Bloxham interviewed for top jobs before confirming Cardiff move
“[I] challenged myself this year and applied for some other roles and missed out. So that was also good learning for me, going through the process of having an interview for the Silver Ferns."
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Reinga Bloxham has confirmed she landed interviews for both the Silver Ferns’ head and assistant coaching jobs in a process that was about challenging herself.
Speaking to The Roar Podcast about her decision to resign as Southern Steel coach and join the Cardiff Dragons in the UK Netball Super League, Bloxham said thoughts about taking on a new challenge started last year when the Steel was going through a winless season.
Despite the results, Bloxham did feel she was coaching at her best but was dealing with some significant challenges, in particular on the injury front.
She pondered if the Steel organisation might start to look in another direction, and then Bloxham herself decided this year she had thrown everything she could into the Steel.
“There was a moment in the season [last year] where I thought, I'm going to lose my job, you know, when you lose that many games.
“If I was in charge of the franchise, I'd be thinking she's gone. And I think that's the landscape of coaching.
“You are judged on your performances and results. And it is very clear in my contract and very clear in my key performance indicators that I have to try and aim for top three every year.
“Last year made me have a really good look at myself and think, where do I want to go? What do I want to keep achieving?
“And I'm not saying you get good at losing, but you get good at really reflecting and looking at yourself and knowing what the next step has to be. So somewhere between last year and this season, I had always had a long-term goal of heading overseas to do some coaching,” Bloxham told The Roar Podcast.
Before that crack at heading overseas, Bloxham did have a shot at the Silver Ferns head and assistant coaching jobs when they come up, although she missed out.
“[I] really challenged myself this year and applied for some other roles and missed out on those. So that was also good learning for me, going through the process of having an interview for the Silver Ferns coach and then assistant role and stuff like that.
“I really put myself out there and thought, right, if I'm going to do something different, I might as well start at the top and see how I go.”
Through that process, Bloxham was made aware that the Cardiff Dragons job in Wales was available.
She initially put the thought to one side before the prospect of departing the Steel and heading offshore really ramped up during the past six weeks or so.
“That's when I had to really make a decision and commit to them and had to have a big family meeting around it, because it's a big move, and I got full support from the kids and family.
“So, I said, righto, I'm off to Cardiff. They're really excited about it, and I'm really excited about it too. I think, for me, the timing's right.”
“I've put my heart and soul into this [Steel] team. And I'm really happy to be able to leave on my own terms and in a really good space that I still feel like I've got a great relationship with the franchise. I've got a great relationship with players here,” said on The Roar Podcast.
Bloxham will be involved in end-of-season reviews with Steel players and management next week and will continue working for Netball South until the start of September before stepping into her role with Cardiff.
She will initially be able to spend some time planning for her next job while living in Invercargill before departing for Cardiff in mid-October.
Bloxham will spend a couple of months meeting her team in Cardiff before returning to New Zealand for Christmas and then heading back to Wales at the end of January for a longer stint.