Here we go again: Club title would be Super
There is no chance to take a wellearned break for the Southern Steel, who will be trying to win their second title in nine days at the Super Club netball tournament in Nelson starting on Sunday.
The 2017 ANZ Premiership title winners defeated the Central Pulse in the national netball final and they will now turn their attention to international club teams in a competition featuring teams from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji and Wales.
The Steel will field a near full strength squad for the event with the exception of promising defender Abby Erwood who will be representing the New Zealand under-21 team at the World Youth Cup in Botswana.
They will bring in three Netball South players Olivia Bates, Dani Gray and Erwood’s twin sister Sophie to bolster their squad for the tournament, which finishes on Friday.
With the only Australian team attending the tournament a composite team coming from the NSW Institute of Sport, the Steel are one of the pre-tournament favourites.
The eight-team tournament sees teams split into two groups of four, with pool games taking place on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday before two days of playoffs.
The Steel are in Pool A and will face South Africa’s Gauteng Jaguars on Sunday at 7:30pm, before matches against the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the NSWIS.
Pool B includes Kiwi teams the Central Pulse and the Northern Mystics.
‘‘You wouldn’t have wanted to have had that game without them, it was a true final. We appreciated what they have done to get here. When you have adversity like that you tend to grow.’’ Central Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie talks about Steel players Wendy Frew and Te Paea Selby-Rickit overcoming injuries from a horrific van crash to front in the final.
‘‘I’ve just put all my energy into this final and obviously we’ve got the Super Club to look forward to and I’ll make some decisions after that. I’m still enjoying the netball and loving it, so hopefully I’ll have another crack.’’ Steel captain Wendy Frew talks about her playing future.