Player safety is paramount as the Trident Homes Tactix face a second week on the side-lines due to the impacts of Covid.
The disappointment of missing another week of the ANZ Premiership – including this week’s scheduled match against the Mystics in Christchurch – is not lost on the athletes and team management but Tactix head coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek said the over-riding element was “keeping people safe.”
“At the end of the day it’s about the welfare of our people and we’re doing everything we can to ensure when they do return, it’s done safely.”
The Tactix applied for a postponement of their Round 5 Premiership match under the league’s Covid-19 Match Postponement Policy after seven players tested positive.
They are now eyeing up their next home game when they host the Stars and play for the Hanmer Springs Trophy at Christchurch Arena on 16 April, but Delaney-Hoshek said there were still many factors to consider when integrating players back into training and being ready for match play.
“The tough thing is that everyone is on different return to play plans and that’s where it gets a bit niggly because they haven’t all gone positive on the same day, and everyone’s body reacts to Covid differently,” she said. “That means players are returning at different times.
“There are some strict protocols to follow before players are certified as ‘match ready’ – certain heart rates that the girls are allowed to get up to. After each session, which is limited, there is the feedback on how they tracked and on day 12 or 13 they have a check-up with the doctor to look at things like ECG’s and do all of that kind of background work. Obviously, there are lots of conversations with our team doctor and physio ongoing – just to make sure we keep our people safe.”
Despite isolating for the required seven days, players could not return if they were still showing a positive rapid antigen tests (RAT) or if they were still displaying symptoms.
“There is just a whole lot of different scenarios and because we have had seven players test positive, it’s been an interesting process. Every player has to be treated individually because everyone’s cases are completely different.”
The disruption to the start of the season was not ideal but Delaney-Hoshek said she was still searching for positives from the experience.
“It is what it is. I think all of us coaches are just taking it one day at a time at the moment – every coach, every week, there’s different things to deal with. The good thing is that what we are seeing across all the teams, is we are seeing young players having to get out there some weeks, we are seeing the likes of Leana de Bruin jumping back on court after an SOS call. What I think is really cool about our competition is that everyone is pitching in, and we are all making it work.”
Athletes in the Tactix camp who have been able to train were also making the most of the time out of the action on court.
“We have had three girls who have been well during this process, and they have been able to do an extra push on their own fitness, so we have made use of the time. They will feel like they have topped up their tank a little bit which is nice.”
The Tactix host the Stars at Christchurch Arena on 16 April in Round 6 of the ANZ Premiership.
