The red-and-black coaching hat may have been hung up one last time, but Marianne Delaney-Hoshek will continue to support the club in its quest to win an ANZ Premiership crown.
The Trident Homes Tactix 2024 campaign came to an end in a thrilling Elimination Final clash with the Mystics last week, going down by four goals, which proved to be Delaney-Hoshek last game in charge of the team.
She stands down as Tactix coach following their most successful regular season in Premiership history.
Delaney-Hoshek said the club would always remain special to her and she’d love nothing more than to see them lift the tile in the future.
“I bleed red and black so I would love the team to get there,” she said just moments after the tough loss to the Mystics in the Elimination Final. “Any way I can support them I will.”
The four-goal loss at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch last Saturday was her 119th game in charge of the Tactix having picked up the reins midway through the 2017 season.
She walks away from the role with 58 wins, 60 losses and one draw – the 2024 season the most successful regular season the Tactix have had in their history.
Falling short of their third Grand Final was painful but Delaney-Hoshek was proud of her charges and was left fighting back tears as she reflected on the loss to the Mystics and their overall campaign.
“I don’t think the girls could have given any more,” she said. “There were a couple of key moments in that last quarter, but everyone had played out of their skins for the game. I’m actually really proud.”
Delaney-Hoshek said she “got a little emotional” when the final whistles blew knowing that it was the end of her tenure with the Tactix.
“It’s been a long time and it’s been a real journey,” she said. “I’m not usually an emotional person – I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
She has seen plenty of growth both on and off the court and felt the club was in a positive place.
“We’ve come such a long way as a culture, as a performance and seeing the crowd with all the merchandise on and the numbers we’ve been getting this year,” she said. “And the netball that we’ve played as well – I’m proud of that.
“I think as a club we’re in a really good position. The person that comes in is going to come into a really good environment that’s well set up. We’ve done a lot of work on our systems and processes. I hope the team can get the win.”
Tactix captain Kimiora Poi sat alongside Delaney-Hoshek at the post-match press conference and praised the coach that had taken the team to two Grand Finals.
Poi, who was given her first full ANZ Premiership contract by Delaney-Hoshek, said the team had the “drive and the heart” in the Elimination Final but just “fell short” in the fourth quarter.
She said she was proud of how the team had played and what they had achieved with their coach.
“There’s so many words I could say but mostly just ‘thank you’.”
