NSW Swifts Training Partner and QBE Swifts Academy graduate Dakota Thomas will make the move to New Zealand after signing a contract with ANZ Premiership side Southern Steel.
The 23-year-old defender has come through the Netball NSW pathway and been a temporary replacement player in the Swifts Game Day squads on a number of occasions.
A Newcastle native, she thanked the Swifts for her time at seven-time Premiers and is really excited for the next stage of her netball journey.
“The past three years with the Swifts has enabled me to grow as a player in a very intense but professional environment,” she said.
“All I have ever wanted is to be a professional athlete and I wanted to branch out and have new experiences of my own in New Zealand.”
Thomas played for the Swifts against the Steel in Invercargill a few years ago in a pre-season tournament in what was the first meeting between the sides since the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship ended to make way for Suncorp Super Netball at the end of 2016.
“It was a makeshift team as the Swifts had Covid symptoms, so it was filled with Swifts Training Partners, Academy Athletes and some of the Training Partners of the Steel team,” she recalled.
“It was such a fun experience and to be versing Silver Ferns made it very memorable.”
Playing in New Zealand will be a different challenge for Thomas, but she’s ready for it.
“I am fortunate that my speed has allowed me to slowly lean towards the Kiwi style in a different way – sitting off just enough to come through for intercepts.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to evolve as an athlete with the Steel and excited to learn that style in a faster pace, understanding some of the structures better to move as a unit.
“The ANZ Premiership is the next best competition in the world so I am thrilled to be involved in something with such an elite status.”
Her Māori father was born and raised in Whangarei, so she already has strong links across the Tasman.
“My dad’s siblings are all in New Zealand and as a family we have flown over to visit a few times," she added.
“These have been the best family holidays to date. The New Zealand scenery is unmatched and our family appreciates the outdoors.”
The Swifts would like to congratulate Dakota and thank her for her dedication to the Swifts’ senior environment over the past three years.
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