This weekend marks the ANZ Premiership Heritage Round as we celebrate the legacy of The Good Oil Tactix – where they have come from and the unique bond that those who have worn red-and-black still hold. We talk to three members of what has become a special extended netball family.
It doesn’t take long for former Canterbury Flames and Tactix netballers to agree on one thing – the pride they had in representing the red-and-black doesn’t end when netball bibs and coaching whistles are hung up for a final time.
The friendships run deep and the want to see the region succeed is never shaken.
“The great Lois Muir used to call them invisible threads when she was talking about connections on court,” former Canterbury Flames player and coach Marg Foster said.
“But I think those threads carry on long after you’ve stepped off court. Once you’ve worn that red-and-black you become part of a special sort of family.”
Former Flames defender Belinda Charteris agrees and believes those ties have made up some of her best netballing memories.
“It’s a different kind of friendship because you know what everyone’s been through to get there,” she said.
“You’re there for each other and I think that continues long after the netball is played.”
Charteris was part of the Flames successful era that saw names likes Julie Seymour, Belinda Colling, Maree Bowden and Vili Davu grace the courts.
They were coached by Foster who says it is hard to go past the Flames’ four appearances in the National Bank Cup final when recalling the “special moments” although never “nailing a final” is something which still irks the passionate coach.
There were however still plenty of rewards and seeing so many of the Flames go on to higher honours and wearing the Silver Fern are times Foster has cherished.
“For me, that was a memorable part of the (Flames) era and a real pride in the province,” she said.
“And you’re seeing that again with the likes of Jane (Watson) and Kimi (Poi) who are raising the bar.”
Fellow former coach Leigh Gibbs has experienced the highs and lows of the netballing eras in Canterbury, and celebrates her time in charge of both the Flames and Tactix for different reasons.
Gibbs, who has been working in Brisbane for Netball Queensland, recently returned home to take up a position with the Nelson Netball Centre and still fondly follows the fortunes of the Tactix.
The former Silver Fern coached the Canterbury Flames in the inaugural year of what was the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998-1999 and 2001, before returning to the fold in 2012 with the Tactix in the trans-Tasman league.
“With the Flames it was very exciting – that first taste of semi-professional netball,” she said.
But there was no daily training as players juggled the demands of study or full-time jobs with the needs to compete in a high performance environment.
The working-machine required to put the pieces in place for weekly televised games was mammoth and Gibbs said it was at a time when the sport relied on an army of volunteers.
“It was all hands on deck. But I think that also made it pretty special.”
Charteris agrees and remembers well the swell of support for the red-and-black and the players desire to “bleed red-and-black” for their province and fans.
“The stadiums were smaller and it felt like the fans were close to the game – you could really hear and feel that support,” she said.
“Being able to mix with them afterwards to get photos and to chat was such an important part of it. It was really relaxed.”
That support has continued and was key during one of the province’s most challenging moments, not long after the birth of the Tactix.
Gibbs’ wasn’t there for the initial transition from Canterbury Flames to the Tactix in 2008, when the trans-Tasman competition was launched, but returned when the region was facing a new test in the form of the devastating earthquakes which struck the city.
“I think if you’re looking for a legacy of resilience you couldn’t go past the Tactix players of that time,” the former Tactix coach said.
“We had to travel all over Christchurch just to train – it was a massive job.
“The support was amazing and certainly helped get us through a pretty tough time.”
Gibbs said it was important to see the Tactix forge on following the earthquakes and was pleased to see the continuity in both playing roster and coaching staff in recent seasons.
“I don’t think you can underestimate what that continuity can do for a team. The understanding they have with each other under pressure comes from that.
“The game really is about those connections.”
And it’s those connections that past and present red-and-black netballers continue to celebrate.
