AFTER somewhat of a disappointing 2020 season, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic captain Sam Winders is more than excited about bolstering her line-up for the 2021 ANZ Premiership season, with no bigger name than Caitlin Bassett. The Australian Diamonds captain and former GIANTS goal shooter announced on Thursday that she will be playing across the ditch in 2021 with the Magic set to reap the rewards of her services.

Bassett is the first Diamond to play in the ANZ Premiership competition since its inception in 2017 showcasing just how much of a momentous occasion not only for the Magic but so too ANZ Premiership. There had been plenty of speculation in the weeks leading up to the announcement, that Bassett could be looking for a new home in 2021 despite being contracted to the GIANTS, but the official announcement brought plenty of relief for Winders, who had remained tight-lipped throughout the signing period.

“We are just so relieved that we could get that one across the line. It’s been such a big build up over the last few weeks obviously we’ve slowly let out our team line-up and then the shooters, hadn’t been announced for a few weeks,” she said.

“It was probably the worst kept secret in the history of netball. “But it is just so exciting to have someone like her come over to join our team. I still can’t really get my head around it but I’m just so excited about what she could bring and hopefully give CBass (Bassett) something exciting to look forward to as well.”

With limited court time throughout the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season, as Jo Harten and Kiera Austin got the nod at goal shooter and goal attack respectively, the decision for Bassett to make the jump was written on the walls and  with the Magic boasting an open frontline it only seemed fitting that the star shooter made her way over to the club. The Magic had been calling out for a top-end talent all season, struggling to boast competitive scores and only registering the two wins for the year an area Winders identified needed to be rectified.

“But to be honest it was kind of like when we got to the end of the year and we looked at where we were at, where we needed a bit of extra help and you’ve got to shoot for the top, you’ve got to go ‘okay who’s the best out there?’.  Our top options in New Zealand are taken where else do we go and the next best thing is obviously Australia. I mean why not go for the best shooter over there and if that didn’t happen then that’s okay but it happened so we are kind of like wow.”

When asked about how the decision was made and what prompted the Magic to lure Bassett over to Waikato Bay of Plenty, Winders noted the strong friendship the Diamonds captain had with Erena Mikaere as a key reason for their success in landing the big fish in Bassett.

“It is a bit of an interesting one, it’s hard to say we definitely can credit some of it happening to the great relationship between Erena Mikaere who played with her both at Fever and Lightning so obviously there is that little bit of history there which has probably helped with the whole decision and all that sort of thing,” Winders said.

Not only does Bassett offer scoring power but so too a wealth of knowledge, that will benefit the team and youngster Khiarna Williams in particular with the goaler still fresh to the ANZ Premiership season.

“I think that CBass that is will bring so much obviously experience being the Diamonds captain and everything, so experience at that level,” Winders said. “But also like, not putting too much pressure on her shoulders already, definitely helping us develop our players so that we can prepare ourselves and prepare our young ones to be as competitive as they can in the coming years.”

Continuing that vein of new shooters joining the club for 2021 is Chiara Semple who has made the trek from the London Pulse in the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) to the Magic for the 2021 season. The 24-year-old has caught the eye of Winders, with the two high school teammates back in the day.

“She’s a beautiful shooter like her style and accuracy is pretty exceptional and I think that was definitely a few years ago when I played with her but she’s such a calm head on the court,” she said. “From memory she is everything mentally you’d want from a shooter you know someone who can just slot in and slot the goals in at the same time so yeah I’m really looking forward to connecting with her again and seeing how she’s grown in the last couple of years when she’s been playing over in the English League, and what she can offer us as well.”

While there is plenty of hype around the recruitment of Bassett, the Magic’s off-season haul did not stop there with the side picking up a wealth of other valuable acquisitions in Mainland Tactix defender and excitement machine Temalisi Fakahokotau.

“We obviously had a decent defending end this year but Tem (Temalisi Fakahokotau) is just an outstanding player and I’ve played with her a few times over the years and you know I love her powerful play on court. I also love the fact that she is a great team person and constantly talking, encouraging and just everything you want someone out the back to be doing. So that’s another massive signing for us this year,” she said.

The off-season changes have come hard and fast for the Magic and Winders with the centre joking she is still trying to adjust to all the new faces in the squad as Whitney Souness returned to the Central Pulse but they picked up the services of former Silver Fern Grace Kara in the process.

“Trying to get my head around all these little additions alongside the fact that we’ve tried to keep a couple of you know, solid backbone to our team from last season as well. so I guess it’s getting that combination of new and exciting as well as how can we keep building on what we’ve got.”

With some huge signings over the off-season it is fair to say that Winders is more than excited to take the court next season for the Magic and has one eye on a rise up the ladder touting the influence the new faces will have on the confidence at the club and their desire to succeed.

“I think so much of that comes down to individual attitude and what you’re willing to do for the team and I think that’s where the best teams perform, when you’ve got players who put their hand up and not out and say I’m here this is what I can bring, these are my strengths and I’ll add to it this way and I think the players we have in this side definitely all have the potential to add to something pretty cool. We obviously have to wait and see but in the meantime there’s going to be a lot of action behind the scenes.

While it is unsure exactly when CBass will make the trek across the ditch given the COVID-19 restrictions, the Magic captain is gearing up for a huge season of netball action albeit a couple of months away and is looking forward to seeing Bassett out on court and doing what she loves.

“I mean we just have to play it by ear in terms of COVID and all that sort of thing happens anyway but we’ve got plans in place,” said Winders. “You know between Netball New Zealand and Netball Australia there are obviously a lot of discussions that happened in the build-up to this, but it wouldn’t have happened if there wasn’t you know pretty viable plans in place to make it happen so I guess we just have to wait for that. But if we can get her over here and keep her here, there’s no question that she’s going, that’s what I’m planning on doing.”