Shadrock and Souness Commit to Mojo Pulse for 2016   3 Jul 2015

Shadrock and Souness Commit to Mojo Pulse for 2016

Media Release
3 July 2015

Head Coach Tanya Dearns has added two more names to her Mojo Pulse squad for 2016 with the re-signing of midcourters Elias Shadrock and Whitney Souness.

Shadrock is looking forward to working alongside her former Magic assistant coach. “I have a lot of respect for Tarns: she was assistant coach during my last year at the Magic and I’m really excited that she will be coaching the team next year,” explained Shadrock. “Her defensive background will really help me, as this is an area I want to work on and she really knows how to drive team culture.”

The 2012 championship winner has been with the Pulse for the last three seasons and has enjoyed being part of the set-up. “The transition from the Magic to the Pulse has been easy as both teams are very family-orientated. I get along well with the girls and I’ve been getting a lot of court-time.

“I had planned to stay with Pulse as I love being here. It was a really easy decision for me. I’ve now bought a flat in Wellington and feel very settled,” she said.

Having studied Sport and Leisure at Waikato University, Shadrock has been working at Wellington’s ASB Sports Centre. “I love working for the ASB Sports Centre, they’re very flexible about me taking time away for training and games and many of the customers are netball fans, so I really relate well to them.

“It’s a home away from home for me now,” she added.

Promising newcomer Souness gained valuable court-time this year in the opening ANZ Championship game against the Melbourne Vixens and then again in Round 10 against the Southern Steel, where she sustained an injury in the third quarter that kept her off court for the remainder of the season.

Despite her first season at ANZ Championship level being cut short, she has learnt some incredible skills from experienced players such as the dynamic Liana Leota.

“I guess for any new player in their first year it's a very overwhelming and humbling experience. You observe and absorb everything around you, so that when you get your chance on court you do a good job and try not to make mistakes.

“I didn't get much court time this year, but the experience at this level has been amazing and learning new skills from Liana and many others has been inspiring.

“Rejoining the Pulse was easy: this is home for me so I'm lucky in a lot of ways as my family and friends are close, but I also have a lot of unfinished business here before I would even consider moving on....if ever I do,” she joked.

“Tanya will bring her own vision and ideas which is very exciting, and I'm looking forward to new coaching staff and a new team for 2016. I'm really excited about meeting the new team and just getting back to training, so that we can start our 2016 campaign off.

“Now that I've had my first year done and dusted I know what to expect and I'm setting the bar high for myself next season. From here anything is possible.”

Dearns sees a huge amount of potential in both these players and is looking forward to helping to develop their game. “I’m really looking forward to working with Eli again. She developed her game immensely during the season, playing the majority of her games at centre, which was a position unfamiliar for her.

“Her experience at this level is invaluable and I am excited to be working with her on consolidating her learnings from 2015 and setting some new targets for her in next season.

“Whitney is a player of the future for the Pulse, and having her re-sign is important for our long term vision. We saw glimpses of her abilities during 2015. Next season is going to be huge for Whitney, as she has the potential to push for a starting role, and I know from conversations we have had, she is excited by this challenge.”

Shadrock and Souness join Katrina Grant and Phoenix Karaka as confirmed signings for 2016, with more announcements expected in the near future.

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