Netball: Forsyth delighted to join Magic staff

Margaret Forsyth has been appointed assistant coach of the Kia Magic.

Margaret Forsyth's appointment as Kia Magic assistant coach has handed the former Silver Fern her biggest career challenge yet as she makes the leap into the ANZ Championship.

Best remembered for her exploits as a player, Forsyth carved an indelible niche in netball folklore when she formed half of a dynamic Silver Ferns shooting combination with Margharet Matenga during the 1980s.

Dubbed the "two Margs", the pair completely changed the way shooters would play the game in the future with their skill sets, athleticism, flair and instinct.

Forsyth now forms the other half of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic's coaching staff with Australian Julie Fitzgerald.

The transtasman duo are preparing to lead the Magic into a new era following the retirement of long-time mentor Noeline Taurua earlier this year.

A prominent figure in the Waikato, Forsyth has a long coaching pedigree at lower levels and is excited by the opportunity of working with the experienced Fitzgerald.

"I haven't got any pre-conceived ideas," Forsyth said.

"I'm just really excited to be involved in this level of netball. It's exciting on lots of levels - to be working with somebody like Julie Fitzgerald, to be working with the calibre of some of those international players which includes Silver Ferns and England international Jo Harten and then ... to be working with the young up-and-coming talent that we have as well."

Forsyth recently guided a well-drilled Hamilton team to a close second in the national championship, pipped 54-53 by Otago in the final.