In the space of seven days, Te Paea Selby-Rickit will mark two memorable milestones – one which launched her onto the national stage and the other on top of a World Cup dais.
The Good Oil Tactix’ new recruit celebrated her 100th national league match in the ANZ Premiership match against the Magic last week.
On Sunday she will join her Silver Fern team-mates in a Zoom chat to reminisce over their World Cup victory 12 months ago.
It has been a time of reflection for the Otaki-born netballer and a chance to recognise just how far her game has come.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year,” she said of last year’s dramatic world championship win in Liverpool. “It’s been the best experience ever and it’ll definitely be one of the highlights of my netball career.
“We had such a cool group, we clicked at the right time, we peaked at the right time and I was really lucky to be a part of it.”
She also can’t believe she now has 100 national league games under her belt which has seen her move from a holding goal shoot to a hard working goal attack – also a new red-and-black strip this season after nine years with the Steel.
“It’s weird, 100 games is a lot and makes me sound old but I still feel really young,” she said with a laugh.
Her debut was as a shooter, a position she played through her school years and in her early years of the national league before a towering Jamaican shooter named Jhanielle Fowler-Reid arrived in the Deep South.
The 28-year-old was forced to take her game further up the court and with the new goal attack bib came the need to improve her fitness and increase her workload around the court.
“It was things like the centre pass that I’d never been involved in that I had to learn about,” Selby-Rickit said. “As a goal shoot you’re primary role is to stand and hold and turn and shoot whereas a goal attack is much more taxing on the body, you have to be really smart with the centre pass and you play a lot more on defence which is not my strong point.”
She is fourth in the ANZ Premiership for centre pass receives and her increase in volume of shots at goal means she remains a real threat in the shooting circle, taking the pressure of key Tactix target Ellie Bird.
But it is the leadership role amongst a new Tactix attacking combination that Selby-Rickit seems to be enjoying most.
For nine years she was part of an experienced three-prong attack alongside Gina Crampton and Shannon Saunders – the Silver Fern midcourt duo often taking charge in the smooth running up front.
Now more of that responsibility is falling on Selby-Rickit’s shoulders alongside her younger team-mates.
“It’s really exciting and it’s been a good challenge for me,” she said.
That challenge continues this weekend with another double-header for the Tactix who meet the ANZ Premiership defending champion Pulse side on Sunday and the Steel on Monday night.
The Pulse is unbeaten but Selby-Rickit has been impressed with how her former team-mates have pushed them in recent weeks.
“(The Pulse) play similar to that Aussie style, that really hard man on,” she said. “I think what the Steel did really well was they kept playing the ball around, held on to possession and just waited for it to open up.
“But we’re really excited for the challenge of playing against the Pulse and like to see where we’re at against the top team.”
