As the only current franchise that was part of the Coca-Cola Cup starting in 1998, for the AVIS Magic the heritage round in the ANZ Premiership is hugely important to reflect on the rich history of the club.
The original captain of the Magic, Amgiene Metcalfe (Magic #1) was at GLOBOX Arena in the weekend to cheer on the team and reflects on how much the ‘Magic people’ were an important part of the team’s success.
“My memories of Magic are around the players, the coaches, the supporters and the environment that was created for us. We felt like a family,” said Metcalfe, who played 87 games for the Magic.
Metcalfe jokes that like any family you have your squabbles, but when you’re on a mission together you can sort it out pretty quickly and directly.
Looking back says Metcalfe who went on to coach the Magic in 2019-2021, said having only lived in the Waikato region it was really special to represent the Waikato region and not having to move anywhere to play netball.
Another player synonymous with Magic who was present for the Heritage Round, was Silver Ferns centurion and Magic centurion Casey Kopua (Magic #35).
“The Magic will always have a special place in my heart. The people here are amazing and some of them are still involved in the team today which is really cool to see,” said Kopua.
Kopua arrived at the Magic as a teenager and left as a Mum. She was often picked up for training from school by her team mates like Leana de Bruin.
Now retired after 186 games for the Magic across 17 seasons, Kopua admits that the Magic has been a real constant in her life.
“Until you’re gone you probably don’t realise how truly special the club is.”
“For me it’s about the people in this club - the loyal people, they’ve got good hearts and they look after each other on and off the court. It’s so nice to be back with these awesome people today.”
The celebration of the heritage of the club was also marked with the presentation of Leana de Bruin’s (Magic #31) life membership to Netball New Zealand at half time.
Honouring the Magic legacy, the AVIS Magic took a nail biter overtime victory against the MG Mystics 57-56. At one stage 10 goals down, the Magic fought back to win as they enter Round 4 in the ANZ Premiership competition.
