Southern Steel players have "ticked all the boxes" as they get put through their paces during preseason.
The Steel players and coaching team have been head down into preseason for a couple of weeks and coach Wendy Frew praised the work players had done through the off season to hit the ground running.
"What set us up really nicely is the effort they put in before they’ve come down to the Steel.
"They’ve really ticked all the boxes, so when they’ve come into our environment they’re ready to go, which has been pretty exciting from a coaching point of view that we can just keep building on that."
The Steel hosted a preseason camp in Central Otago where they did team-bonding activities — including a visit to Cromwell’s Kiwi Water Park — set team values and learnt more about each other’s backgrounds.
"We know them as a player, but we want to know their history, their family, what makes them tick — so that was really special."
They have also been hitting the road, hosting coaching clinics for young netballers throughout the Netball South zone.
Frew is back at the helm for her second season as head coach of the Steel, one of the few ANZ Premiership teams to have player continuity, with seven players returning from 2025.
They only lost Kate Heffernan (Adelaide Thunderbirds) and Abby Lawson (taking a break) and did not retain Summer Temu.
Newcomers include midcourter Ashleigh Poi — sister of Steel midcourter Kimiora Poi — and Australians Jess Milne and Josie Bingham.
"It was a nice feeling as a coach to be able to retain those players.
"I think for me, coming in for my second year, it’s definitely really nice to be working with players you’ve already had for a year.
"They know my coaching style, I know their playing style ... you’ve got a lot with personalities and how you bring those new ones in, but I couldn’t fault the girls.
"They’ve all really made good effort with each other and really committed to having a good year and performing really well."
Australian Jess Whitfort joins as Frew’s assistant this season — former assistant Liana Leota has joined the Central Pulse — and brought "a bundle of knowledge".
"She’s so, so experienced, so for her to come in, it’s been really exciting for me.
"She’s been coaching a long time and deserves this opportunity."
The Steel have just over six weeks until their season gets under way against the Mainland Tactix on April 11.
But they have plenty to keep them busy as they fine tune their game before the opener.
They head to Otaki for the annual preseason tournament, March 13-15, where they will play the Northern Stars, Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic and the Northern Mystics.
The Steel will also play a Dunedin men’s side and the Tactix in Dunedin on March 22, which will be open to the public.
