Yomi Wilson makes case for the defence for Leeds Rhinos Netball
Yomi Wilson was 17 when she was thrust into a Netball Super League game for the first time.
The goalkeeper was on the NXT Gen squad of title challengers Manchester Thunder when injuries presented her with an unexpected opportunity back in 2022.
But her own injury a few games into that stint, allied with competition for places on perennial top-four contenders Thunder, as well as studying for a law degree, meant Wilson would have to wait four years for her next crack at Super League.
Yet one thing she was determined not to be found guilty of was complacency.
Hard work on and off the court formed the backbone of the case she presented to Lauren Palmer, head coach of Leeds Rhinos, in the signing window last summer, and resulted in her signing her first professional contract with the Yorkshire club.
And this month she got to step back on the court as a bona-fide Super League player.
“It wasn’t something I expected to happen back in 2022,” reflected Wilson. “I was really young and was concentrating on getting my education before I prioritised having a professional sports career.
“Even at 17, I knew it wasn’t something that was going to be handed to me on a plate, I’d still have to work hard for it.
“So mentally I would have always been resilient because it’s something I wanted to do, so I was willing to work for it.”
The 21-year-old Wilson that Rhinos have recruited is a lot closer to the finished article.
She has been on the Vitality Roses pathway which has taken her through the age groups and into the senior England squad. Wilson has yet to win a cap but in Commonwealth Games year has a huge incentive in front of her.
Good form for a Leeds Rhinos team competing at the sharp end of Super League can only enhance those claims.
“Top-four is achievable, we’re looking to build game after game,” said Wilson ahead of Friday’s home opener with Loughborough Lightning at the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield.
Rhinos have started well, reaching the semi-final of the Super Cup before winning away at Birmingham Panthers in their first league game. Having come from a winning environment in Manchester, Wilson knows what it takes.
“We won’t try and look to replicate what the established top-four teams are doing, the way we’ll get to the top four is playing our own game,” she said. “We’ve got a squad to match a top-four team.”