Bouyant Bolton gets into the Fever
A reborn Shae Bolton is back to being a netball nerd and doesn't plan on leaving the sport any time soon.
The West Coast Fever midcourter thought long and hard about whether she would play on at the end of last season after losing her passion for the game.
But the 24-year-old Victorian signed a one-year deal and fronted up for her sixth year at the success-starved ANZ Championship club.
"I think that indecision actually helped my netball this season because I actually went into it with fairly low expectations and also just playing for the love of it again," Bolton said.
"You have to love it and I reconnected with that through the pre-season and I guess it's really showing on the court now.
"I am a self-confessed netball nerd and I love everything about it. I guess I lost that for a while.
"Now that I have reconnected with it again I can't see myself retiring any time soon."
Also helping Bolton's positive outlook is the fact she has shone at wing defence since the injury to vice-captain Ashleigh Brazill, after struggling at centre last season.
"Obviously I had massive shoes to fill in Ash Brazill's," she said. "But when you do get those opportunities you have really got to grab hold of them with two hands."
The Fever take on the ladder-leading Melbourne Vixens at Hisense Arena tomorrow and despite being out of finals contention, Bolton insists there is plenty to play for.
"We can get a little bit of dignity back by beating a team like the Vixens because they're such a top side," she said.
Bolton is also confident success isn't too far away for the Fever, paying tribute to outgoing coach Norma Plummer.
"A lot of people thought that bringing over champions like Nat Medhurst and Chelsea Pitman and even bringing over Norma a few years ago was going to be a quick fix," she said.
"I have really seen this season as a great opportunity to incorporate them in our team and develop everyone around them as well.
"I really hope that this team does stay together because I really do think that in years to come you will start to see that.
"And that's Plum's legacy, I guess. I think what she has brought to the table in the last three seasons we are really going to see the fruits of that in the next couple of seasons."
Either way, Bolton is keen to stick around and now considers herself 80 per cent West Australian. "I don't want to finish my career having more losses than wins," she said.
… I love everything about it … I lost that …" *Shae Bolton *
