South African Jeante Strydom will spearhead a new — but familiar — Southern Steel defensive circle next season.
She joins former Steel defenders Taneisha Fifita and Abby Erwood, who return following a two-year and three-year hiatus, respectively, to round out the team.
Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit has retired, after 12 seasons and 157 caps for the Steel, and will focus on her new role as a specialist coach for the Steel next season.
"Netball in the South has been a massive part of my life for so long and I’m looking forward to continuing my involvement when the opportunity arises, albeit in a different capacity and with a new perspective," Selby-Rickit said.
"Coaching gives me a new challenge and I’m ready to tackle that while contributing positively to new environments and player development."
Fifita returns after completing her mission overseas, while Erwood stood up for the Southern Blast in the national netball league.
Coach Reinga Bloxham was thrilled to have familiar faces returning to the defensive end to support Strydom, who is part of the Proteas’ squad for this month’s World Cup.
"When we were searching the globe, I knew we needed someone who could work with the strengths of Abby and Taneisha, who would add value to our team environment and who has a strong work ethic, too," Bloxham said.
"[Strydom] is so excited about the opportunity and I’m looking forward to seeing her shine."
Strydom (26) joins George Fisher at the Steel as the second international player for the franchise.
As Fisher has lived in New Zealand for the past two years, and meets the eligibility criteria set by Netball New Zealand, allowing the Steel to enlist another international player.
Strydom, who previously played for the Bond Bull Sharks in Australia, is excited to join the Steel.
"The first one is that I will not only be part of a netball team, but part of a huge netball family because, from what I've heard and seen, the Steel team and community has a really good and healthy team culture on and off court," Strydom said.
“The second thing is that coming from South Africa where netball is not professional as yet, I’m excited to put my full focus and attention on netball instead of juggling training sessions, work and recovery all at one.”
She hoped to make an impact for the Steel, and while she was "not a big talker", she had high standard and trained hard.
"One big thing I will bring to the team is to motivate them by action and pushing them to train harder and give even more even when they feel tired.
"I think it is a huge advantage to be able to play more than one style because not all opponents play the same type of netball. The more playing styles you can play, the better you can counter your opponent."
Southern Steel
2024 squad
George Fisher, Georgia Heffernan, Grace Namana, Shannon Saunders, Kate Heffernan, Renee Savai'inaea, Ivari Christie, Jeante Strydom, Taneisha Fifita, Abby Erwood.
