By Sophie Taylor
With experience comes hunger, and that is exactly what New Zealand talent Sam Winders is hoping to bring to Suncorp Super Netball in 2024.
A former Silver Fern, Winders is excited to have a fresh opportunity in professional netball.
Opting to not sign on with a team in New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership for 2024, Winders was comfortable with her decision to put down the netball for a year.
However, a phone call with former head coach Julie Fitzgerald turned everything on its head.
“I'd been playing in the top league for 10 years in New Zealand and I just felt like a change was on the horizon for the following year,” Winders said.
“It was like a full circle moment.
“I knew that I wanted to play netball, but in a place that would push me… I've always kept close a close eye on the competition over here and I just thought if I had an opportunity then I should definitely take it.”
Winders said Fitzgerald “really set her up” in her formative years.
“When Julie rang to ask if I wanted to join the team, it was a little bit like I was my 18-year-old self 10 years earlier when she had rung asking me if I'd like to play for the (Waikato Bay of Plenty) Magic,” Winders said.
“For 18-year-old me, that was playing for the Magic. And then for 28-year-old me, it felt like it's meant to be. So I said yes, and here I am.”
Winders brings even more international experience to the GIANTS.On-court connection is a luxury when coming into a new team, and Winders brings it in spades – not just with Fitzgerald, but also by reuniting with former Magic teammates Jamie-Lee Price and Jo Harten.
Winders is also joined in the GIANTS environment by fellow New Zealander, Gina Crampton, who has signed on as a training partner.
“Gina and I haven't played together in ANZ teams, but we've definitely had a lot of time together at the Silver Ferns level,” Winders explained.
“We can read each other's plays really easily. Jo made a comment at training the other day, she said she quite enjoyed watching Gina and I playing centre-wing attack together because it was making the defence work really hard… we can read each other."
These off-court connections made the decision all the easier for the midcourter.
“Despite the big move and all these different things, I find that there's so many knowns. And I quite like that. It feels like I'm at home, which is nice,” she said.
Boasting great speed and agility, Winders believes she brings “a different perspective” to the Giants’ new-look midcourt.
“I'm always looking at ways to extend myself,” Winders said.
“Everybody's really bought into the training program, so I think the foundation that we have been laying these last few weeks has been awesome.
Winders (centre) will reunite with Jo Harten and Jamie-Lee Price at the GIANTS.“Defensively, Australia obviously has a really renowned defensive strength and that one-on-one (style). I'm really learning off that. But if we wanted to chuck in something different then I'm happy to help out with that too.
“We're really looking forward to just getting out on court against someone other than ourselves, because that's obviously the real test.”
With this new challenge in her sights, Winders is “at peace” with her decision to move to Australia and put her international ambitions behind her.
“I'm in a position right now where the Silver Ferns isn't the top of my priorities list,” she explained.
“I think the desire to be in the Silver Ferns comes from a desire to play for the best team and put yourself in an environment where you are amongst the best and getting the best resources.
“For me, moving over here, I am experiencing a whole new environment. I've got this amazing setup with the GIANTS - the resources are unbelievable.
I'm surrounded by world class players, so I'm getting what I aspire to be part of… I'm very much at peace with it.”
