Steel's English shooting star embracing new team
It’s fair to say English shooting sensation George Fisher is embracing her new Steel team from her head right down to her toes.
The latest import to join the ranks of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, Fisher’s hot pink ponytail has been turning heads in her newly-adopted home of Invercargill and was accompanied perfectly by matching sneakers on the court during Sunday’s ANZ Premiership debut.
“Midway through the English lockdown I had blue hair, I had green hair, I had purple hair, I had multi-coloured hair. Then I found pink and it just kind of stuck. I guess it was meant to be when I signed with the Steel,” she said.
“I was looking for a new pair of netball trainers and I saw these Nike LeBron Miami’s and I was like ‘perfect’. I just had to get them and it all matches. I do look very intense on the court with pink hair and pink, blue and black trainers but it’s all a lot of fun.”
Despite only joining her team-mates last month, Fisher is already stamping her authority under the goal post with an impressive return of 46 from 49 attempts for 94 percent accuracy in Steel’s 54-36 thumping of The Good Oil Tactix on Sunday.
“I think we played well as a team and I don’t think you could tell we had only had a few weeks together. I just thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the crowd and playing at home. We fought all the way to the end,” she said.
“We really just muscled down. We grinded it out and that’s something we’ve really been focusing on in training – when it’s in our possession, let’s take it. It doesn’t matter how many passes it takes, just get it there.”
Earning her first Steel cap ticked off a childhood aspiration for the 22-year-old.
“Honestly, it just felt so surreal to me that I was going out to play with them. It’s my first ANZ Premiership experience but I’ve wanted this since I was a little girl,” she said.
“The shooters Steel have had previously are absolutely outstanding so I have a lot to prove.”
The opportunity to test her mettle against world champion Silver Fern defenders proved a catalyst for shifting to the other side of the globe. Her first assignment against the wily Jane Watson lived up to expectations and the task doesn’t get any less daunting with Sulu Fitzpatrick spearheading Saturday’s opposition, the Northern Mystics.
“It was definitely hard but, in a weird way, I like going up against Jane and playing against her. And now we’ve got Sulu to contend with and I find her so, so tough … she’s an absolutely fantastic defender,” Fisher said.
“I’m just excited to play them all and play them regularly to see what I can learn about myself because they are such amazing players.”
Away from the court, Fisher was thriving in her new environment where she flats with team-mates Ali Wilshier and Sarahpheinna Woulf.
“All of the girls honestly just make me feel so happy and so comfortable. It’s just been amazing,” she said.
“I think I do drive Ali a bit crazy though. I’ve got the heating on every single second of every day and I sit there in a robe, blanket, heating to the max and I walk around with a big sleeping bag jacket – I’m a nightmare. But living in the house is a lot of fun.”
It would appear Fisher has had quite the influence with Wilshier now also sporting the radical pink hues.
“I told her I was going to tell everyone it’s because she is my biggest fan. But the truth is she actually lost a bet and so Hoochie (Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit) got to pick her hairstyle for the first game,” she explained.
“I suggested at breakfast ‘why don’t we be like pink sisters’ and Hoochie was ‘yes’ and Ali was ‘oh no’. When I first started it came out bright red which I think alarmed her a bit.”
Steel travels to Auckland on Friday to prepare for its round two encounter against the Mystics at 5pm on Saturday at Eventfinda Stadium.
