When they take the court against the Magic in Dunedin on Monday night, co-captains Gina Crampton and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit will join head coach Reinga Bloxham as the first in the franchise’s ranks to notch up their 50th game in New Zealand’s premier netball league.
It is an impressive feat to play in every Steel game since the competition’s inception in 2017, including two Premiership victories.
"It’s nice to share this with Gina and Reinga and it’s really a milestone for the whole team to celebrate. Everyone has contributed to us being able to reach this amount of games so quickly," Selby-Rickit said.
"It’s not something you keep track of but when you take a moment to reflect, it is really special," Crampton added.
The ANZ Premiership had continued to evolve.
"We’ve developed six very strong teams now. Every game is a huge challenge and there’s no real areas of the court which are easy to exploit. The strength of all teams has increased so much," Selby-Rickit said.
"If you were a betting man, you could put your money on any team and honestly not know if they would be coming first or last — it’s really that unpredictable now, which is great for our sport."
Crampton believed the Silver Ferns’ dominance on the world stage would have a positive effect.
"Everyone is bringing that success back to their franchise teams so the skill level and the intensity is lifting as a result," she said.
Monday’s clash against the Magic looms as a humdinger after the visiting side snatched bragging rights 57-47 in a recent preseason contest.
"We’re definitely expecting a lot of energy and speed from them. We’ll need to really be on our game and so will the crowd — bums on seats to cheer us on absolutely makes a difference," Crampton said.
Following the retirement of inspirational captain Casey Kopua, the Magic has recruited solidly in its defensive ranks.
The 1.92m former Steel player Erena Mikaere is joined by talented youngster Holly Fowler, while Australian shooter Georgia Marshall looms as an unknown threat under the goalpost.
"They were really sharp when we played them and really took it to us.
‘‘We’ve done our homework now and we’re ready to amend that result on the scoresheet which counts," Selby-Rickit said.
