Crampton and Selby-Rickit To Lead Steel

Gina Crampton and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit are set to continue their co-captaincy of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel for the 2020 ANZ Premiership season.

The duo led their side together last season, leading the Steel to a third successive Finals Series appearance, finishing third overall.

Head coach Reinga Bloxham said Crampton and Selby-Rickit had complementary leadership skills and created a strong unit.

“I think they’ve got a nice balance together, there’s definitely a good and bad cop between them at times. The great thing is they have a lot of netball knowledge between them and they bring all that together in a way that helps everyone be better,” she said.

Both co-captains praised the other and said the team’s culture has helped all players build a strong team both on and off the court.

“Gina and I are very similar in thought but each have a different approach so we balance each other out really well. We really want to win this year, so I hope we’ve learned from 2019 not to ever be complacent. It doesn’t matter how many points you end up with, if you can’t win the big games it means nothing,” Selby-Rickit said.

“Te Huinga Reo is great to work with, she’s pretty chilled and goes with the flow but is very experienced and knows what a team needs to function well and has great ideas to lean on. At Steel we’ve built a strong foundation and stuck to it, which creates a positive environment where everyone enjoys themselves and ultimately helps us play better netball,” Crampton added.

This week the Steel are in Central Otago for a full schedule of community activity, netball workshops and school visits.

Steel will also take to the court in pre-season matches against The Good Oil Tactix on Tuesday 11 February at Dunstan High School Gymnasium in Alexandra at 4pm (entry by arrangement with Central Otago Netball Centre), and Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse at the Queenstown Events Centre on Wednesday 12 February at 9am (door sales available Adults $5, accompanying children free and free entry for Southern Steel VIP Members).

The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel open their 2020 ANZ Premiership season when they go up against Splice Construction Magic at More FM Arena in Dunedin on Monday 16 March at 7.15pm.

For more information and match tickets visit southernsteel.co.nz