Netball: Straight-talking captain growing into her role

Casey Williams. Photo / Getty Images

As far as New Zealand sporting captains go, Casey Williams tends to stand out.

While many others persist in soundbites and cliches, Williams is a self-confessed "straight talker" and sees it as a strength.

"It gives the public a true reflection of how I am," she says, "though you need to know the fine line of going too far."

Williams pushed the boundaries last season, famously telling the nation via live television that she was "pissed off" after a close 47-46 loss to Australia.

"I knew there would be a reaction," she recalled of that September night in Invercargill. "There was no other way to say it and show how I was feeling."

That moment seemed a coming of age for Captain Casey. Her passionate reaction endeared her to fans around the country. Coach Ruth Aitken had no problem with the heart-on-the-sleeve reaction.

"She didn't get rapped over the knuckles at all," Aitken says. "We had a wee chuckle. She came up to me afterwards and she said, 'Oh, Ruth, I might have got into a bit of trouble - I said I was really pissed off' - and I said 'Well, you were - and so you should be'."

Aitken says she neither expects nor demands that Williams changes her direct approach.

"She is a straight talker and I am not worried about that. We obviously wouldn't like that to become the norm and, as she grows more mature, there might be other options that she uses to describe her feelings. But at that point in time that was how she felt."

Ferns team-mate Maria Tutaia says Williams as a captain is "very dominant, straight to the point and leads by example. If you know Casey, that is her persona, that is who she is and the role hasn't changed the person that she is."

Yesterday's test against Samoa was her 12th in charge (six wins/six losses) and Williams feels she is growing into the role.

"I think now I can be a bit more up-front with myself and the team. I can believe in what I say and most of the time it is from my gut feeling. For me, captaincy is just a label - a special label - but it doesn't add any pressure. I'm still part of the team out there to do my job. Anyway, as a team, and as individuals, we put enough pressure on ourselves as it is."

Williams is not sure if she is a "natural leader" but admits in her position being vocal comes with the territory.

"We defenders have to be loud," she jokes. "I like to show my team that I can lead out there by getting the ball.That is my job."

Williams lists her captaincy role models as former Fern Adine Wilson, previous Magic skipper Amy-Jean Metcalf - "an amazing leader on and off the court" - and Rhys Williams, 1st XV captain at Matamata College.

She also looks up to a slightly more famous captain, saying of Richie McCaw: "I always think he is a very down to earth, very realist type of person which is something that you want as a captain. I always listen to what [he] has got to say."

In some ways Williams seems just like any other regular 25-year-old Kiwi girl. She loves shopping, socialising and "hanging out" at the beach and admits to being a "bit addicted to Sprite Zero, salt and vinegar chips and that Kiwi onion dip."

But she also happens to be the best netball goalkeeper on the planet, 1.88m of spring-heeled defensive power and intimidation.

"As a shooter, playing against her, you have to give it your all," says ANZ Championship rival Tutaia. "If you don't, if you leave that 1 per cent on court then she will definitely take the ball off you. She will never give up."

Playing for the Magic, Williams led the league in defensive rebounds after the 2010 regular season and grabbed the second highest number of intercepts.

Aitken labels the combative Williams "fearless", the "best defender in the world" and "the epitome of everything the Silver Ferns are about" but says her less obvious, softer qualities are just as important.

"On the inside, there is an empathy about her that enables others in the team to really connect with her. She is good at reading the mood in a group and is very aware of others.

"She has got a huge sense of what it takes to be a really great Silver Fern, the way she gives confidence to others in the group - it is a side of her that people don't see."