Pitman flies in to join Tactix attack

IAIN McGREGOR/The Press

CHANGE OF PACE: Netballer Chelsea Pitman has crossed the ditch to bolster the Tactix.

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The last time Chelsea Pitman was in Christchurch she was here with the goal of beating a Kiwi netball team.

Now she hopes to help a New Zealand-based franchise succeed in next year's ANZ Championship after signing on for the Tactix.

Pitman, 21, grew up in Sydney and had been a part of the netball programme at the Australian Institute of Sport for the past two years.

But with a Kiwi mum and New Zealand passport in hand, she found herself head-hunted by the Tactix in a similar fashion to that of New Zealand-born but Australian-domiciled Larrissa Willcox.

Willcox, who has since moved to the Northern Mystics, made the move from her Perth home to join the Tactix last season and went on to represent the Silver Ferns.

Her Australian style of play was an attractive prospect for the Tactix, and the same can be said of Pitman.

Tactix coach Helen Mahon-Stroud phoned the young goal attack to offer her a contract.

"I was at work and didn't really catch the first part of the conversation but when I realised what she was talking about, I was very keen on the opportunity," Pitman said.

She was encouraged by the strides made by Willcox, who became a Silver Fern this year, but said her main reason for joining the Tactix was to immerse herself in a different style of play and gain court time in the game's toughest league.

Her move was noted by coaches in Australia, including senior coach Norma Plummer.

"They were very encouraging but added that I was just on loan," Pitman said with a laugh.

She has been in Christchurch this week with the Tactix, launching their 2010 campaign last night and heading into a three-day camp today.

She was in town last year, however, as part of the Australian under-21 team which beat their Kiwi counterparts.

"Now I want to help a New Zealand team win," Pitman said.

Playing the game at the top level remains her goal, but she also remains "open" as to which colours she would prefer to wear.

"I don't rule anything out of the books because I've always regarded the Silver Ferns as the top netball team because they're very intimidating," she said.

Pitman started playing netball when she was 10 and spent her early years attempting to stop goals rather than score them. She was spotted "mucking around" at training putting up a few goals and her coach suggested a possible positional change.

"It has a totally different kind of pressure to your game because if you don't put the shots in you don't win," she said. "But I like it."

The experimentation has continued in recent seasons with Pitman making the move from goal attack to wing, and she feels comfortable in either role.

"I want to get a good season under my belt and I think it will add a new variety to my game because the style is totally different to Australia."

She still has family in Auckland and Tauranga and with her mother already planning regular visits to Christchurch, she does not expect to experience any homesickness when she makes a more permanent move here to prepare for the championship campaign.

- © Fairfax NZ News