Wolverhampton's Laura Malcolm cherishes chance she felt may never come

The 31-year-old has been named among Jess Thirlby's 12-woman team as England look to defend their gold medal from four years ago.

Malcolm, who has 38 England caps to her name, has been in and out of the frame since her international debut in 2012 and was delighted at earning her place for the games in Birmingham.

When asked if there was a moment she felt it would not happen, Malcolm told the Express & Star: "100 per cent. I had to make a big decision to leave the women's set-up, which is obviously scary because you don't know if you'll ever get back into that.

"But it was the right decision. I came back a lot stronger mentally and it's been great. Jess has really supported me from the start to try and build myself back up.

"I've definitely thought it wasn't going to happen for me and that's why I cried for a couple of days when Jess said I'd made it into the team.

"I don't think I was in the best place mentally and I knew how much it was affecting my performance and how I was around the team.

"That's one thing I always say to young players, always work on that mental side of your game from the start. We do so much work on the physical side of things but it's only when big, negative things happen in our lives that we start working on the mental side.

"Why would you do that? You should strengthen yourself before those things happen. I think it's really important and is something I like to share with young people."

The versatile player, who can play wing defence, wing attack and centre, is proud to be from Wolverhampton and believes the stars have aligned as her debut in the Commonwealth Games comes in the West Midlands.

She added: "It's perfect timing!

"I definitely had it in mind to target these games. It's absolutely fantastic.

"It's been tough and I didn't necessarily think I would do it, but it's happened and it's amazing.

"There's so many people who have constantly supported me from back home so I still feel very connected to the Midlands, even though I've been in Manchester for quite some time.

"I'm not one of those people that loses or changes my accent, it's still there and I'm very proud of that – I'm proud to be a Wolverhampton girl!"

Malcolm has just come off the back of an excellent Netball Superleague title-winning campaign with Manchester Thunder, where the team enjoyed an 100 per cent record of 22 wins from 22 games – adding to Malcolm's title wins with the North West club in 2012, 2014 and 2019.

Now, Malcolm hopes the environment among the England squad will help propel them to victory this summer.

"We approach everything we do with drive, determination and a want to win," she said.

"But what is really important for us is the process. Everything that we do is more than just a medal, it's the connections and laughs we have, and the performances we've put on, that are so special.

"We'll be aiming to go out there, put on some good performances and obviously wants to win, but do it with a smile on our face. We'll soak in the whole experience – it's more than just winning."