Tactix go from easybeats to title favourites
Winning one game a season was once considered an achievement by the Mainland Tactix.
How the times have changed. On the back of their best campaign in team history last year, where they won nine games and made the grand final, much is expected of the Tactix in
2021.
Many in netball circles have dubbed them favourites for this year’s ANZ Premiership, which begins next Sunday.
The talk is justified. The Tactix have nine of their 10 contracted players back from last season with the only change seeing Silver Ferns defender Karin Burger joining from the Central Pulse, replacing Temalisi Fakahokotau, who has shifted north to the Magic.
In pre-season, the Tactix were sharp at the premiership’s annual warm-up tournament in O¯ taki, being the only team to go unbeaten.
Tactix coach Marianne DelaneyHoshek knows it is a world away from her first season with the side in 2017, when she replaced Australian Sue Hawkins after an 0-5 start.
‘‘I guess one of the things about being perceived as one of the top teams now is in the past we’ve snuck a few wins from people not expecting too much from us,’’ Delaney-Hoshek said.
‘‘Now it’s probably like the Crusaders, everyone brings their best game to you. It’s a different mindset. We can’t go sneaking around now.’’
The Tactix have been gradual improvers, making the elimination final in 2018, and winning nine games last year to qualify for their first grand final.
They were comfortably beaten
43-31 by the Pulse in the decider, played under level 2 restrictions in Invercargill with limited spectators.
Tactix teams of the past would have been overjoyed to make a grand final, but Delaney-Hoshek said they were disappointed by their performance.
Those painful memories would only spur them on this season.
‘‘Last year, we were gutted we lost that final and it took a long time to get over that.
‘‘Even though it was miraculous what we did, given our situation, it was still gutting because once you get there you really want to win, or you want to play your best netball, and we weren’t happy with the way we played. That motivates us.’’
Delaney-Hoshek is justifiably proud of the strides the Tactix had made on and off the court over the past four years.
Last season, they triumphed against adversity, playing just one game in Christchurch due to Covid19 and venue unavailability. Their parent body Netball Mainland went into voluntary liquidation last April, forcing the Tactix to make sacrifices due to limited money and resources.
The players weren’t just netballers. They had to be adaptable, organising bibs, planning travel schedules, and sometimes acting as support staff while on the road for games.
For many years in the former trans-Tasman league, the Tactix were in a dark place. Regularly propping up the bottom of the table, recruitment was a constant battle each off-season, which was only exacerbated by the Christchurch earthquakes.
These days, opposition players sounded out Delaney-Hoshek and the Tactix about opportunities to join the squad.
She hoped that spoke volumes about the programme they had created and the team environment.
‘‘The thing about the Tactix is one of the things we’ve never had to get is that work ethic. That’s been there the whole time. It’s just an inherent value.
‘‘We have built other elements. We’ve built the culture, the way we play, our style, over that period. We’ve been building slowly.’’
Silver Ferns defensive star Jane Watson, who captains the Tactix, is the heart of the team. It is no coincidence Watson’s return to the Tactix in 2018 after three seasons with the Southern Steel had been critical to their success.
Watson’s relentless play is infectious and her determination and high standards only inspired her team-mates to be better at training.
‘‘She does lead by her actions, that’s for sure. It was interesting when she arrived she was like ‘Oh no, I’m not a captain. I’m not that sort of person’.
‘‘One of the things I’ve always loved about Jane is she’s just very honest and very black and white. She will tell you exactly what’s what. We have pretty frank conversations, which I think works really well for us.’’
The Tactix look set to start the season without starting goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit, who suffered an ankle sprain against the Mystics in O¯ taki. Delaney-Hoshek described her as doubtful against the Steel in Invercargill next Sunday.