WITH a number of international series playing out over the past few months, the Rookie Me Central team is casting an eye on players who tend to fly under the radar but have proven to have plenty of class and talent across the board. The next player to come under the spotlight is South African midcourter, Izette Griesel, who ultimately has stayed out of the spotlight due to not playing in one of the major three international competitions in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom.

South AfricaWing Attack

Izette Griesel

Height: 180cm

Weight: -

DOB: 12-07-1992

A speedy, offensive-minded midcourter, Griesel is by no means a newcomer to the South Africa Spar Proteas squad but has certainly made herself a focal point over the past year, having a strong impact each and every time she takes the court.Realistically, the Proteas midcourt has had somewhat of a question mark hanging over it ever since the retirement of Erin Burger, with captain Bongi Msomi also ultimately in the latter stage of her impressive career. While Griesel was the immediate clear replacement through the centre court as part of the bench and extended squad, she ultimately did not quite boast the bag of tricks required to be a high impact midcourter – until now.

Formerly playing as mostly a chop-out player for Msomi or Burger on the international stage, Griesel has discovered her flair and her own game just in time for a couple of major events over 2022 and 2023. She has proven to be a hard worker with plenty of smarts and netball nous to be unlocked, recreating her own game as a formidable midcourter with great vision and anticipation, and the court skills to match. Like many, Griesel used her time on the bench to hone her craft, using it to drive her further toward her goal rather than dull her spark. She has patiently waited for her time to shine, and has made it well and truly worth all the time and effort over the years.

Griesel cuts a daunting figure on the netball court, with her precision passes and great endurance base enabling her to keep on running and propelling ball downcourt. Slightly taller than a traditional wing attack/centre at 180cm, the midcourter uses her long limbs to advantage by blocking vision with her strong three foot marking and then quickly transitioning down the court. Griesel is a highly dynamic midcourter, boasting great intent to not only zip into to attack, but also find pride of place at the circle edge to feed in with ease.

She is not the loudest player on the court, but makes up for it with her decisive movement and adaptability. With a number of different goal shooter prospects who all play different roles in the circle for the Proteas, Griesel has continuously proved she can adjust quickly and effectively to the play ahead of her. She offers a taller option to pass over long limbs where required, while using her quick passes and clean hands to continuously feed into the goal circle.

Importantly, while Griesel has a very offensive style of play, she can also play an effective defensive role too. Playing in centre, she has the timing and workrate to wreak havoc around circle edge with her long arms and strength to hold strong on the body. Griesel’s netball smarts allow her to transition quickly from an attacking mindset to a defensive mindset and vice versa, while her great fitness base enables her to track the play and keep up with her opposition with ease.