Georgie Edgecombe (centre) in action for the Magic, who will play the Mystics for the Hobbiton Cup in Tauranga on Saturday. Photo / Michael Bradley
Georgie Edgecombe (centre) in action for the Magic, who will play the Mystics for the Hobbiton Cup in Tauranga on Saturday. Photo / Michael Bradley
Stepping into a new leadership role hasn’t changed the fundamentals for Magic’s co-captain Georgie Edgecombe, but it has sharpened her focus before a milestone clash in Tauranga.
As the team prepares to face the Mystics for their first home game of the season, Edgecombe said leading by example and deliveringon court will be key.
“Success for us would be nailing our structures and our game plan.”
The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are bringing one of the ANZ Premiership’s most anticipated fixtures to Tauranga for the first time on Saturday.
Edgecombe said it had been “awesome” sharing the role with Mikaere, learning from her experiences and the leadership she already had under her belt.
“I think we’re quite different in the way we lead, so we’re balancing each other out quite nicely at this stage.”
For the Magic, bringing this fixture to Tauranga carries special meaning, with the city serving as an important training base for the team and consistently delivering strong crowd support.
“We don’t take our home crowd and home support for granted, so we’re really looking forward to getting out there and performing well for them,” Edgecombe said.
She said the Hobbiton Cup hadn’t been in the team’s trophy cabinet for a few years and hoped the team could win this weekend.
“We’d really love to lift that up at the end of the game.”
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic operations manager Janette Douglas said having access to high-quality sporting events locally is important for building strong connections to the game.
Georgie Edgecombe is co-captain of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic this season and aims to lead by example. Photo / Michael Bradley
“When national-level sport is played in our own region, it makes the experience more accessible and inclusive.”
She said hosting ANZ Premiership matches delivered wider benefits for Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty, beyond the result on the scoreboard.
“Bringing fixtures like this to the region reinforces Tauranga’s ability to host popular events and gives the community a chance to see elite sport in action.”
Tauranga will host two ANZ Premiership fixtures at Mercury Baypark this season.
The Magic face the Mystics in the Hobbiton Cup clash on Saturday and will return to Tauranga on May 9 to take on the Southern Steel.
“It allows people of all ages to be part of something special right here in Tauranga,” Douglas said.
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
