Maybe the Pulse aren’t as unstoppable as was thought
The clear divides inside the six-team ANZ Premiership continues to grow, with the Central Pulse still on track for the perfect season and two teams scrapping it out for the wooden spoon. David Long checks out the fixtures for round nine.
Have the Pulse showed their weakness?
Although the Pulse had a 10-goal win over the Mystics on Wednesday night, the Helene Wilson-coached Mystics showed there are potentially weaknesses in this Pulse side.
Yes, they worked their way back into it and Karin Burger was outstanding in grabbing four interceptions, but the Mystics showed that it is possible to quickly get the ball through the midcourt and with accurate shooters, put them under pressure.
The Mystics couldn’t do that for 60 minutes, but a more experienced side might manage that. However, the Magic, who they take on in Wellington tomorrow, are not an experienced team. The Magic showed good signs in their win over the Tactix last week, but this is likely to be a step too far.
Desperate struggle
The Tactix have lost their last three games in the Premiership and with the Mystics starting to find some form, the Christchurch-based outfit could finish last for the second time in three years.
Goal shoot Ellie Bird was superb in the 57-50 loss to the Magic on Monday, but she’s been left to do nearly all of the scoring on her own, with Kate Beveridge five from 10 and Brooke Leaver three from two.
For their opponents at Horncastle Arena on Tuesday, the Northern Stars, it will be something of a must win game for New Zealand netball’s newest team. The Stars are four points ahead of the fourth placed Magic and are also on a threegame losing streak. It will be an outstanding achievement for the Stars to finish in the top three and make the playoffs, but they need to put away struggling teams such as the Tactix.
Different motivations in Dunedin
The Steel have their second and final game in Dunedin for the season on Wednesday when they take on the Northern Mystics.
There are six games left for the Steel in the regular season and really, while they wouldn’t admit it, there’s not much left to play for. Realistically, they’re not going to catch the unbeaten Pulse, the Stars are faltering and even though the Magic are on the rise, they’re too far behind to be a possibility to finish second.
What they can do though is spend time on court getting ready for the playoffs and in particular playing the Pulse, who’ll they’ll face once more in
the regular season on May 6.
With two wins from their last three games – and that defeat at the hands of the Pulse – the Mystics are on the bounce back with not only Grace Nweke but also Tayla Earle showing that the team has a bright future.
Plenty has already been written about Nweke and she continues to impress, but it’s not only her shooting that stands out, it’s also that she’s so good at collecting rebounds from her shots. She had five of them against the Pulse on Wednesday and has quickly become one of the most formidable goal shoots in New Zealand netball.
It’s a massive game for the Mystics if they want to try to sneak into playoff contention, but the question is whether they can play at a consistently high level for the entire game.