Who’s best placed to stop the Pulse?
The fourth season of the ANZ Premiership begins tomorrow. With the Silver Ferns world champions, competition for fringe spots in the national team will be fierce. Brendon Egan assesses the six teams.
MYSTICS
Coach: Helene Wilson.
Squad: Tayla Earle, Courtney Elliott, Sulu Fitzpatrick, Dani Gray, Emma Iversen, Phoenix Karaka, Bailey Mes, Grace Nweke, Elisapeta Toeava, Saviour Tui.
Last year: Sixth.
Who needs to fire for them to do well: Phoenix Karaka. A season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon to Michaela SokolichBeatson is a major blow in the Mystics’ defensive end and fellow Fern Karaka will need to step up in her absence as captain, alongside off-season recruit Sulu Fitzpatrick.
TAB odds: $12 Outlook: The Mystics will be determined to start strongly after a poor beginning to 2019 derailed their campaign. With 18-year-old shooting sensation Grace Nweke in her second season of elite netball, the Mystics shouldn’t have too many issues racking up the goals. Stopping them at the other end of the court will be critical, but with Karaka and Sulu Fitzpatrick projected to be their starting defensive combination, they have plenty of ammunition at the back.
STARS
Coach: Kiri Wills.
Squad: Kate Burley, Jamie Hume, Fa’amu Ioane, Grace Kara, Lisa Mather, Julianna Naoupu, Storm Purvis, Mila ReueluBuchanan, Daystar Swift (Trinidad and Tobago), Maia Wilson.
Last year: Second (Runner-up).
Who needs to fire for them to do well: Maia Wilson. The 22-year-old came of age at January’s Nations Cup, stepping into the retired Maria Folau’s formidable shoes at goal shoot and excelled. If the Stars are going to shine, Wilson will need to be a steady presence in the shooting end.
TAB odds: $26
Outlook: Last year’s beaten finalists have been written off at the TAB, paying a whopping $26 for the title. With Ferns legends Leana de Bruin and Temepara Bailey both retired and former Silver Fern Kayla Cullen based in Australia and pregnant with her first child, the Stars have lost a wealth of experience. Wilson will be a crucial cog in the shooting end, while they have a talented midcourt in returning former Silver Fern Grace Kara (back from the birth of her first child), last year’s standout Mila Reulu-Buchanan and gritty wing defence Fa’amu Ioane, who missed last season through injury.
MAGIC
Coach: Amigene Metcalfe.
Squad: Ariana Cable-Dixon, Monica Falkner, Holly Fowler, Abigail Latu-Meafou, Georgia Marshall (Australia/temporary replacement player), Kelsey McPhee, Erena Mikaere, Jenna O’Sullivan, Whitney Souness, Georgia Tong, Samantha Winders (nee Sinclair).
Last year: Fourth.
Who needs to fire for them to do well: Samantha Winders. Newly-married Winders (nee Sinclair) is a forgotten name in New Zealand netball. The gritty midcourter was overlooked for the World Cup and also missed out on the Ferns’ Constellation Cup and Nations Cup squads. To say Winders will be highly motivated to force her way back into New Zealand contention is an understatement.
TAB odds: $5
Outlook: The Magic, traditionally among the strongest Kiwi sides in the former trans-Tasman competition, have been a disappointment in the first three years of the premiership. They have finished fourth, fifth and fourth, and are yet to make the finals. There will be pressure on the Magic to perform in 2020 and they have recruited well, adding Ferns wing attack Whitney Souness (from the Pulse) and midcourter-defender Holly Fowler via the Stars. Losing Silver Ferns legend Casey Kopua (retired) and Kelly Jury (who missed the bulk of last season with injury and has joined the Pulse) will be a challenge the Magic defensive end must overcome.
PULSE
Coach: Yvette McCausland-Durie.
Squad: Karin Burger, Aliyah Dunn, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, Maddy Gordon, Kelly Jury, Claire Kersten, Tiana Metuarau, Katrina Rore, Renee Savai’inaea, Elle Temu.
Last year: Champions.
Who needs to fire for them to do well: Kelly Jury. Take your pick in the Pulse team, there’s no shortage of quality. Goal keep Jury, who has played 22 tests for the Ferns, has plenty to prove after moving to the Pulse from the Magic. Her netball year was ruined by shoulder surgery in 2019 and she’ll be gunning for a Ferns recall.
TAB odds: $2.10
Outlook: The Pulse finally got over the hump last season, winning their first title after butchering the 2018 decider against the Steel. They will start as warm favourites for the title and, with most of last season’s squad back, will take some beating. Goal shoot Aliyah Dunn will be desperate to impress after missing the World Cup squad because of fitness concerns. Off-season addition Jury forms a powerful back three alongside Katrina Rore and Karin Burger.
TACTIX
Coach: Marianne Delaney-Hoshek.
Squad: Ellie Bird, Charlotte Elley, Temalisi Fakahokotau, Sophia Fenwick, Samon Nathan, Erikana Pedersen, Kimiora Poi, Jess Prosser, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Jane Watson.
Last year: Fifth.
Who needs to fire for them to do well: Temalisi Fakahokotau. The Aucklander was playing the finest netball of her career until she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in September 2018. It’s been a long journey back for Fakahokotau, but if she can recapture her pre-injury form, she should bolt back into the Ferns’ defensive end.
TAB odds: $3.50
Outlook: Expectations have never been higher for the Tactix with star defender Fakahokotau returning after missing the 2019 campaign with a ruptured ACL, and Ferns shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit joining from the Steel. Fakahokotau and Silver Ferns standout Jane Watson formed a brilliant defensive combo in 2018 and they should again generate a wealth of turnover ball. With Kimiora Poi and Erikana Pedersen anchoring the midcourt, and Selby-Rickit and the much improved Ellie Bird at goal shoot, anything less than a top three finals spot would be a disappointment for the perennial battlers.
STEEL
Coach: Reinga Bloxham. Squad: Kendall Corkery, Gina Crampton, Abby Erwood, Taneisha Fifita, Georgia Heffernan, Kate Heffernan, Kalifa McCollin (Trinidad and Tobago), Jennifer O’Connell, Shannon Saunders, Te Huinga Reo SelbyRickit. Last year: Third (lost elimination final). Who needs to fire for them to do well:
Jennifer O’Connell. The departures of South African international Lenize Potgieter and Silver Fern Te Paea SelbyRickit (to the Tactix) leaves the Steel raw in the shooting end. Youngster O’Connell was impressive in 2018, but mostly rode the pine last season behind Potgieter. This is her time to show she should have been starting more often last season.
TAB odds: $10 Outlook: Write off the Steel at your peril. The Steel have never missed the finals, winning the first two titles in 2017 and 2018, but don’t quite boast the firepower of past seasons. Silver Fern midcourters Gina Crampton and Shannon Saunders will be influential as always, but the Steel will need their defensive end and shooting unit to perform consistently Co-captain Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit is a tireless contributor in the defensive circle and will need to lead the way again. How the Steel’s new-look shooting combination of O’Connell and Trinidad and Tobago international Kalifa McCollin operate together could define their campaign.