Steel captain vows to return

Southern Steel netball captain Wendy Frew has had surgery after she suffered the worst injuries among four players hurt in a van crash in Christchurch on Monday.

Frew has undergone surgery to repair injuries to an elbow and leg and was expected to be discharged from Christchurch Hospital.

Shooter Te Paea Selby-rickit suffered a rib injury, while midcourter Shannon Francois and shooter Jhaniele Fowlerreid had minor injuries. They were released from hospital on Monday.

The Steel are unbeaten so far in the national league and have confirmed they will take the court for their match against the Mainland Tactix in Christchurch tonight.

Frew will miss that match with the other three injured players in doubt.

Renowned for her tenaciousness, Frew was adamant she would be ‘‘back on the court in no time’’.

‘‘We are united together and this won’t stop us,’’ she said.

The accident was traumatic for the team.

‘‘It’s like a nightmare – it’s such an awful, scary experience to be involved in for all of us. But we are a strong team and we will get through it together.’’

Steel chief executive Lana Winders said: ‘‘No team plans to be dealing with an emergency incident like this but we are in a position to present a team tomorrow because of the commitment of our players and the depth in our development ranks.

‘‘Our tagline has always been ‘made of Steel’ – now we get to prove it.’’

The Steel have called in four youngsters from their Netball South Beko League team to provide cover, with the availability of the rest of the existing squad to be determined today.

Steel lead physiotherapist Corina Ngatuere said player recovery would be ‘‘gauged day by day’’ and remained the team’s top priority.

The Steel have already secured top spot in the competition and a home final, to be played in Invercargill on June 28.