Red- hot Rahui eyes three- peat goal
The Manawatu premier one club competition starts on Tuesday night at the B& M Centre. Sports reporter George Heagney takes a look at the eight teams competing this year.
Manukura, formerly Tu Toa, has again entered two teams, who both should be in the mix at playoff time.
The two teams are Manukura Black ( made up of old girls) and Manukura Red ( current secondary school).
Manukura Red, the secondaryage team, is young, but coach Yvette McCausland- Durie will have them in shape.
New Zealand secondary schools shooter Emma- May Murray- Fifita will be their go- to player on attack, as well as wing defence Kiwa Shelford- Salt, who just missed out on the secondary schools squad.
Young members of last year’s squad, Braxton Te Riini, Layce Walker, Savanagh Cassidy, Antonia Heihei, Diahn Strickland and Shaedyn Oxenham will all need to step up this year.
The side will have to deal with a couple of big losses in former New Zealand secondary schools players Kayla Williams ( defence) and Shaani Temata- Frost ( shooter), who have finished school and are both studying in Canterbury.
The Manukura old girls team, Manukura Black, should be one of the strongest teams in the competition.
Last year’s key players Renee Matoe at shoot and centre Sheridan Bignall, both Central under- 23 players, are back to lead the side.
They have gained a handful of former Tu Toa students who have made the team a lot stronger.
Former Central Pulse shooter Te Amo Amaru- Tibble is back in Manawatu and Rhiarna Ferris, a midcourter from Hawke’s Bay who has played for the Central under- 23 and Manawatu, has returned.
Centre Lauretta Cribb, who helped coach Feilding last year, is playing again having recovered from a serious knee injury and Nichaela Gulbransen can slot in under the hoop.
Members of last year’s runner- up Tu Toa team, Anania KerehomaCook and Renee Te Riini, have finished school but are at Massey University and will play for the old girls team.
Te Riini is one of the top centres and Kerehoma- Cook can slot in at either end of the court.
The big loss is defender Whitney Cassidy who has gone to Australia.
Massey A1 will be looking to break the stranglehold of Manukura and Rahui on this year’s competition.
Always one of the top teams during the season, Massey have been unable to convert that come finals time recently, but again have a strong team under coach John Atkins and his assistant Sarika Rona.
Back from last year’s fourthplaced side is shooter Keaghan Seymour, centre Laura Lobb, defenders Vicki Miller and Kate Milne and wing attack Hanna Tevita.
The big loss though is defender and captain Jenna O’Sullivan who is going overseas, while prolific shooter Kamie Veikoso is in Sydney and young defender Danielle Gray is at Otago University.
New additions are shooters Maila Muliaga and Louise Ingram, who have been playing in the A2s and midcourter Sam Rowe, who has come from Counties Manukau and has played NPC for them, but is now in the army at Linton.
They have also picked up Rachael Lynch, a midcourter from Wanganui who is studying, and defender Nicole Bourke.
Massey’s A2 side didn’t through grading, missing Switch.
Competition newcomers Switch are hoping to do well, having been promoted from division two, which they won last year.
Switch were understrength during grading and didn’t perform as well as they would have liked, but are confident of upsetting some of qualify out to the younger teams this year.
Two of the original team members, Chelsea Poland at shoot and Renae Graham in the midcourt, will be key players, along with Terina Peina, Cat Scoon, Brook Clark and Lee Rerekura.
Defender Charlotte Hill addition.
is
a
new
They have lost Fatina Sae, who is focusing in her family this year, while Serena Rata is working as Hawke’s Bay Netball’s development officer but will play when needed.
Palmerston North Girls’ High School have had their usual turnover and should be competitive again, but may struggle against the top teams.
Gone from last season are shooter Sam Rowe and midcourters Erana Turia and Oriana van Nistelrooy.
They still have a good defensive end in Ruby August, Megan Webb and Jess Searle, as well as Tessa Marsh and the tall Hannah Rowe at the shooting end.
The loss of van Nistelrooy has seen coach Valerie Sampson put a year 10 student into the midcourt which has forced a bit of a reshuffle.
Feilding A1 have had an impressive buildup and will be looking to compete with the top sides this year after struggling to crack the top four last season.
Under new coach Jody Temata, they have won six from six in grading and could improve on their fifth place from last year.
A good recruit is former Western representative defender Jodi Beaumont, who has returned from Waikato.
Shooter Irihapeti Tuhura has stepped up from the A2s, midcourter Darci Brostow has returned from Perth and defender Jayne Darbyshire is back playing again.
Key players back from last year are Natalie Walford, Lana McCarthy and Jade Waldin in defence and Beth McAsey and Rachel Ngataki at shoot.
Feilding A2 have the expert guidance this year of former rep coach Priyani de Silva- Currie to help them improve their form. De Silva- Currie has coached Nelson and Tasman, as well as Tasman age group teams, but is living in Manawatu now.
To be competitive they will need defenders Jessica Brett and Darnelle Nugent- O’Leary to play well and one of their best players last year, shooter Georgia Ratima, to perform again.
Defending champions Rahui will again be hard to beat, especially if they get their ANZ Championships players back.
Last year the Otaki club was solid, then got Central Pulse players Katarina Cooper, Te Huinga Reo Selby- Rickit, and Liana Leota for the second half of the season and became the dominant team, going on to win the competition. If they do get them again, the other teams may not be able to stop Rahui from winning three consecutive titles.