Milestone for trio inspires Steel
Netball: Team begin their premiership campaign tonight knowing the competition will be intense.
The Southern Steel are standing at the bottom of the mountain ready to start climbing, in terms of the 2020 ANZ Premiership campaign.
That adventure starts in Dunedin tonight when the Steel take on the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in round one of the competition.
The occasion also marks a significant milestone for a loyal trio of the Invercargill-based team.
Co-captains Gina Crampton and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit will join head coach Reinga Bloxham as the first in the franchise’s ranks to notch up their 50th game in New Zealand’s premier netball league.
It’s an impressive feat to play in every Steel game since the competition’s inception in 2017, including two Premiership victories.
They join an elite group on target to clinch the honour during the competition’s opening round, alongside Pulse’s Katrina Grant and Claire Kersten and Magic midcourter Whitney Souness.
‘‘It’s nice to share this with Gina and Reinga and it’s really a milestone for the whole team to celebrate,’’ Selby-Rickit said.
‘‘Everyone has contributed to us being able to reach this amount of games so quickly.’’
Crampton added: ‘‘It’s not something you keep track of but when you take a moment to reflect, it is really special.’’
The ANZ Premiership had continued to evolve.
‘‘We’ve developed six very strong teams now. Every game is a huge challenge and there’s no real areas of the court which are easy to exploit. The strength of all teams has increased so much,’’ Selby-Rickit said.
‘‘If you were a betting man, you could put your money on any team and honestly not know if they would be coming first or last – it’s really that unpredictable now which is great for our sport.’’
Crampton believed the Silver
Ferns’ dominance on the world stage would have a positive impact.
‘‘Everyone is bringing that success back to their franchise teams so the skill level and the intensity is lifting as a result,’’ she said.
Tonight’s clash against the
Magic looms as a humdinger after the visitors snatched bragging rights 57-47 in a recent pre-season contest.
‘‘We’re definitely expecting a lot of energy and speed from them. We’ll need to really be on our game and so will the crowd – bums on seats to cheer us on absolutely makes a difference,’’ Crampton said.
Following the retirement of inspirational captain Casey Kopua, the Magic have recruited solidly in their defensive ranks. Former Steel player Erena Mikaere is joined by talented youngster Holly Fowler, while Australian shooter Georgia Marshall looms as an unknown threat under the goalpost.
‘‘They were really sharp when we played them and really took it to us. We’ve done our homework now and we’re ready to amend that result on the scoresheet which counts,’’ SelbyRickit said.
Tonight’s game is at 7.15pm. The Steel’s first home game in Invercargill is on April 20 against the Pulse.