Walmsley braces for clash with Silver Ferns standout
Amelia Walmsley won’t be getting caught up in any mind games from Silver Ferns team-mate Phoenix Karaka in tomorrow’s blockbuster.
The Central Pulse goal shoot will match up against Mystics defensive standout Karaka, a 67-test Silver Fern, in a crucial battle within the battle.
Karaka is a vastly experienced player, making her national league debut in 2013 with the Southern Steel. She is never short of a word on court and often looks to get into the head of a shooter and disrupt them.
Walmsley and Karaka are good mates in the national environment, but for 60 minutes tomorrow will be doing everything they can to help their team win.
“Last year taught me to build on my mental toughness. Having resilience against the chat, and she does talk a lot, but ust tuning that out, not reading into what she says,” Walmsley said.
“If she’s chatting that shows I’m getting a reaction out of her. If she was settled, I don’t think she would be.”
Walmsley, who is the second most prolific shooter through three rounds of the ANZ Premiership (127 goals at 81%), will need to take on even greater responsibility against the Mystics.
The Pulse will be without influential centre Maddy Gordon, who injured her ankle in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s win over the Steel. Gordon was the ANZ Premiership Player of the Year last season and had been in sparkling form to begin 2024.
The unbeaten Pulse, who are unsure how long Gordon will be sidelined, are also without goal attack Tiana Metuarau, who is yet to feature this season as she works her way back from a foot injury.
Walmsley was gutted for Gordon, but said the team had complete faith in their other midcourters.
“Maddy is such a force to be reckoned with and we’ll definitely miss her on court.’’
Walmsley, who turned 20 in January, had a 2023 season to savour.
She earned her first premiership start for the Pulse in their opening game of last season and never looked back.
The Aucklander slotted 40 or more goals in nine of 16 games and was the third highest goal scorer in the competition, with 627 at 86%. Only the Silver Ferns Grace Nweke of the Mystics (825 at 92%) and Stars’ Maia Wilson (669 at 94%) landed more goals.
Walmsley’s dominant play saw her rewarded with a call-up to the Silver Ferns, debuting in the second match of the Taini Jamison Trophy series against England in Porirua. She was far from daunted, impressing with 36 from 41, playing the full 60 minutes in the Ferns’ 57-36 win.
Having played only 18 minutes across seven games for the Pulse in 2022, Walmsley said last year was the stuff of dreams. “I would not have thought that was going to happen at all. When I was named in the Ferns I didn’t expect it, I was enrolled in fulltime study. It was a bit of a shock.”
Walmsley was well aware she needed to continue to grow all parts of her game and keep getting better. In her second season as a fulltime starter for the Pulse there was no element of surprise any more. Opposition defences knew what she could do and would pore over video footage to find weaknesses in her play.
“It’s a challenge, but it also means I’ve got to work even harder and continue to add to my tool kit in my game to keep them on their toes.”