The Good Oil Tactix have signed an exciting young duo as their training partners for the 2022 ANZ Premiership and named a homegrown trio as apprentice players for the coming season.
Attackers Parris Petera, who was part of the Mainland side in the National Netball League (NNL), and Vika Koloto, who heads south after playing for the Comets in the NNL, will join the squad as training partners.
Three other Mainland defenders have been named as Tactix apprentice players including Julia Wynards, Jenna Barrett and Lose Faainganuku who all played in the NNL this year.
Tactix head coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek said she was pleased to confirm the training partners and apprentice players and was looking forward to working with them during the season.
She said Petera and Koloto could play in the shooting circle and midcourt, and both would bring something different to the Tactix environment.
“Parris has outstanding ball skills and has been a standout for our NNL team. She has excellent vision and is a smart player,” she said.
“Vika brings similar qualities and is a promising prospect who can play goal attack as well as in the midcourt. It’s really exciting for her to make the move to be in the Tactix group.”
Koloto, who is in the New Zealand U21 squad with new Tactix recruit Hannah Glen, played for the Comets last season but has also experienced the ANZ Premiership having been called in as a permanent replacement for the Stars in 2020.
She said she was excited to be given the opportunity by the Tactix and was looking forward to her move south.
“Leaving home and heading south is a big one for me but I’m determined to keep building on what I learned last season,” she said. “To have this chance to grow as a person and play alongside some of the best players in New Zealand is something that I’m really looking forward to.
“I’ve had a taste of ANZ Premiership netball and learned how hard I need to work to achieve my goals and I’m determined and ready to do this.”
Petera, who has played for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Māori netball team, was also determined to make the most of training in the elite environment and to soak up as much knowledge as possible.
“I grew up in a ‘netball-crazy’ family, so I found a passion for the game at a very young age. Now getting the chance to train and play with people you looked up to as a kid is pretty surreal.”
Being involved with the NNL had been a “big stepping-stone” for Petera who had moved to Christchurch in 2021 to take up a sport scholarship at the University of Canterbury.
“Being exposed to that level of play has allowed me to build my game even further. The ANZ Premiership has always been a goal of mine and being selected as a training partner is a step in the right direction which I’m so grateful for.
“I didn’t think it would happen so soon and I know the Premiership is another level up in terms of intensity, but I’m extremely excited and can’t wait to get started.”
The Tactix open their 2022 ANZ Premiership against the Steel at Christchurch Arena on March 13.
