A crowd of around 4,000 is being urged to make noise from the very start as the Leeds Rhinos look to upset Saracens Mavericks at the First Direct Arena on Sunday.

Yorkshire’s sole representatives in the Vitality Superleague – the elite tier of British netball – lead a nomadic existence playing games at Leeds Beckett University, Huddersfield University, the Allam Sports Centre in Hull and the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield throughout the season.

They regularly sell out those venues that have capacities for just under 1,000 spectators, but their annual game at the Leeds arena is their showpiece fixture of the season.

Rhinos played their twice last season, to crowds touching 4,000 people on both occasions, and won a thrilling game with Wasps that went right down to the wire.

Things are looking up: Ellie Bird of Leeds Rhinos battles for possession with Lindsay Keable of London Pulse during the Netball Super League 2023 Season Opener. Rhinos play their one-off game at Leeds Arena on Sunday (Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images for England Netball)

A pulsating conclusion was greeted with frenzy from the stands, but one of the club’s summer recruits wants to hear that noise from the outset – even if she admits she will be blocking it out.

As Rhinos’ primary goalshooter Ellie Bird will be responsible for scoring most of the hoops that get the home crowd to their feet. And the 30-year-old New Zealander said: “It’s great when the crowd is loud, so we want them to bring the noise.

“One thing with I’ve found with netball throughout my career, it can be so quiet in the first half of the game and it’s not until the game starts getting tight in the second half, or something big happens, that the crowd gets going.

“So we want our fans to be making noise from the start.

Ellie Bird of Leeds Rhinos scores a hoop. She has a completing percentage of 90% (Picture: Naomi Baker/Getty Images for England Netball)

“For me personally I don’t really pay much attention to the crowd.

“I used to hear my mum and hers would be the only voice I heard – but a lot of noise from the off is good for the whole team. It creates a connection between team and fans. Hopefully we’ll get a good big crowd in there, it’ll be a fun atmosphere.”

Rhinos will need the support of everyone at First Direct Arena – from those who follow them around the county to the new faces taking in netball for the first time.

For the third-year programme is struggling for wins in 2023, managing just one in 10 matches so far.

New Zealander Ellie Bird playing in her native ANZ Premiership back in 2021 (Picture: Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Qualifying for the play-offs is out of reach this season, meaning this game is the most important of the season for a club that one day hopes to lay down roots in its home city.

Having a director of netball in place on a three-year deal will hopefully buck the trend of starting each season with a new coach as Liana Leota looks to build a new identity for the team.

The long-time New Zealand international was one of the reasons Bird swapped her homeland to move to the northern hemisphere and play with Rhinos.

“My mum is English, I’ve got a British passport and it’s always been at the back of my mind to come up here and play,” says Bird.

“I chose Leeds Rhinos because of Liana, having a bit of Kiwi blood in the team is always good.

“She’s obviously got a very good netball brain, she’s been playing for a very long time, and good enough coaching wise to be in with the England Roses international squad.”

As the results suggest, Bird, Leota and the whole Rhinos playing staff are still learning each others’ behaviours.

Bird – for instance – who stands 6ft 4in tall, might be a natural goal-shooter but she is still having to adapt.

“It’s a different style of play, we’ve got a lot of different internationals coming together from different places so it’s been a case of finding our feet with that, and that’s been one of the hurdles we’ve had to overcome,” she explains.

“Back home I used to play with a shooter/goal attack that was nearly my height so it was two tall timbers in the circle.

“So it’s been a bit of an adjustment being the one holding shooter with a rolling goal attack.”

Bird works as flood risk manager for Leeds City Council around her semi-professional career as a netball player.

And if the hoops aren’t pouring in on Sunday at the arena, don’t be surprised to see Bird chuckling at herself.

“I started working with a sport psychologist in 2018, working on not dwelling on the fact you’ve missed a goal, because everyone makes mistakes in life and in this sport, so it’s just a given,” says Bird, who usually scores at a rate of 90 per cent.

“If I miss one right under the hoop I actually laugh at myself. Luckily I’m tall enough so I usually get the rebound.”

Tickets for Sunday’s game are still available at https://www.firstdirectarena.com/events/detail/leeds-rhinos-netball-v-saracens-mavericks or netball.therhinos.co.uk

Ellie Bird interview: Leeds Rhinos netball shooter urges fans to bring the noise to First Direct Arena