Pulse need postponement

Covid-19 cases and isolation requirements will prevent Te Wa¯nanga o Raukawa Pulse from taking the court for their Round 1 ANZ Premiership netball match against the Stars in Auckland on Monday.

Under the league’s Covid-19 Match Postponement Policy, the match has been deferred and will be rescheduled at a later date.

With a double-header coming up the following weekend (March 19/20), Pulse coach Yvette McCauslandDurie is keeping a watchful eye on her players’ progress.

“We’ve just got to keep moving and keep a good eye on them from a health perspective to make sure they’re coping with the new loads, how they’re managing themselves and adjust accordingly,” she said.

“It’s a disappointing way to start the season and the challenge now is making sure they’re well enough to be ready for the double-header. We’re grateful that we’ve been approved for the deferred match, but we’re equally still under pressure to make sure they’re physically ready for the next two.

“The players just want to get going, so their focus is about getting well and getting back. With that comes some anxiety about being ready and they were certainly ready before this happened.”

Players coming back in are required to go through managed protocols set in place for the ANZ Premiership.

“There’s a four-stage process. As their symptoms improve, they’re able to start the early stages in isolation, which is minimal activity in their confined space, then they keep building with everything based on heart rates and managed from that perspective,” McCausland-Durie said.

The league’s opening matches on Sunday will go ahead as scheduled, Covid-permitting, with the Magic hosting the Mystics and Tactix coming up against the Steel.