Nerves used to engulf Reinga Bloxham.
For the first few years as head coach of the Steel, the former teacher felt like she was back standing in front of her class on the first day of school.
She would plan — and plan again — making sure she always had the paperwork to fall back on when she did not feel comfortable addressing her new team.
"I don’t know if the girls knew that ... I used to lose sleep over it, and I’d be so anxious," Bloxham said.
"It would be probably after the first two weeks I’d settle in and feel a little bit more comfortable."
As Bloxham, a foundation Southern Sting player, sat down to write her speech ahead of her first game in 2017, nerves wracked her again after a restless night’s sleep.
But eight years at the helm — and 11 seasons overall — has featured a lot of growth for the woman affectionately known as Curly.
As she prepared for her final game on Saturday, Bloxham had her best sleep in the past two weeks.
"It just sort of shows that I’ve probably evolved."
Bloxham is calling time on her tenure with the Steel and is heading to the Cardiff Dragons next season.
The final games in Dunedin and Invercargill brought a special end to her chapter.
"If there’s a nice way to end things ... to be able to do it at home in front of the people who have stood by you and supported you the whole time was a really good way to do it."
Bloxham spent three years as Steel assistant coach before taking over as head coach in 2017.
Success came immediately, winning the inaugural 2017 ANZ Premiership — and the Super Club title — and adding a second national title in 2018.
"That second year, when we won that game in Palmerston North, it was the way that we won that in the last sort of three and a half-minutes.
"That was just sporting gold."
The resilience her players showed after several were injured in a van crash in 2017 before winning their next game is also high on the list.
"I still look back now and I still think, how on Earth did we do it?
"It was so devastating that that had happened to us and we really had our backs against the wall."
After early success, it has not always been smooth sailing for the Steel.
Bloxham is the first to say the past two seasons have been difficult.
The Steel suffered a horror 21-game losing streak, and they have won just two games this season as an injury toll continued to climb.
"Last year, when you have those injuries, and we had a couple of pregnancies as well, you kind of go, ‘oh it’s a bugger, but it’s going to be OK. We’ll be OK the following year’.
"This year it, at times, felt like a real kick in the guts, to be honest."
At the start of the year, Bloxham saw the team’s potential, but the hits kept coming, with George Fisher and Shannon Saunders out early.
"For me, I was really gutted we weren’t able to put the team out there that we wanted to.
"On the flip side — I don’t like to make excuses for it — I do feel really proud of the people that have come in to this environment and I believe they have put out their best."
Adversity helped Bloxham learn to "roll with the punches" as a coach as she departs for a new gig.
Cardiff is calling, and it presents a new challenge for Bloxham.
New Zealand will always be home, but there are limited opportunities to further her career.
It led her to put herself in her players’ situations — particularly the ones who left behind their friends and families to join the Steel for better opportunities.
"I need to be in their shoes and give it a go myself.
"There’s parts of it that are really exciting and there’s parts of it that I’m probably crapping myself about — but that’s OK.
"That’s why I’m doing it, because I know that I need to really put myself out there and challenge myself."
Bloxham will keep a close eye on the Steel from afar, and backed the team to get back to their "winning ways".
"I’m still really invested in this franchise, and in this team, and I just really want to see them succeed."
Bloxham acknowledged the rumours regarding three New Zealand teams joining Australia’s Super Netball for 2025.
Many predict it could mean the end of the Steel, and Bloxham would be disappointed if the franchise was to dissolve.
"I’d actually feel really sad if that was to happen, because I think we’ve worked really hard to be strong contenders to even have a team.
"We’re way down here in the deep south and it’s really hard to have these opportunities."
The Steel and the community’s support had been humbling — something Bloxham would miss the most.
Perhaps they have helped the once-nervous coach blossom into the calm figure we see today.
Bloxham officially finishes in September before heading to Cardiff in October.
Musings from Bloxham
ANZ Premiership
"The Pulse look really strong. [Monday] night they just showed the class that they’ve got, so I’ll go with the Pulse."
Two-point shot
"I think it could be really good. I think it’s time for a change. It’s really exciting, and for teams like ours, where we don’t have the big, tall shooter, but we have the long range shooters, it evens out the playing field and it makes other teams have to think about what they’re going to bring to the game. I definitely would be supportive of that."
The Steel
"I’ll miss the banter of the team. I’ll definitely miss my management team. I’m going to miss the girls. I do enjoy coaching them and I actually love them as people. I’ll definitely miss the support of the community, especially the past couple of years. They have kept turning up supporting us and I don’t think you could get that ... anywhere else in the world."
