Southern hospitality greets Steel players

February 28, 2025

Hearty home-cooked southern fare and scrumptious baking has greeted the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel’s new recruits this week.

It’s a dose of old-fashioned southern hospitality which head coach Wendy Frew believes is an important factor as the team unites for the first time.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have some of my friends and family help with cooking them some meals and whipping up some baking so they’ve all arrived to a home-cooked dinner and some nice wee treats as a touch of Southland,” she said.

“I know the community is really excited to see the players all arriving and, as a coach, it’s a real buzz to see the hype around that.”

First off the plane last Saturday was talented Australian Dakota Thomas, followed the next day by fellow defender Carys Stythe, who has ventured south from Auckland.

Silver Ferns midcourter Kimiora Poi arrived on Thursday and will be joined by Renee Savai’inaea, Serina Daunakamakama and Summer Temu at various stages over the weekend. Local players already living in the south include Kate and Georgia Heffernan, Aliyah Dunn and Abby Lawson.

“It’s been very exciting having the girls arrive and, for those I haven’t played against in the past, it’s been nice to actually connect with them in person instead of on the phone,” Frew said.

“They are lovely girls and all of them are excited about the new challenges ahead. They have great attitudes and have been working hard in the off-season. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can achieve in this Steel environment.

“Their level of professionalism is already aligning well with our values and the way we operate down here so they are setting the bar high from the start.”

Pre-season officially starts on Monday, 3 March, and will include a camp in Te Anau during the first week.

“I am really pumped to finally get in front of the girls and get this season underway on a netball court,” Frew said.

“We’ll also be looking at developing our core values, our theme for the season and defining the direction this team wants to go in and what we want to achieve.

“ Te Anau is a chance to really connect as a team while also getting involved in the community up there with some school coaching sessions and a fun Amazing Race team builder.

“I can’t wait to get stuck in and get underway with my rookie season as a coach.”