AFTER finishing in fifth position on the ladder in 2018 with only five wins under their belt, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic will be hoping for a better season in 2019.

The return of Casey Kopua will certainly bolster the side, with their captain missing for the second half of the 2018 season after succumbing to injury. With a fantastic return to the New Zealand Silver Ferns under her belt in early 2019, three years after retiring from international netball, Magic will be keen to get her back out on court to captain their side to a more successful year. 193cm Kelly Jury will return from a season-ending shoulder injury alongside Kopua, meaning the defensive circle will have a big boost of height under the ring. 2019 recruit, Jenna O’Sullivan rounds out the defensive circle, giving the trio room to move with defensive rotation throughout the season.

Another exciting returnee to the fray in 2019 is wing defence, Sam Sinclair. Sinclair was dominant last season, taking the court for all 15 matches and proving her efficiency through the midcourt. A tenacious defender who can also make the switch into centre, teams will have to watch out for her on court. Although only an injury replacement player over the last few years, midcourters, Lisa Mather and Ariana Cable Dixon made their time on court count, so will be looking forward to getting more game time this year. Meanwhile attacking midcourter, Sydney Fraser is looking to finally get regular time on court after a string of unlucky injuries since 2017.

A big loss for Magic in 2019 is shooter Lenize Potgieter, who starred in goals over the last two seasons, shooting 558 from 606 attempts at 92 per cent accuracy in 2018. However, Magic have strategically replaced Potgieter, picking up New Zealand native, Abigail Latu-Meafou, who grew up playing netball in Australia before taking the court as a Queensland Firebird and Adelaide Thunderbird in 2017 and 2018 respectively. With the ability to play in both goal attack and goal shooter, Latu-Meafou will pair well with fellow shooters Monica Falkner and Kelsey McPhee in 2019, with McPhee standing at 187cm, so a good target in the goal circle.

Given the strength through the court this season, Magic will hope to boast a better performance in 2019 and build on their 2018 season. Though a relatively young side this year, the return of Kopua will be a massive boost and hopefully send the Magic in the right direction.