Wednesday, 28 July 2021, 9:26 am
Experienced coach Mary-Jane Araroa will guide the Splice
Construction Magic into the 2022 ANZ Premiership after being
confirmed for the head coach role for two years.
The
Magic have announced Araroa to take over from Amigene
Metcalfe who has ended her three-year tenure in the top
job.
Backed by a resume which includes roles as head
coach for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team, New
Zealand’s Silver Ferns Fast5 assistant coach and head
coach of Waikato-BOP’s National Netball League team in
2018 and 2020, Araroa will step up from the assistant coach
position with the Magic to guide the team next
Mary-Jane Araroa
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
She replaces Amigene Metcalfe who stood down last month after three years in charge.
Araroa has signed a two year deal to lead the Magic, who finshed bottom the last two years.
She has previously coached the New Zealand Secondary Schools team, assistant to the Silver Ferns Fast5 team and was head coach of Waikato-BOP s National Netball League team in 2018 and 2020.
Araroa guided the former Northern Force franchise in the old domestic league in 1998. Over the past three years I have seen the growth from many of our athletes and I m excited about how the Magic can move forward and what this opportunity brings, said Araroa.
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Ellie Bird and Georgia Tong compete in the air.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2020
Growing up in Auckland, Tong had to compete for court time with the likes of former Silver Ferns Temalisi Fakahokotau and Phoenix Karaka.
Tong moved to Hamilton at the end of 2017 to be closer to her partner and that s when a door opened. No one really knew who I was. I hadn t really played any rep netball up in Auckland and my club coach at the time knew the Beko coach, who is now assistant coach of the Magic, Mary-Jane Araroa, Tong said. She gave me a shot but had never seen me before. I only had one trial, the girls had already been in the squad for about three months and then they named me in 2018 originally as a training partner for an injured player for six weeks .eventually they gave me a Beko agreement.