Millie Sanders interview: Why I swapped champions Manchester Thunder for Superleague upstarts Leeds Rhinos

The 21-year-old goal defence/goal attacker who had just won a Vitality Superleague title with her hometown Manchester Thunder, traded it all away for the chance to help build a culture and a winner at Leeds Rhinos.

Sanders is one of a raft of new signings that make up the 12-strong Leeds Rhinos squad that begin their third season in Superleague on Saturday against London Pulse, as part of the big opening weekend show in Nottingham.

“I really enjoyed my time at Thunder but I was ready for a new challenge,” Sanders tells The Yorkshire Post, after taking part in a training session at the YMCA in Leeds on Wednesday.

“I wanted a lot more game time and I’ve heard so much about Leeds Rhinos.

“I was getting a lot of game time but it was more so to do with other people’s injuries and I was just ready for a new challenge.

“I was really excited to hear Liana Leota had got called up to come and coach the team, so it was a no-brainer for me.

“I knew they were recruiting a fresh team here as well so I wanted to get involved.”

That commute across the M62 aside, Sanders is settling in nicely to her new surroundings.

The team is not yet complete as they still wait on their two South Africa signings - Nicola Smith and Elmere van der Berg - to join up after international duty, but having left a winning culture in Manchester, Sanders has already identified key characteristics in the Leeds locker room.

“It was very professional at Manchester, very similar to what I’ve found here, strict on time, kit, all the little things, because if you don’t get the little things right off the court, you’ll never get it right on the court,” says Sanders.

“It’s a really close team, we’re not afraid to pull each other up on things. I’ve worn the wrong t-shirt a couple of times and been told about it, so it is good that we’re taking accountability and not afraid to challenge each other.

“Because it’s a new team we’re trying to grow that culture that will eventually develop a winning mentality. We’re gelling together and I’m excited to see what we can do together.”

This being World Cup year, there is an added incentive for English players to impress over the course of the four-month Superleague season.

This summer’s World Cup in South Africa might come too soon for Sanders, but as part of the England Futures squad she is certainly on the right pathway.

And at Leeds under first-year director of netball and former New Zealand international Leota, she is adding new facets to her game.

“Having been at Thunder my whole life I’ve kind of got a different game, I’ve developed a man-to-man game,” she explains.

“So I’m trying to explore playing off players more, which the coach is trying to help me develop to give me more strings to my bow.

“I’m also learning to play with different types of defenders, I’ve always played with the same style so it has been really good to learn how other defenders play and work around them.

“I’d love to play in a World Cup,” adds Sanders, who had earned a spot at the Youth World Cup in 2021 only for it to be cancelled due to Covid. “I’m confident Leeds can help me achieve that dream.”