Steel midcourter back in the action
The road to recovery can be a long one but Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel midcourter Renee Savai’inaea has travelled it with the steadfast resolve she displays on court.
Despite still being on limited court-time, the tenacious wing defence played a significant role in the Steel's dominant win over the Go Sweet Spot Mystics last Sunday.
The story of Savai’inaea's impact isn’t truly told on her stats sheet. In fact, it’s better reflected in the stats of her highly-rated Silver Ferns opponent Peta Toeava.
Testament to the pressure applied, Toeava's numbers dropped from 51 feeds the previous week to 34 against the Steel, with her goal assists slashed from 33 to just 15.
“I actually didn’t realise that until Wendy talked about it in the team meeting,” the humble Savai’inaea said.
“When I know my opponent is the main game player, I just want to do everything I can for the team. If that means extra analysis on them before the game, that’s what I do. It puts a bit more fire in the belly.”
She was a powerful cog in Steel’s defence unit which limited the Mystics to 45 goals – their lowest tally recorded since round six last year.
“As a team, we are really connected. We’re all really friends off the court and have built a really good culture and that’s now showing on the court as well.”
Savai’inaea will be seeking more court time against the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse on Saturday night, although respects patience really is a virtue when it comes to rehabilitation.
“The recovery has gone well and the team are really good in terms of managing my loading and making sure I don’t push it too much. It’s good to be back on court though.”
She sustained the knee injury four weeks into Steel’s preseason duties.
“I got taken out pretty early so it was sad in that sense. I do have experience with other injuries and the rehab processes, just knowing the bigger picture, so that helped,” she said.
“I went home for a bit which was good to reset. It was definitely a long process but I got there in the end.
“This season I just want to enjoy it. Our ultimate goal is to take it out and we definitely have the team to do it.”
Contesting the Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy, Saturday’s game at ILT Stadium provides another opportunity for Steel to prove its mettle.
“We still want to focus on our own performance. Each week we want to make a step up again from the previous game so we will be aiming to do that and continue the momentum from last week’s win,” Savai’inaea said.
“The Pulse have a really good man-on defence so it’s making sure we hold our space well.
“We love playing down here at ILT Stadium Southland. When we played the Stars it was a huge testament to the crowd being our eighth player there. We’re excited to be back home.”
Tickets for Saturday’s 7pm game are available from www.southernsteel.co.nz
