The Trident Homes Tactix enter the next stage of their pre-season with two camps under their belt and plenty of planning leading into some key games.
Having come together last month, the Tactix have been to Hanmer Springs and Nelson for two camps and are now prepping for three trips away for matches against other Kiwi teams and an Australian team as they eye up their ANZ Premiership start on 15 April.
Coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek said the camps were a great opportunity for the team to get amongst their community but to also lock in some of their team strategies.
“It was great to get out and amongst our community and also another important step in our pre-season preparation,” she said.
“We had the chance for us as a group to really nail down our team values and expectations.”
Delaney-Hoshek said the camp in Hanmer Springs also allowed the team to welcome in a couple of new faces, in attacker Jess Allan and assistant coach Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, along with experienced midcourter Erikana Pedersen who is returning to the Tactix this season.
The team also travelled to Nelson for a three-day camp which included a training match at Nelson College for Girls and sessions at Waimea College and the Waimea Netball and Waimea Old Boys RFC.
Delaney-Hoshek said the Tasman community opened their doors to the Tactix who enjoyed mixing with their supporters.
“Waimea Netball and Rugby club put on a beautiful dinner, and we were a part of an amazing fundraiser for I am Hope, which was special to be a part of.”
The change in start-date for the ANZ Premiership, pushed back to April this year with no major sporting events on, had been a bonus for their pre-season preparations, Delaney-Hoshek said.
“To be able to have a proper Christmas break for the first time in a number of years has made a difference. Everyone has come into pre-season really refreshed and as staff, our ability behind the scenes to plan and prepare has been great.”
The Tactix return to the training court this week after coming off a ‘recharge’ week following their first phase of pre-season has been completed and are now eyeing matches against other Kiwi teams and the Queensland Firebirds.
They will meet the MG Mystics and Stars in two pre-season games in Auckland on 8 March and 9 March respectively, before heading to Ōtaki on 14 March where they get an opportunity to take on the Firebirds as well as Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse.
A weekend in Dunedin for the inaugural Southern Showdown, from 23-24 March, will be another busy hit-out with the Tactix set to take on the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, AVIS Magic and Pulse.
The Trident Homes Tactix open their ANZ Premiership campaign at Wolfbrook Arena on 15 April when they host the Steel.
