Van Dyk mother daughter duo add spice to netball comp
Hawke's Bay Netball's general manager Tina Arlidge can relate to the vibe being experienced by Blues Super Rugby coach Leon MacDonald.
While MacDonald has the luxury of two world class first five-eighths, Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett in his squad Arlidge is buzzing about the roles former Silver Fern Irene van Dyk and her daughter Bianca will have in the Bay's Super 8 club competition which will begin in Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena tomorrow night.
Multiple world champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist van Dyk, 48, will coach the BM Accounting HHSOG Huia side. Her 22-year-old daughter, who returned from a four-year rowing scholarship at San Diego State University last year, will play goal shoot for the team.
"It's great for the competition to have them involved. Irene will coach our Hawke's Bay women's team later in the season and Bianca will also be available for the Bay," Arlidge explained.
"Bianca has the same stature on court as Irene did in the shooting circle," Arlidge said.
Defending champions Napier Girls High School Senior A will aim for a third consecutive Super 8 title this season and coach Charissa Barham is well aware of the magnitude of the quest.
"It's easy to win two consecutive titles but it's harder to win three," Barham said.
Her squad includes seven Year 13 players, five of them back from last year's team.
Expect classy midcourters Parris Petera, Ashleigh Poi and Shyan Murphy to gain be prominent for the side. Hawke's Bay netball fans got an indication of how serious Petera and co are about their quest when they opened their Super 12 campaign with a 43-13 drubbing of Karamu High School this week.
New Zealand Secondary Schools team mentor Barham hasn't done much swot on the other seven teams.
"Because of Covid19 there will be an unexpected flavour to this season's comp. All we can do is focus on our own processes and journey," Barham said.
Thirsty Whale Otane Force have finished second to NGHS A for the last two seasons and coach Annemarie Kupa is confident she has the ammunition in her tall squad to get the title back.
Club stalwart Briar Chalmers, who will move from the defensive circle to a midcourt role this season is one of five players back from last year. The others are defender Valentine Kahukura, goal attack Melissa Te Huki and midcourters Penny Ibister and Treyanna Faulkner.
Kupa will also have the services of experienced shooter Millie Ironside and defender Anna Parsons who have returned to the Bay.
The eight teams have been put into two even pools and will play a round robin (3 games), then go into the championship round where there is a further 7 rounds of round robin play followed by a semifinal and final.
Tomorrow night's closest encounter is expected to be the 7.30pm clash between Huia and Tremains All In Elusive. The other 7.30pm match will see Otane take on Vet Services Central Sports.
In the 6pm tussles Hastings Girls' High School Senior A will meet Outkast Sports and Napier Girls' High School Senior A will take on House of Travel Havelock North Kauri.
