Kate Lloyd, Photo supplied.After a season spent playing with one of the best defenders netball in New Zealand has seen, Kate Lloyd is returning to where it all began in 2019.

And the 21-year-old can’t wait.

After a year in Hamilton playing netball for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in the national ANZ Premiership, Lloyd has signed on with the Mainland Tactix for 2019.

“I’m pretty excited for the season and new challenges but it’s always a special feeling to be able to play for your home team, and I’ve always admired the way Mainland Netball looks after their players and has always had a strong work ethic,” Lloyd said.

“So I’m looking forward for the season to start with a great bunch of girls.”

The past 12 months had been huge for the girl who just a few years ago was turning out for the Ashburton College netball team.

After making age group national sides, Lloyd was first picked up by the Tactix for the 2017 season, before moving to the Magic for the 2018 season, and it had been a move which had given her career a huge boost.

At the end of the 2018 season she was named in the Silver Ferns development squad, and Lloyd said that was by far the highlight of what was already a huge season.

At the Magic she found herself playing alongside former Silver Ferns captain, and recently recalled Silver Fern, Casey Kopua.

“She has been my idol since I started watching netball, so being alongside her and soaking up as much knowledge and experience I can from her was my biggest takeaway from the Magic,” Kopua said.

Now, her goal for the coming season with the Tactix was to continue to grow and develop as a player and build on the amazing season they’d just had.

“It excites me that we have such a variety of different strengths and ranges of experience within the team, but I have faith that anyone that takes the court will put 100 per cent effort out there,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd was part of the New Zealand Under-21 team that took out the World Youth Cup in Botswana last year and now she’s moved up to the big time, having attended her first Silver Ferns development squad camp.

“It was awesome to reconnect with a lot of the players I went with to the World Cup in Botswana.

“Although you play against them a couple of times a week during the premiership season I get a lot out of training and playing with them,” Lloyd said.

“The camp went really quickly, flying in very early Sunday morning and flying out late Monday night.

“I really enjoy the intensity of it all and interacting with the top-level players and coaches.

“There’s so much to learn and I just try to soak it up.”

Soaking up knowledge and enjoying every moment were her key goals for 2019, too, when she was back a little closer to home.

She’d spend the year living in Christchurch and continuing her part-time study through Lincoln University.

“So between playing for the Tactix and study most of my days will be filled up,” Lloyd said.

With the season bought forward this year due to the World Cup, Lloyd hoped to get away for a holiday at the end of the season, before starting afresh again next season.

With every year that passed, Lloyd was learning.

“I felt I learnt a massive amount playing and training alongside Casey last year and would like to continue to develop my game as much as I possibly can,” Lloyd said.

“I always try to grab any opportunity that comes my way so hopefully the next five years at least will be full of lots of netball and fun.”

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 3 January 2019