Nervous shooter rapt with winning goal
TE Paea SelbyRickit was a figure of composure when she slotted yesterday’s matchwinning goal.
However, appearances can be deceiving.
The Southern Steel goal attack admits she was very nervous as she lined up the crucial shot with the score at 5353 and only 25 seconds remaining in the ANZ Premiership final against the Central Pulse.
However, she need not have worried.
Her shot soared into the net to give the Steel the most unlikely of wins.
‘‘I was so nervous because the one before that I was shaking so much that I passed it on to Jen [O’Connell],’’ she said.
‘‘Sometimes those short ones are even more nerveracking and she always nails them, so I passed it to her, but I had to shoot the last one anyway.
‘‘But I’m just glad I could finish it off for the team.
‘‘It would have been disappointing after all that hard work that we’d done to claw it back from 11 goals behind to be pipped at the post, so I’m glad it went in.’’
At that point, SelbyRickit was unaware how much time was left on the clock.
‘‘When Jono [Bredin] blew the whistle, I was just in shock — I couldn’t believe it.
‘‘We literally robbed them. They were up the whole game and we came back to win in the last 30 seconds.
‘‘It was an unreal feeling,’’ SelbyRickit said.
Wing attack Gina Crampton was equally as important down the stretch. She showed composure to feed the ball to her shooters and navigate the tough Pulse defence.
She was nearly lost for words at the result, although she said the side never felt it was out of reach.
‘‘You never give up,’’ Crampton said.
‘‘We were obviously the underdogs coming into it and that start put the pressure on even more.
‘‘We were down by six — that’s three breaks and that’s easily doable over a quarter or over a half.
‘‘The belief was there, Wendy was telling us we could do this and we did.’’