Rival captains eye the ANZ Championship trophy

It was a case of “look but don’t touch” when the ANZ Championship trophy was unveiled to the two rival captains of the ANZ Championship Grand Final teams.

In keeping with sporting superstition, neither NSW Swifts captain Catherine Cox, nor her ColourPlus Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic counterpart, Amigene Metcalfe, was prepared to touch the trophy before tonight’s game. “Go on, you touch it,” said Cox in jest to Metcalfe, but the New Zealander would not budge.

The right to uplift the trophy for the first time will be decided before a crowd of over 10,000 tonight at Acer Arena, Sydney. The game will also be shown live on SKY Sport 1 (New Zealand) and Fox Sports 3 (Australia).
The trophy was designed by Nick Sampson and his team at DNA, who were also responsible for the ANZ Championship logo and branding.

Mr Sampson explained the thinking behind the design. “The ANZ Championship brings together the best of the best in a hard, fast and physical sport, where athletic grace and intense rivalry are seen on court week in, week out. The design is based on the elegant form of a traditional trophy and represents two teams coming together in a whirlwind of dynamic and exciting action.”