When Hannah Shaw steps out at this weekend’s inaugural WBBL Cup Final against Manchester Mystics, you can be assured the centre and her team-mates will be uber-focused.
That’s because there is some seriously unfinished business on multiple levels to take care of. From being denied a place at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham last January for the 2016 WBBL Trophy Final, losing the Molten WBBL Play-Off Final at The 02 last May and then also being trounced by Mystics in the WBBL Championship earlier in the season.
While success came by way of a first ever league title in 2016 and was sandwiched in between a pair of Betty Codona Classic triumphs, it still feels to Shaw like her hometown side are short-changing themselves.
“This isn’t just any game, it’s huge for us,” she insisted.
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“We got knocked out by Sheffield in last year’s Trophy Semis and so this is about proving just how good we are.
“It’s frustrating that, bar the Betty Codona Classic, we haven’t performed in Finals and got the results we wanted.
“It’s another big arena, so it’s a big stage for us to compete on.
“I’m also getting bored of the phrase ‘always the bridesmaid,” continued Shaw.
“Yes we won the WBBL title last year, but after 40 years as a club with a history of player development as good as ours, it would mean so much to everyone to finally get our hands on more silverware and win something at a major Final.”
It’s a game that on paper at least, looks far too close to call. And, Shaw accepts that they will have to be at their absolute best to overcome their fellow high-flyers.
She said, “The Mystics are a pretty tough outfit this year.
“They shot the lights out when we played them in the league and so containing their shooters will be key.
“Jeff [Jones] has got this team playing really smart basketball and any ‘plays-off’ or mental lapses defensively, will cost us.”
You can watch the game LIVE and for FREE via the BBC Red Button, on the BBC Sport website, app and via Connected TV. The coverage starts at midday on Sunday.
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