Netball set to get pulses racing
The ANZ Premiership returns tomorrow night with the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic heading north to face the Northern Mystics at the Auckland Netball Centre.
Three more matches will follow on Saturday, Sunday and Monday as the season resumes with its second round and everyone eyeing a place in the grand final at the end of August
Stuff netball writers Brendon Egan and Andrew Voerman have answered five burning questions they’ve been pondering while waiting for the competition to resume.
We had one round back in March before the Covid-19 lockdown. What stood out to you from it?
Brendon Egan: Tomorrow night will mark 95 days since we last witnessed the ANZ Premiership, so this is testing the memory. The key takeaway was the Pulse looked every bit the title favourites. They showed what they are capable of in putting the foot down in the second half against the Tactix after the score was level at halftime. The 31-19 second half burst was a warning to the rest of the competition.
Andrew Voerman: That netball without a crowd cheering for every goal isn’t right. Luckily – and fingers crossed – the game between the Southern Steel and Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in Dunedin on March 23 looks like it will have been a one-off. Players’ wider families and sponsors will be allowed in tomorrow and Saturday, with paying spectators back from Sunday, and you can be sure they’ll have built up plenty of enthusiasm over the long break.
With an eye to the Silver Ferns, what position is most up for grabs?
BE: The shooting end looks the big one. The Silver Ferns have decent depth in the midcourt and defensively, but shooting is the one area of the court that’s weaker. Goal shoot Maia Wilson was outstanding in January’s Nations Cup in England and
Noeline Taurua will be looking for her to be a consistent presence and take her play to another level with the Stars. Bailey Mes’ season-ending knee injury naturally means a spot will be up for grabs. Several shooting hopefuls weren’t considered for the World Cup last July because they didn’t meet fitness standards. The onus will be on those players to lift their game. With plenty of time to work on their conditioning during lockdown, there should be no room for excuses.
AV: The defensive circle is where the excitement is for me. Jane Watson and Phoenix Karaka got the nod for the final of the Nations Cup in January and appear to be the first-choice duo, but Karin Burger (who tends to play one spot further forward for the Pulse) is also in the mix. Then there’s Temalisi Fakahokotau, cruelly denied a shot at the World Cup last year with a knee injury, and Kelly Jury, once seen as the answer to the Ferns’ long-running Australian Diamonds problem. ANZ Premiership form could be
key come the end of the year.
Who is one player you’re really keen to see in action?
BE: Grace Nweke. The Mystics’ teen shooting sensation picked up where she left off last season in the opening round, slotting 40 goals from 43 attempts, including 29 from 30 in the first half. It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, with the Stars finding a way to annoy Nweke in the third quarter, limiting her to three goals. It will be fascinating to see whether other sides will cotton onto the Stars’ successful defensive tactics – hounding the opposition midcourt, playing physical against Nweke, and forcing the Mystics’ goal attack to beat them. It will be intriguing to see how Nweke responds. She’s a smart, gifted young player and you’d back her to bounce back.
AV: Northern Stars shooter Maia Wilson had a breakthrough season in 2019 and was duly rewarded with a return to the Silver Ferns for the Nations Cup at the start of the year, where she started alongside captain
Ameliaranne Ekenasio in the shooting circle in the final. The Ferns’ goal shoot bib is hers to lose now, in a post-Maria Folau world, and she will want to have a strong domestic season.
Which team will be the surprise package?
BE: It’s got to be the Tactix. Forget about their opening-round loss to the Pulse, the Tactix showed enough in the first half to suggest they’ll be a real handful. With Temalisi Fakahokotau and Jane Watson in the defensive circle, opposition shooters are going to face a torrid time. Add in emerging star Kimiora Poi at centre, vastly improved goal shoot Ellie Bird, a healthy Erikana Pedersen, and the off-season acquisition of Silver Ferns shooter Te Paea Selby-Rickit, this is the strongest Tactix squad in history.
AV: Don’t sleep on the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic. Their travel situation is easier than some of their rivals in the first month when every game will be in Auckland and they showed plenty of fight in round one as they beat the Southern Steel in Dunedin, albeit in an empty arena. If they are able to build off that first-up win, even though it was three months ago, they could steal a march on their rivals.
Who’s going to win, and why?
BE: It’s impossible to go past the Central Pulse. Across the court they’re stacked with firepower and game-breakers. Last season, they got over the hump, winning an elusive championship, and it would take a brave soul to bet against them repeating. Karin Burger, Katrina Rore and Kelly Jury form a threatening defensive combination. They will force opposition feeders and shooters to cough up plenty of ball and struggle with their shooting accuracy.
AV: The Central Pulse. They have a wealth of talent, they have plenty of continuity, and they’re going to get to play at home as defending champions, in front of their long-suffering fans who are sure to reward the team’s 2019 success with vociferous support. Their biggest challenge will be coping with the fact that they are the defending champions and everyone expects them to win.