Southland coach Reinga Te Huia has joined the Southern Steel as a defensive coach.
Te Huia, who effectively replaces dumped assistant coach Natalie Avellino, said she was keen to embrace the opportunity to be involved with the Steel franchise and its ANZ Championship campaign.
''I'm looking at it as an opportunity to develop my coaching skills. I'm just going to be a sponge and soak up as much as I can,'' she said.
''It's a new environment and a different group of people to work with, which is exciting. I'm looking forward to being back in that team environment, which is an aspect of netball I have always really enjoyed.''
Te Huia has been at the helm of the Southland NPC team for the past three years, including 2010 and 2011 as co-coach with Jo Cunningham. The pair previously coached a Southland team to victory in the 2009 Lois Muir Challenge. Te Huia (nee Bloxham) was a nippy midcourter who was an integral component of the Steel's predecessor, the Southern Sting, for five seasons.
''But it's a different game now. It's so much more physical and it really has evolved,'' she said.
''I know some players who wish they could throw on the shoes again and get amongst it on the court but I really don't have that urge. I actually really enjoy watching on the sidelines and seeing how the planning translates into what's happening on the court.''
Steel coach Janine Southby said she was confident Te Huia's defensive knowledge would prove an asset to the team.
''Given the demands of the modern game now, no-one can expect to be an absolute expert across all aspects of netball so it's vital to capture specialist knowledge where it's available,'' Southby said.
''I believe Reinga has a considerable amount of experience to share with our defensive unit and the players will undoubtedly benefit from her input.''
