Pulsating final looms
One more win and Katrina Grant will have led the Central Pulse to the promised land.
They host the Southern Steel in the netball premiership final tomorrow, seeking their first national title.
It’s a repeat of last year’s decider, which the Steel won, but this time it’s the Pulse who have home court advantage, and they are hoping that will make all the difference, even if they are playing in Palmerston North, not Wellington, thanks to a booking clash.
A win would be the perfect ending to a season where Grant has been at her best for the Pulse, swiftly putting the disappointment of the Commonwealth Games, where she captained the Silver Ferns to a fourth-place finish, behind her.
With a new Silver Ferns coach and the first squad since the Commonwealth Games to be named next week, it remains to be seen whether she will continue in that role, though her performances with the Pulse this winter make her a standout in a field where there aren’t many other options.
Grant acknowledged in a Radio Sport interview this week that she would be ‘‘totally fine’’ if someone else was made skipper, while Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie told Stuff it was a case of wait and see.
‘‘Who knows who’s going to make those decisions, certainly not me. She’s been leading us absolutely brilliantly and this next game is her major focus, and whatever comes after that, I’m sure she’ll be elated to be included.
‘‘Every one of our team members is working really hard to put their hands up and then other people will make their decisions.’’
McCausland-Durie was in the middle of her first stint as Pulse coach when Grant arrived at the franchise in 2010, and she said she had seen plenty of growth in the defender from then to now – the second season of her second stint.
‘‘That’s been a long period of time where she’s been involved as a leader and a long period of time where she’s been playing at this level.
‘‘Physically she’s just worked so incredibly hard, her physique is absolutely that of a professional athlete, she thinks really hard about the decisions she makes in her life that are all about being in the best place for performance, and with more and more game time, both in domestic and international competition, her awareness has improved.
‘‘She’s not a really tall defender, but she can work and she is powerful, and I’ve just seen a huge amount of change in her, physically and emotionally. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with her.’’
Grant is one of four starters from last year’s grand final still with the Pulse this season, but when you consider her international career, she has more experience in highpressure situations than any of her team-mates.
She told Stuff it would be a case of not letting the occasion distract them.
‘‘You can kind of get yourself a bit wound up or a bit too excited, and go over that threshold of where your levels should be and where they’re meant to be.
‘‘It’s also about knowing that everything’s on the line, the next day doesn’t matter, the next game doesn’t matter, it’s all on this one.’’ Katrina Grant is ‘‘totally fine’’ with the prospect of not continuing as Silver Ferns captain.
The squad for September’s Quad Series will be named on Tuesday – the team’s first outing since their failure to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games in April and coach Janine Southby’s subsequent resignation.
As one of the few experienced faces in the mix, Grant is likely to be retained as captain, but said she has ‘‘no worries’’ as to whether she gets the nod or not.
Speaking to Radio Sport, she said captaining the Silver Ferns over the past three years ‘‘has been amazing’’.
‘‘There’s no way you could ever take that away. It’s what I’ve done and what I love,’’ Grant said.
‘‘A lot of people have said I need to take responsibility too for what happened and I completely understand that, so if the new team is named and I’m not in that, that’s fine.
‘‘If there’s someone more suited to be captain then honestly that’s no worries for me, I just want to play netball and play for my country and win games . . . If I’m the best person for the job then I’ll take it, but if I’m not, then that’s totally fine with me.
‘‘I’m all about the growth of others and moving forward and just wanting to be the best for that black dress.’’
Though Grant acknowledged the prospect of not making the squad at all, an outright omission would come as a shock.
The defender has been impressive for the Central Pulse in the national premiership, leading them to top spot on the ladder, which earned them hosting rights for Tomorrow’s grand final against the Southern Steel in Palmerston North.
A new Silver Ferns coach is set to be named on Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s squad announcement.
It remains unclear whether it will be a temporary of fulltime appointment.