The experience gained in her first season as a coach has armed Wendy Frew with the confidence to handle whatever 2026 brings.

Frew will return for her second stint as head coach of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel and is eager to continue building on her coaching successes.

“Having a year under my belt is a really good feeling. I know what it’s all about and the commitment it takes,” she said.

“There were so, so many lessons which taught me a lot. I still need to learn so much – I’m very honest about that – but I am proud of the culture created, the values we set and how we lived by them, and the relationships I built.

There is a lot to be positive about as we head into another campaign.”

After a challenging start, the Steel delivered some quality performances and ultimately, were denied a spot in the finals by just two points.

“That’s definitely something we’ll be aiming to rectify. With the two-round format, you can’t afford not to hit the ground running in this competition.

We need to be ready from game one to take those wins and earn our place in the title hunt,” Frew said.

With the bulk of this year’s squad returning, she will have the benefit of familiarity as only Australian imports Josie Bingham and Jess Milne are new to the Steel environment.

“Our recruiting focus was to retain a good amount of the players and I’m very proud that I was able to do that as it sets us up nicely. It’s an exciting team and we would have grown from some of our tight losses in 2025,” she said.

“Having seven returning players already puts us in a better position for 2026 and our three new players we’ve added into the mix are all very talented and I expect them to fit in strongly.”

The 2026 Steel squad also comprises shooters Georgia Heffernan and Aliyah Dunn, midcourters Kimiora Poi, Renee Savai’inaea, Serina Daunakamakama and Ashleigh Poi, and defenders Carys Stythe and Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa.

“My aim is always to develop a team with a good culture that lives by their values day in, day out. A team that engages well with our fanbase, funders, and partners across the region,” Frew said.

“My expectation is to see us grow on from our performances from 2025 and set high standards in the group on the court and off the court.”

A key change will be recruiting a new assistant coach after Liana Leota opted to switch to the Pulse to be closer to her children.

“La is a massive loss. She did some amazing things here and I will be forever grateful for having her by my side in my rookie year given her knowledge and experience,” Frew said.

“It also presents a fantastic opportunity for someone new to now step into the ranks and have an influence at this level of our sport so I’m looking forward to seeing who is eager for the challenge.”