Midcourter added to Steel roster

July 1, 2024

As the injuries continue to mount for the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, promising midcourter Charlotte Lourey will join the elite ranks for the remainder of the ANZ Premiership season.

The Southern Blast player has been promoted into the Steel as a permanent replacement for Ivari Christie, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season and undergone an ACL reconstruction.

Lourey is the eighth replacement player the Steel has had to recruit for injury cover so far this season, reinforcing the challenges faced as the team adjusts to the constant changes in personnel.

Chief executive Sonya Fleming acknowledged it had taken its toll.

“It is never easy to deal with injuries to your teammates and I have been impressed by the resilience demonstrated by our athletes and the management team,” she said.

“Every new player who has stepped into our environment has slotted in really well and that speaks volumes about both the team’s culture and high performance environment we have created.

“It is also testament to the pathways we have developed from the Blast to the Steel as we nurture the talent coming through in our sport. I am proud of how each of those Blast players – Ella and Grace Southby, Laura Blamer and now Charlotte – have transitioned to the big stage of the ANZ Premiership. The experience they are gaining is invaluable.”

The Steel’s next assignment is the chance to secure the inaugural Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy against the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse at ILT Stadium Southland tonight.

“Robyn played such an amazing role in netball here in the south, from the grassroots game to winning national titles, and this is our way of honouring her and the legacy she has left behind,” Fleming said.

“We’d love to see our Steel fortress packed to the rafters with fans given the importance of this game from a sentimental perspective as we remember one of the greats of netball.” Tickets are available from ILT Stadium Southland or online at www.southernsteel.co.nz