Elite goal-shooter Samantha Wallace is back in Australia.
T&T's leading netballer emerged from quarantine and headed to the court to link with her New South Wales Swifts teammates to begin preparation for the May 1 start of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League.
"I just came out of quarantine on Sunday, and straight into training on Monday," said told Guardian Media Sports on Monday. "Training was really awesome. I'm just glad to be back!"
She admitted that she was a bit tired and her body sore after her first session but the 27-year-old is thrilled to be back down under and anticipates another fine season with the Swifts, a five-time champion in the 20-year-old league.
"This is my fifth season and definitely looking forward to actually playing netball, to be honest, and actually, we will have a crowd so that will be exciting," said the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) "Future Is Female" award recipient.
In October, Wallace, a two-time club "Most Valuable Player" and 2019 Grand Final best-on-court recipient, re-signed with the Swifts after a season hampered by the on-going coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Wallace, a two-time club MVP and 2019 Grand Final best-on-court recipient, joined the Swifts in 2017 and won the Suncorp Super Netball League in 2019.
Heading into this season, Wallace will resume her partnership with Helen Housby which has been vital to the club’s continued success. Following last season, the NSW Swifts shooting team, which also includes Sophie Garbin, is ranked third in the league.
Wallace, who has been described as "un-guardable as you can get at the Goal Shooter position" on the SSN website which added that she scored the third-most points in 2020 but unlike the next two scorers, she and consistently punished defences during the Rebel Power 5, where shooters attempted Super Shots which were worth two points.
Last season, she scored 522 goals from 591 attempts and drained 46 Super Shots from 85 attempts, which ranked her fifth in both categories. She also placed fifth in the rankings for offensive rebounds with 31 for the season.
"I'm grateful to be back training with the girls. It was a hassle to get me across here due to COVID but I'm super grateful with the hard work my manager put in behind the scenes," said Wallace.
"I know we can do it. I saw the girls were working extremely hard when I was back in Trinidad and in isolation so definitely looking forward to getting another title this year... God spare."
SSN announced that the eight teams will compete in a full 14-week home and away season followed by a three-week finals series. The Grand Final is set for August 29. Each team will host seven home games, with the number of fans able to access each match depending on health authority advice in each jurisdiction.
A full fixture is scheduled to be released soon with only the first month of matches to ensure some flexibility with the ever-changing COVID-19 situation according to the league management.
Another leading T&T netballer will feature in the SSN League. Kalifa McCollin, who competed with the Southern Steel in the ANZ Premiership in New Zealand, will boost the Collingwood Magpies shooting team.
Magpies will be hoping McCollin's game translates to the SSN. The former national Under-21 captain scored 262 points for the Steel last season.