The Stars will welcome back a familiar face to bolster their mid-court stocks ahead of the 2024 ANZ Premiership season.
Former Stars mid-courter Lisa Mather will re-join the franchise after a season playing in England with the Saracens Mavericks in the Netball Super League.
A dynamic mid-courter, Mather played for the Stars between 2020 and 2022 and will replace Samon Nathan who is expecting the birth of her first child.
While the opportunity came up when she wasn’t expecting it – Mather’s excited to be returning home.
“The thought of being back in Stars colours makes me smile and my heart happy.” Mather said.
“I’ve been watching the Stars while being away and a lot of my closest friends are still in the team, so I can’t wait to play with them again and while we’ve got some new signings and a bit of a new look, the team’s always been home for me and held a special place in my heart.”
Stars coach Kiri Wills says Mather’s been dearly missed while away in England.
“Lisa is a solid player in all three midcourt positions. She brings energy and a huge work ethic to the court which is reflected in her willingness to never give up for her team. One of the important things is we’ve already gone through a lot of change, so having someone who knows us, our culture and values and isn’t starting from the beginning is really good for us.” Wills explained.
Mather is grateful for the opportunities she had with Saracens and believes she’ll return to New Zealand a better player for her experiences.
“I was really challenged and learned a lot through court time, training and coaching and hope to take all those lessons back home and keep building. It’s been a great experience and something I’m so proud of and thankful for.” Mather added.
“I’m definitely up for the challenge and hope I can show more maturity in my game from being able to play a lot more centre in the U.K. I’m excited to throw myself into it, build solid connections and hope to contribute to more wins in 2024.”
