Steel captain raring to go
Southern Steel captain Wendy Frew is looking forward to the 2016 trans-Tasman netball league.
The new season brings a sense of excitement for the 31-year-old, who can’t wait for the first game on Friday against the Northern Mystics.
‘‘It has been a big pre-season and the girls have worked really hard, I guess excitement comes when you know it is competition time and raring to go for the first game,’’ she said.
The mother of two has had a challenging off season following the birth of her daughter Indie in November which has required her to put in the hard yards required to get back on court.
‘‘It has been a big off season season since I had Indie, getting back into shape and getting fit again,’’ she said.
‘‘But it is a challenge that I have really enjoyed, I have been really motivated to get to the fitness level I was at last season and play some good netball this season.’’
‘‘I am certainly happy with where I am at the moment heading into the first game.’’
The former Silver Fern is in her 14th season with the southern netball franchise, after her debut with the Sting in 2002, but still enjoys representing the south.
‘‘It has certainly been a long haul, but I love playing for the southern franchise putting on that Steel dress certainly means lots to me,’’ she said.
‘‘Every year I am grateful to get the opportunity to represent the province, it is obviously something I am passionate about.’’
Frew is enjoying new coach Noeline Taurua’s netball insight and knowledge heading into the season.
‘‘Every training you are just learning something new and it is really good looking at the game in a different way, seeing new moves and structures that we are trying to learn,’’ she said.
‘‘She is definitely bringing a lot to the franchise and it is really exciting to see where we will go with her in charge of us.’’
The midcourter is hoping that a strong start to the season will springboard the Steel into the playoffs at the business end of the season.
‘‘Ideally we would like to be in the top four at the end of the season,’’ she said.
‘‘Heading into our first game we definitely want to start well, get a few wins under the belt and get the confidence up of the girls.’’
Frew is a fan of the new rules being introduced this season including only 30 seconds for replacements to take the court.
‘‘In pre-season we tried out the new rules and they seemed to work out well,’’ she said.
‘‘Rotation I think will mean a lot more players will come on and off the court without the two minute timing.’’
‘‘We have been practising it preseason and I think it has worked really well, hopefully we will see a bit of that going on if we see changes that need to be made.’’
The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel tackles the Northern Mystics in Auckland on Friday at 7pm, before returning to Invercargill for their first home game at ILT Stadium Southland against the Mainland Tactix on Sunday April 10 at 4pm.