TWO ENDS OF THE LADDER

What will happen first – a loss for the Central Pulse or a win for the Northern Stars? Stuff’s money would be on the Stars winning one, and that’s not just because the Pulse look increasingly invincible, dispatching the Northern Mystics by 22 goals last Sunday just four days after beating the Southern Steel by 31. The Stars have been in the hunt in the fourth quarter in four of their five losses, and are a decent chance to get on the board tomorrow, when they have a rematch with the Steel, who needed a big defensive play to pip them late five days ago.

TACTIX STRONG LATE

Speaking of teams pipping others late, there’s one more likely to do so than most – the Mainland Tactix, who have outscored their opponents in five of their six fourth quarters so far this season, snatching two narrow wins against the Stars as a result. The one game where they didn’t was against the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic on Wednesday, where they had a 10-10 draw in the final period after beginning it with a 9-5 run that shrank their opponents’ lead to three. They lost that one in the end but it was a reminder that you can never count them out.

STARS WILT DOWN STRETCH

If the Tactix are a team who get better down the stretch, the Stars are the opposite. They have been outscored in the final period in each of their five games this season, and that has cost them three games they were winning when it started. Unfortunately for Kiri Wills’ team, removing the fourth quarter ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚ ❚