Captain Kopua back with Kia Magic for 2015
Press Release June 20, 2014
With the dust barely settled on this season, captain Casey Kopua has been quick to re-commit to Kia Magic for the 2015 ANZ Championship netball campaign.
The only foundation member left at Magic, Kopua joined a select band when posting her 100th game during an inspiring season for a new-look Waikato/Bay of Plenty team.
``I love being a part of the Magic franchise and just in general, I’m happy, so there was no reason to look at moving anywhere else,’’ she said.
Taking on the Magic captaincy for the first time this year, the classy defender wholeheartedly embraced the challenge of working with Australian coach Julie Fitzgerald in moulding a team, including nine new faces, into a highly competitive unit.
The pair was instrumental in helping steer Magic to the preliminary final and duly rewarded when Kopua was the only New Zealand player to make the public voted All Stars team with Fitzgerald as its coach.
``I thoroughly enjoyed myself this season,’’ Kopua said. ``If you don’t enjoy something you shouldn’t be doing it, not that it was getting to that point, but this year certainly refreshed the reasons why I play netball.’’
With just a season under their belt together, Kopua, 29, was excited about the future if the core of this year’s group stays stay put at Magic.
``A lot of this group have only just tapped into their potential and what they could go on to become,’’ she said. ``I can only imagine what that would be like if we can pull that all together as a team.’’
Loyal to the core in remaining with her home region, next year will mark Kopua’s eighth season with Magic since the inception of the trans-Tasman competition and her 13th with the same team overall.
``The opportunity to play for and represent my home team Kia Magic is a real honour and one that excites me,’’ Kopua said.
Jane Hunt
Kia Magic media liaison
Ph: 021-107-0287
