frankly it's a stupidly crammed schedule that seems intentionally designed to result in medals for the deepest teams rather than the best ones. But secondly, let's be real. The players that LJ has been dominating this season are not remotely comparable to those she would face as an Opal. I'd love to see her play warm-up games against some strong teams. Then we can really see where she really sits in 2022. It doesn't sit well with me that someone could walk straight back into the team just because it would be a lovely story. With all the strides that the Opals' culture has made in the last year and a bit, that would feel like a big setback. But if she can prove she deserves the spot on playing merit then that goes beyond a feel-good story and becomes an extra layer of amazing on top of a status that is already legendary.