Netball: Steel's South African import Jeante Strydom realising potential

South African import player Jeante Strydom is relishing being able to focus 100 percent on netball for the first time in her life.

Strydom plays wing defence and goal defence for the Southern Steel and has played 136 minutes after three rounds in the ANZ Premiership.

The 27-year-old grew up Pretoria and got her international debut at last year's World Cup in South Africa, the first time the event was held in Africa.

"It was the best moment of my life. Norma Plummer got the squad together and then she told us the team and I was just out of my skin happy," Strydom said.

"It was very emotional for me because it's something that I really worked hard for and to be selected by Norma, one of the legends of the game was also special.

"A World Cup on home soil, it was Norma Plummer ... it was just like one big thing after the other. I was so proud and I just felt so privileged to be part of that."

Strydom has come a long way since reluctantly trying netball when she was about nine.

"I grew up in a big family with two brothers and a sister so they were my friends. When I went to school I did not want anything to do with other friends and my parents thought 'okay, let's get her into sports and that will maybe help her make friends'.

"I was crying when they dropped me off and I just wanted to go home and play with my siblings but after a while I actually really started loving it and found out I was quite good at it. The bug bit me and it stuck."

Strydom was just a kid when South African turned Silver Ferns legend Irene van Dyk was still at the peak of her international career.

"She was one of my role models and because she was a South African player who made it in New Zealand that just made me feel like the dream to come over and play professional in New Zealand or Australia or anywhere in the world was possible.

"I never saw her playing on TV live, it wasn't shown in South Africa but I did see videos or clips of her playing and loved you go on YouTube and re-watch her playing, she was definitely an inspiration for me."

Soon after, South African defender Leana de Bruin followed in van Dyk's footsteps and later represented the Silver Ferns.

Current Silver Fern Karin Burger has also thrived after moving to New Zealand from South Africa when she was 18.

Strydom's South African team-mate Karla Pretorius had great success in Australia's netball league and was named player of the tournament at the 2019 World Cup.

"All of them are big names and really opened up doors for South African players to realise that we can actually make a living out of netball and can go further in it.

"Playing with Karla Pretorius was one of the best experiences of my life at last year's World Cup. I always said I wanted to make the national team while Karla was still playing so that I could physically learn from her.

"And I learned so much on court and off court as well - how she thinks and how she will take things on and all of those players are huge inspirations for me."

One of the most talked about games at last year's World Cup was a thriller between the Silver Ferns and South Africa. The Proteas took it to New Zealand and it ended in a draw.

"It was an incredible match. At least once a month I re-watch it. The crowd just went wild, I can still hear them in my ears.

"And just that feeling of playing against a top class team like the Silver Ferns and competing. It was one of the best feelings in the world to be on home soil and make our fans proud."

Hosting the World Cup has increased the profile of the sport there and Netball South Africa are using that momentum to push for some kind of professional league as early as next year.

Strydom said netball was by far the most popular female sport in South Africa. "There's not even a sport that comes close to it."

But there is so much untapped potential in South Africa.

"The talent that's over there it's just really huge but it's sad because all that talent goes to waste at the moment because when you leave school you need to study or go to work.

"You cannot focus on netball 100 percent because you cannot make a career out of it. I really hope that Netball South Africa can make it professional soon so that we as a country can start growing even more."

Strydom had a stint playing in the Queensland state league in 2019 but Covid meant she was not able to go back the following year.

She said she was loving playing for the Steel and living in Invercargill.

"Before I came over people said Invercargill is really quiet and very low key but I really enjoy everything about it. I enjoy the netball, the environment, the team and everybody has been so good to me.

"Even though we haven't got that win yet, the morale is still high and we can really feel it's getting closer so we are in a good spot right now."

Strydom, who was a full-time netball coach at a high school in South Africa, said she was thriving from being able to concentrate completely on netball.

"Back home, after trainings you need to go to work and not being able to focus on things like nutrition and recovery, that seems to catch up on you and that leaks into your trainings and you don't have that much energy. But now being able to put everything into netball, it really helps."

The Steel host the Stars in Invercargill at 4pm Saturday afternoon.