Remember when

The ANZ Premiership returned after a threemonth Covid-19 break last weekend with the Central Pulse not skipping a beat. We look at netball’s big talking points from the last week.

Credit where credit’s due

Netball New Zealand was the butt of many jokes in 2016 following the dissolution of the former trans-Tasman netball league. It was widely feared a watered down domestic competition would only exacerbate the gap between the Silver Ferns and Australia, but the premiership has mostly proved a success.

Australia’s glitzy Super Netball copped plenty of flak this week, introducing a two-goal shot for the final five minutes of every quarter – a move clearly introduced to attract more eyeballs on television, and which caught unaware players and coaches on the hop.

Super Netball has been its own worst enemy with the unlimited import rule hurting the Diamonds internationally. This was another tacky move from the Super Netball Commission, which has infuriated players, coaches and fans.

To its credit, NNZ’s domestic competition has helped, not hindered, the Ferns. They’ve also stuck to netball’s traditional rules, a sensible call, which should benefit them internationally in the long run.

Monday blockbuster

Get the apple crumble ready and clear your schedule on Monday night for the clash of the premiership’s only two unbeaten teams, the defending champion Pulse, and the Mystics. Neutral observers would love nothing better than a Mystics’ victory to set the competition alight.

The Pulse resembled a welldrilled machine in their 63-39 pummelling of the Stars last Sunday. If the Mystics are to cause an upset, ensuring possession gets safely through to the hands of teenage shooting sensation Grace Nweke will be paramount.

To beat the Pulse, you need to unsettle their attack in the midcourt and capitalise by scoring off any rare turnovers.

Sloppy Steel

The Southern Steel find themselves in unchartered territory, sitting 0-2 and bottom of the table through two rounds. Having been awarded the premiership finals on August 23 at Invercargill’s Stadium Southland, the perennial title contenders face the prospect of playing for the minor spots that day, rather than the one versus two straight final, unless they