T&T senior women's netball goal-shoot Kalifa Mc Collin has signed with the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel for the 2020 ANZ Premiership (Trans-Tasman Netball League) season from Celtic Dragons of the Vitality Netball League in England.
The six-team ANZ Championship also includes champion and last year's regular season winners in the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Central Pulse, who finished with a 13-2 record, one win ahead of Southern Steel.
Mc Collin was signed up by the top New Zealand club to replace Silver Fern's Te Paea Selby-Rickit, who has signed for Tactix, as both South Island teams will have new-look shooting combinations for the 2020 season with the Steel's South African import Lenize Potgieter also set to play in Australia.
That means Mc Collin, who is 1.80 metres tall, is likely to partner Steel's 1.92-metre Jen O'Connell, who has re-committed to the team.
Impressing in the UK Superleague for the past three years, McCollin's superior accuracy earned her a place in the competition's coveted All Stars team this season. The 23-year-old sports psychology student is now excited to embark on the next chapter in her netball career.
"I was buzzing when the Steel called. I told my dad first because between him and my mom, he's calmer. My mom overheard the conversation and before I could say anything she started crying tears of joy because she knows how hard I work," Mc Collin told Guardian Media.
"I'm very excited to be joining the Southern Steel. They're a top team so it'll be great to now be a part of such a strong unit."
The ANZ Premiership was a drawcard, she said.
"It is more competitive and a bit more physical. The style of play is something that I've always admired and I think that excites me most," Mc Collin said.
"I've always strived for consistency and 90 per cent and above shooting accuracy. In 2020, I intend to be a lot faster and stronger. I'd like to continue trying new things and adding bits of flair to my game.
"I have a tag line that I've taken with me throughout my career - "Netball is Art, the court is my canvas" – and that's something I always remember when I set foot on the netball court."
Mc Collin, who returned to T&T last month to link up with the national team in training for the Vitality Netball World Cup carded for Liverpool, England, next month, had a 91 per cent shooting accuracy on the season and was voted the Celtic Dragons “Player of the Year” at their end-of-season awards function at Cameo Club, Pontcanna, Cardiff, Wales, on May 5.
This after she helped the club to a record number of wins in a season, six from 18 matches, four more than the previous two campaigns which both ended (2-16) and seventh on the ten-team table, their best finish since making the Grand Final of the competition back in 2013.
Overall, Mc Collin, playing her second season with the club after lining up for Saracens Mavericks last year, ended with 429 goals from 472 attempts, eighth best on the season.