Wendy Frew: Southern Steel Head Coach on the ANZ Premiership elimination final clash against the Tactix

It’s coming down to the wire in the ANZ Premiership. 

The Southern Steel are taking on the Mainland Tactix in tomorrow’s elimination final, both teams vying for the spot in the Grand Final against the Mystics. 

Steel Head Coach Wendy Frew joined Adam Cooper to discuss the tournament. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
What elimination final we have installed tomorrow afternoon in the
A and Z Netball Premiership, the Southern Steel hosting the
Tactics and in Vicargo, exactly a week on from the
exact same contest where it was an absolute thriller also
down South, with the Steel winning fifty six fifty four
in a nail bitter. So these two teams will meet
tomorrow for the rights to head up to Auckland's and

(00:35):
face the Mystics in next week's Grand Final. And it's
a pretty special moment for the Steel, of course, only
a couple of years after being a team that was
entrench at the bottom of the latter a winless season
in twenty twenty four, a couple of years on from
that and here are the Steel ready to play for
entry into a Grand Final and someone that's been part
of that turnaround as their head coach, Wendy Frew, who

(00:56):
played more than two hundred games for the team and
is now at their head coach. Wendy, Good morning to you.
What a moment last weekend. You must have been delighted
with how the nail bier and that prevailed in the end.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Really, yeah, it was quite a bizarre feeling. Really, we
knew kind of a couple of weeks and it was
looking likely we could pay them back to back and
then reality come on Sunday, I'm on the same quarter
a week later. So for us, yeah, we're pretty excited
for the first kind of five ten minutes and then
we got on the shed and pretty much straight into
business mode. We know we can't turn up exactly how

(01:31):
we turn up against the technics. We need to make
sure we change things up slightly and improve and I
guess increase the intensity and their energy too, So kind
of straight to business mode really, if I'm going to
be honest.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
The atmosphere was incredible last week and the fact your
home fans have another chance to be there this week
for a big game. It seems like nobody wanted to
miss out, as tickets didn't take long to sell out
at all, did they, Wendy.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yeah, it's really exciting. I think it's a real privilege
to play in such an awesome stadium and ift save
the South and obviously all the fans, and I felt
like you know, some games this year we didn't quite
hear the noise we heard last weekend. They were so
loud and just passionate fans. So yeah, definitely cool being
at home this week. Cool playing in front of our
home crowd and a lot of the families are obviously there,

(02:14):
and you know, sleeping your own bus. There's a lot
of advantages being at home.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Tactics obviously a real force for this in this competition
for a number of years now, but having regular games
against them, knowing what's needed to beat them, has that
forced you to be a better team.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, I've been playing some really good net for the
last couple of years, and it's really cool for a
team like that, who's you know, it hasn't had results
for a long time and now they're top three and
playoffs and finals. It's great for the region too. But yeah,
and saying that, like, we know we have to step
up when we've come up against them. They're a quality
sides throughout the whole court, and love recruited well getting

(02:51):
genuine for the injury actually is a real cast wing attack.
So yeah, it's going to be exciting. It's going to
be another great battle and as I said, we need
to make sure we lift it up another gear and
bring that extra bit of intensity and energy and you know,
just change things up slightly. They're there to come back
to such as skillful technic side.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
People who have watched you this year won't have been
surprised at all to see Georgie Heffnon's name in that
Silver Ferns squad announced this week for the Commonwealth Games.
I mean, what a performance she even just had the
other day too. What part of her game have you
been most proud of this season, Wendy, Yeah, G.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Played really well in the week and last weekend. She's
just a remarkable player. She reads the game well and
her combination with Ali's outstanding. They are so united on
that court. They compliment each other really well. And I
think you know Elie is not shooting her massive volume
that she has. Then G's obviously had a couple of
good games where she stepped up on volume. So you're

(03:44):
a great player for the future and all her hard
work and dedication to trainings paid off by getting the
com off game selection team.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
As someone who's a stalward of netball down South, Wendy,
how proud are you of the work that's gone into
the team this year from the staff and players to
be able to return the Steel to the playoffs after
quite a long absence.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Yeah, certainly it's one on my face hearing that. It's
a real honor to be deafine the situation and the
steal year. We haven't been there for a while, so
there is a lot of hydbrod that goes on from
all the staff and the management and the players, and
it's just really cool that everyone's been rewarded with playoffs
and being in the playoffs and that contention. So yeah,
it's definitely not through just turning up. There's a lot
of girls that are fronting up day about bringing one

(04:23):
hundred percent commitment, energy, passion, living by values. There's so
many things that goes into boarding that successful team, and
I'm just grateful that I've been given the opportunity to
lead them and for me personally, yet it's a real
honor to be in the situational And.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
Just finally, there's been a lot of talk Wendy about
the state of netball where it's at to see not
just your home games, but many home games around the
country still getting massive support and sell out crowds. Despite
the situation around the TV deal. There clearly is an
appetite for a continued day and zed Premiership competition isn't
there based on the support that so many of the
teams have been receiving this year.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Oh absolutely, I think it's been a little bit said.
You know, however it's been going the last couple of
years with Netbourne obviously the top some of the top
key we's went over to the Australia League. But I
think this has been a remarkable competition. I think the
skill level has been there and I know as a
coach it was really important for me to make sure
we're putting out good performances and skill levels. So it's

(05:22):
getting bums on seats and you know, people viewing the game,
and I really think the whole that all the players
and the management and the competition should be actually really
proud of the Netble that we're produced. And I feel
like we're in a really good place getting sell out
games that doesn't happen just you know, from not a
lot of hard work and for people to be able
to sit at home and watch it for free on TV.

(05:43):
But we're getting sell out crowds. It shows that Nibble's
in a really strong position, and I'm so yeah, just
so grateful that it's still going, and I just hope
in the future that it continues to grow and we
can keep putting out performances like the teams are and
making sure the public are engaged and enjoying it.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
Well, congrat's on the turnaround from your team, Wendy this year,
and all the best in that elimination final tomorrow afternoon.
Go well, thanks for your time.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
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