Sunday News

Premiershi­p form offers rich reward

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mean Bailey Mes moves out and that combinatio­n will be interestin­g to see. When Maria was there, she was the goal attack, she never played goal shoot much.

Their midcourt has changed a bit too, but they’ve still got a couple of key players in there who will do well for them.

STARS

There’s a wealth of experience in the Stars now. But it’s a nice mix and they’ve recruited well.

Maia Wilson is really strong for them with the shooting and I’m particular­ly interested in how the defensive end is going to go.

Also, I’m looking forward to see how well Temepara Bailey does and how much court time she gets. You can’t beat experience and if you can keep your body in check, what you can bring is massive.

As long as you can still play the game to the level to execute what you know, which I believe Temepara can do, she’ll bring a lot.

MAGIC Defensivel­y they’ve got a great lineup. Their midcourt has been together for a while now and their new goal shoot Abigail LatuMeafou is a good signing.

She came into the Mystics a few years ago as a training partner, so it will be interestin­g to see how she blends in and brings that Aussie style. But her game awareness is strong and that’s going to add a lot to their team.

PULSE

They haven’t changed much from last year. So they’re definitely going to be an experience­d team with strong combinatio­ns.

Both the Tactix and Pulse had strong years last year and they’ll be building on that this season, so they’ll definitely be a team to watch. TACTIX

I’ve always thought the Tactix have a strong culture. It might have something to do with the way they’re set up and train, both on the court and in the gym, they’re at the same facility, so they have a nice home.

They’ve built from that culture and now they have a lot of talent, from players who’ve stayed and built those combinatio­ns.

STEEL

Wendy Frew missing is a massive part of their leadership and experience gone. But they’ve got players who’ve stayed on and they’ll keep doing what they’re good at.

What the Steel are known for amongst the players is being a team that doesn’t change a huge amount, but are able to execute what they do really well.

But Lenize Potgieter is a great addition for them and it gives them the option of having a tall, shorter and a moving one. So we might see some change from them this year, instead of having that massive tall shooter at the back.

AND THE WINNER?

The Pulse jump out. They were so close last year, had such a good track record during the season and they have a very similar team.

Their only downfall because with it being their second year at this level, other teams will know the players and their style better if they’ve done their homework.

 ?? PHOTOSPORT ?? Team captains from left: Leana de Bruin (Stars), Casey Kopua (Magic), Gina Crampton (Steel), Jane Watson (Tactix), Phoenix Karaka (Mystics) and Katrina Rore (Pulse).
PHOTOSPORT Team captains from left: Leana de Bruin (Stars), Casey Kopua (Magic), Gina Crampton (Steel), Jane Watson (Tactix), Phoenix Karaka (Mystics) and Katrina Rore (Pulse).

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