The Trident Homes Tactix are heading into the business end of the ANZ Premiership with a home Grand Final in their sights. We talk to vice captain Karin Burger about what it will take to get there and taking on the Magic on Sunday.
We’re into the business end of the season and the race for Finals is incredibly tight – how exciting is this time of the season and how do you stay focussed?
This is the most exciting and potentially stressful time of the season. We've worked hard all season to get to this point and we have put ourselves in a position to potentially host a Grand Final. However, in order to have this awesome opportunity we need to stay very focused over the last couple of games in the season to ensure we get it. Each game is important to win and therefore we need to give each game the time, attention and respect it deserves. Staying present in the moment and taking it step by step is the most important thing at the moment. We can dream of winning a home Grand Final but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to get there.
The Magic have been steadily building and will be a tough prospect in Rangiora – what have they been doing that is working so well?
It's sometimes hard to pinpoint work-ons when things are going well so our loss against the Mystics a couple of weeks ago was a good reminder that we can never get complacent, and we have to ensure that we are turning every stone to make sure we have done everything we can to prep for every week. The Magic have been building their game every week and even though we have played them twice already, they are a different team every time we have played them so far and this weekend will be no different. For us, we need to individually all do our own job out there in order to play as a team. We have a winning streak at the MainPower Stadium, and we want to keep it that way.
Who were your netball/sporting idols growing up and why?
To be honest, I never truly watched sports when I was younger. I spent too much time outdoors on the court or field myself. It's only really once I moved to New Zealand that I experienced what amazing netballers were here and even more so when I had the opportunity to play and meet some of them. I tend to draw inspiration from various sporting talents as I believe everyone has something to learn from.
If you could change a netball rule, what would it be and why?
Well, it was the short pass from last year which has not gone, yay! So other than that, maybe passing the ball against a post (selfishly speaking as a defender).
You’ve now played 116 ANZ Premiership matches – how do you rate this year’s competition compared to other years?
Over the last couple of years we've mentioned it every year that the competition has become more competitive with more teams battling it out for a finals position. This year is no different – if not probably more so. We have four teams putting their hand up for a finals spot and of the four teams they can all play an amazing game any given day. This makes the competition so exciting for both players and spectators.
What’s your earliest memories from the netball court?
I think I mentioned this in my recent Pure As story as well. My mum played netball in my hometown as we were growing up. In the evenings the kids of all the mums playing had a great time around the courts and eventually when we were able to start playing as well, that was a big highlight.
What’s your favourite dessert?
Ooooh, that's a tough one because I'm picky depending on the day and what I feel like, but I struggle to look past a good traditional baked cheesecake.
Netball is a large part of your life, what gets you excited about Game Day?
The hype amongst the team-mates and having the opportunity to put out on court what we worked hard for during the week. I love the game and just being able to play. I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to play at this level in a sport that I love so any Game Day is a good day to just be able to have fun against and with some great players.
Is there any netball advice you’d like to give a young Karin Burger starting out in sport?
Where do I start? I guess just to keep in mind that hard work eventually pays off if it's meant to be. It will happen if it's supposed to as long as you put in the work so keep at it for as long as you enjoy it. And learn from your successes and failures, they build character and make you into the adult you will become one day, so embrace them.
- The Trident Homes Tactix meet the AVIS Magic at MainPower Stadium in Rangiora on Sunday, starting at 4pm and live on Sky Sport.
