Celebrating Casey’s 100th game!!
Last Sunday night we honoured Kia Magic captain Casey Kopua’s 100thANZ Championship match when our team took on the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Rotorua.
Casey become just the third player to achieve the 100 game milestone and it was fitting we paid tribute to her immense contribution at a home game and for Kia Magic, the team she has remained loyal to throughout her career.
Perhaps also fittingly, Casey returned to the scene of her first game in the ANZ Championship against the same opposition when the teams played the first-ever match there in 2008.
The only foundation player left at Kia Magic personifies Casey’s sense of loyalty, her strong bonds within the Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone and all that is good about the team. We are proud and grateful that she has chosen to remain with us in her home region over the years.
This year marks Casey’s seventh season with Magic since the inception of the ANZ Championship and her 12th season with the same team overall.
Casey has had an exceptional career for Magic, the team making the play-offs every year for the duration of the ANZ Championship while she also played a prominent role in the team’s 2012 title win.
Casey also won the competition’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008, the inaugural year of the competition and regularly features in the All Stars team named at the end of each season.
Casey has battled adversity at times with a string a injuries but her first instincts are always to put the team first and through that she leads by example.
The Silver Ferns captain since 2009, Casey took up the captaincy reigns for the first time with Magic this year and has revelled in the role.
Casey has proved an invaluable role model both on and off the court. Through her actions and leadership, Casey’s presence is immense while off-court, she has played a pivotal role in pulling together and building a new team.
A defender of outstanding quality, Casey burst onto the scene while still at school in 2003 and she hasn’t looked back, fulfilling her early promise with almost instant success as she quickly became a key member of any team she played for.
Reaching 100 games at this level is a major accomplishment and one richly deserved.
Congratulations Casey on a fantastic achievement!
The General Manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, Todd McDonald, Netball New Zealand Life Members Taini Jamieson and Monica Leggat joined the first captain of Kia Magic, Amigene Metcalfe, to make special presentations to Casey at the conclusion of the match.
