Corbin fits nicely into Kiwi style at Mystics
THERE may have been a split in the netball competition down under, but the fact that the Mystics were able to recruit Sasha Corbin highlights the ANZ Premiership’s pulling power.
The 28-year-old midcourter has played 56 tests for England, having been a regular in her national side since 2008, but she chose this season as the one to move down under to play for the Mystics.
Her younger sister, Kadeen Corbin, who has 45 England caps, opted to join the Tactix, making it a sibling move, although going on results so far, it’s Sasha who made the better decision of which team to sign with.
‘‘It’s great that we can talk in the same time zone,’’ said Sasha of being sort of close to her sister. ‘‘She’s come over Auckland as well, more so in the preseason.
‘‘But it’s game time now though, so we’re more focussed on what we’re each doing.’’
Netball in England is growing in popularity, with games from their Superleague regularly shown on TV, but in terms of public and media interest, the sport is still bigger in New Zealand.
Corbin, from North London, had enjoyed from afar the old Australian/New Zealand competition and was tempted by a move to Auckland.
‘‘When the ANZ Championship was in full swing I always wanted to play overseas,’’ she said.
‘‘I always admired the Mystics and the way they played, so this is the team I wanted to come to. So it was a dream come true when I got the call from Helene (Wilson, Mystics coach) and I’ve really enjoyed the style of netball here.’’
After two close losses, the Mystics finally picked up a win on Wednesday night against their near neighbours the Stars and with a team packed with big name players, it was something of a relief to at last record a victory.
‘‘It was a really good feeling,’’ Corbin said.
‘‘We were so happy to get our first win, especially with it being such a highly anticipated game and after losing a couple of close matches, it was good to get over the line.’’
Corbin was forced to sit out most last season, due to an ACL injury picked up while playing for Loughborough in the English Superleague.
So it’s been a big start to the year for her as she’s mixed making a return to the game with being at a new team on the other side of the world.
‘‘It’s been a great challenge, especially at this time in my career and coming back from an ACL injury,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s new, fresh and there have been some really challenging things that we’re going through, but I’m enjoying it and I feel like everyone’s been supportive.
‘‘Helene has been great at breaking things down making it easy to come in.’’
The Mystics have a tough home game on Sunday, against the Magic at Trusts Arena in Henderson and they’ve not been helped by having a short turnaround, which was also affected by the cancellation of Thursday’s session, because of fears around Cyclone Cook.
However, while their build up may have been disrupted, the players are in good spirits after that convincing 58-44 win over the Stars.
‘‘There is such a good feeling and a lot of confidence from all the training we’ve had,’’ Corbin said.