Elliott – no contract to grand final
Courtney Elliott wondered what she was doing when she first touched down in Invercargill. Answering an SOS call for the Southern Steel, who’d lost Jamaican defender Malysha Kelly to a seasonending injury, Elliott was greeted by frigid Southland weather. ‘‘It was definitely freezing the first time I came down here. I got off the plane and I was in shorts and a jersey and I was not happy. I’ve kind of got used to it now.’’ The 19-year-old will complete a rapid rise when she starts at goal keep against the Central Pulse in the national netball premiership grand final in Palmerston North tomorrow. Heading into the season, Hamilton-raised Elliott didn’t have a premiership contract and was planning to play for Waikato-Bay of Plenty’s second-tier Beko League side. She caught the eye of Steel coach Reinga Bloxham at the league’s preseason tournament in April when she deputised as an injury replacement in the Magic defensive end alongside Silver Ferns great Casey Kopua. Bloxham had scoured the netball world for a defensive replacement, contacting several Australians. Despite being short by modern defensive standards at 1.80m, Elliott impressed with her agility, speed, and tenacity to win the ball. Moving away from home for the first time and handling Invercargill’s notorious winter weather did cause some jitters. ‘‘The biggest worry for her when she came here was how cold was it going to be and was she going to cope with that cold weather,’’ Bloxham said. ‘‘Her family were a bit worried she’d get cold and freeze to death, but we assured them she’s fine.’’ Elliott has warmed to the weather and made quite the impact in her rookie campaign. After beginning the season from the bench, she eventually won the goal keep bib from Abby Erwood with her strong play. She has started in 10 matches, including the last eight, and will be tasked with shutting down Pulse shooters Aliyah Dunn, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, and Tiana Metuarau in the decider. If she hadn’t joined the Steel, Elliott would have been sitting in a Waikato University lecture theatre, where she is in the second year of a Bachelor of Business, majoring in accounting. Instead, the 2016 New Zealand secondary school player of the year, is experiencing the biggest moment of her fledgling career, preparing for a grand final. ‘‘It has been a bit of a crazy ride. Definitely a quick turnover going from Beko and then getting the callup and coming down to Invercargill and moving. It’s been really awesome and I’m super excited I’ve made it to the final, which is even better.’’ Elliott was a member of the New Zealand secondary schools side in 2015 and 2016, while attending Tai Wananga Ki Ruakura in Hamilton. She is relishing being back on court after spending most of last year recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Elliott and the experienced Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit form an under-rated defensive circle for the Steel, who beat the Tactix 53-49 in the elimination final on Wednesday to qualify for the grand final. Bloxham praised the way Elliott had adjusted to professional netball and described her as an astute thinker of the game. ‘‘She’s got a good netball brain for someone that’s quite young. She reads the play quite well. ‘‘She is really eager and keen to get that ball and create opportunities for herself. She doesn’t sit back and wait.’’ Elliott’s competitiveness comes from her background in combat sport. She did karate for six years, but her passion away from netball is Muay Thai kickboxing. The defender is no slouch, featuring in two 74kg division bouts, the last in October, with a win and a loss to her name. ‘‘It’s probably one of my favourite fitness trainings. I wish I could pursue it but netball is the priority at the moment.’’