2018 Team Preview: Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
After guiding the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel to a record-breaking inaugural season of the ANZ Premiership, coach Reinga Bloxham is expecting a tighter competition for the second edition in 2018.
Bloxham couldn’t have asked for a better start to her tenure as head coach after the Steel delivered a perfect record in 2017, clinching the title with an unblemished run through 16 games. But a new season brings new challenges and with that in mind, the southerners have had plenty to ponder in the off-season.
The Steel have lost key personnel from last year’s squad but the biggest setback in building for the 2018 season has been finding a replacement for defender Malysha Kelly, the Jamaican import having her time with the southerners cut short by a devastating season-ending injury.
``Anybody that is worth their weight has already been contracted either in New Zealand, Australia or the UK, so it’s proving to be quite a difficult task,’’ Bloxham said. ``We’re looking in all sorts of places to try and find somebody who will not only fit our style of play but also our team culture.’’
On a positive note, inspirational captain Wendy Frew is making rapid progress to full fitness after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during last year’s Netball Super Club tournament. The dogged midcourter is now able to get through 15 minutes of game-play without problem. Continuing to build her minutes, Frew is expected to be ready to play in the opening round on Sunday 6 May.
``I think this year’s going to be quite close compared to how last year panned out,’’ Bloxham said. ``All the teams this year seem to have a good quality of senior players versus new players coming in. Everyone’s in the same boat in that respect whereas last year, we predominantly came in with the same team which we had carried from one year to the next.
``This year we’ve got changes and I think across all teams, there’s more of an even playing field. I’m really excited and think there will be some close competition.
``We’ve got a new team, we’ve got new expectations, and don’t get me wrong, we’re going out there to win but we have to see what this year’s going to bring. There could be other pressures and stuff that come along but I’m really looking forward to it.’’
The team have lost the towering presence of 1.98m Jamaican shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, youngster Jennifer O’Connell, also a shooter, stepping into the breach as the competition’s tallest player at 1.93m, in 2018.
``For the newbies coming into the team, they’ve got fantastic leaders who provide a sense of the expectations required, so having our core of senior players who are quality players and have the ability to turn games around gives me a great deal of confidence,’’ Bloxham said.
2017 Placing: 1st
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel 2018:
Olivia Bates, Gina Crampton, Abby Erwood, Shannon Francois, Wendy Frew, Dani Gray, Jennifer O’Connell, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, Te Paea Selby-Rickit.
Gains: Olivia Bates, Dani Gray
Losses: Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Jamie Hume (Mystics), Jane Watson (Tactix).