Double defeat for northerners

Cheree Kinnear

It was a tough start for the Auckland franchises after both ANZ Premiership teams suffered opening round losses yesterday.

The Northern Stars were narrowly defeated by the Mainland Tactix in overtime, with the Christchurch side pipping them 61-60.

The Northern Mystics were well beaten 55-47 by defending champions the Southern Steel.

The Central Pulse’s 45-33 romp past the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic completed the day’s round of games, all in Palmerston North.

With new captain Grace Kara, who switched after nine years with the Mystics, and prominent English import Ama Agbeze, the Stars were well prepared for battle.

Recruited for her leadership and experience, Agbeze joined the Stars just three weeks after winning gold with the English Roses at the Commonwealth Games.

Agbeze’s tight defence alongside Holly Fowler proved increasingly challenging for the Tactix shooters.

But with an impressive goal percentage from Brooke Leaver and Australian import Kate Beveridge, the Tactix didn’t allow the Northern team much room to breathe before pushing past them to claim their first opening game win since 2010.

Kara said although she was disappointed with the loss, she felt her team played to the best of their ability.

“I feel a bit deflated, but super proud, and as much as it is disappointing, I think the girls did extremely well. Considering the amount of time we’ve had together, it’s a pretty good effort by the girls,” she said.

The Steel delivered a solid statement in their first outing, but the margin of victory may have been a small surprise.

The Steel went into this campaign as one of the youngest teams in the league, and without Jamaican import shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid.

Fowler-Reid, who has become one of the world's best shooters, left big shoes to fill for 20-year-old Steel goal shoot Jennifer O'Connell.

Despite being up against the tough defence of Mystics captain Anna Harrison, O'Connell was not shy of proving her worth.

She hit a healthy 87 per cent of her shots (20/23), alongside Te Paea Selby-Rickit (35/46).

The Mystics quickly felt the absence of Silver Ferns sharpshooter Maria Folau, as Bailey Mes and Jamie Hume struggled to score, handing the Steel a comfortable victory.

New Zealand shooter Mes had a rough outing, shooting just 14/27 (51.8 per cent) as the Steel shot 76 per cent compared with the Mystics' substandard 69 per cent effort.

In the Pulse-Magic clash, both teams showed rustiness in the opening exchanges but the Wellingtonbased Pulse settled quickest into their work.

Thirty-three goals was the lowest attacking output by a New Zealand side since 2014.

That year, the Pulse also notched that number, against the Queensland Firebirds in the transtasman championship.

Defender Sulu Fitzpatrick, who played for the Steel last season, was a welcome addition to the Pulse's defensive side.

The successful combination between national skipper Katrina Grant and Fitzpatrick restricted the Magic to just 15 goals by halftime.

Playing her 150th game on her 31st birthday, Grant was pleased with the win and said it was good to see the younger players gel in the team.

“Especially at the beginning when everyone is trying to figure everything out and finding their own feet, so we were very happy and proud,” said Grant.

After devastatingly losing 69-53 to the Steel in last year's grand final, the Pulse will look to build from yesterday's win as they have a rematch against the undefeated champions at 7.45pm tonight.