Stars are making a name for themselves
The second round of the ANZ Premiership showed we’re in for a close season, with just one of the winners from round one getting up again.
Stuff looks at the big storylines heading into round three.
The name’s Stars – just Stars
The team that wears purple and calls Pulman Arena home currently sits at the top of the ladder with two wins to their name.
But they’d like us to get their name right, so they took the time this week to send an email and ‘‘remind media of their name alteration, dropping the word Northern’’.
It’s just the Stars from here on in – a change made because Northern didn’t fit well with their focus on representing the south of Auckland, to which we say: Fair enough.
Shooting for the moon
Shooters always love to see a nine at the start of their shooting percentage rather than an eight (or worse), but hitting that mark is easier said than done.
Aliyah Dunn (91 per cent) and Maia Wilson (90 per cent) were the only two to get there last season, while Dunn (91 per cent) and George Fisher (a whopping 97 per cent) are the only two there right now, with
Fisher making all 42 of her attempts in the Southern Steel’s loss to the Northern Mystics last weekend.
ANZ Premiership round three
■ Tomorrow, 4.15pm: Southern Steel v Central Pulse; Stadium Southland, Invercargill.
■ Tomorrow, 6.15pm: Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic v Stars; Trustpower Arena, Tauranga.
■ Monday, May 3, 7.15pm: Northern Mystics v Mainland Tactix; Trusts Arena, Auckland.
■ Points (games played): Stars 6 (2), Pulse 4 (2), Mystics 4 (2), Magic 3 (2), Steel 3 (2), Tactix 0 (2).
Seeing double
You needn’t worry if you miss one of the matchups this round – because you’ll have a chance to see them again in just two weeks’ time.
By the end of round four, each of the six teams will have played four of their five rivals. But instead of completing the set in round five, they’ll play the teams they played in round three again. It won’t be until round eight that everyone will have played everyone, and we’ll have a true sense of how things stand.
Were we wrong about the Tactix?
Tactix coach Marianne DelaneyHoshek acknowledged in pre-season that they might have previously ‘‘snuck a few wins from people not expecting too much from us’’ and that they couldn’t ‘‘go sneaking around now’’ after being pegged as title favourites. After two heavy losses, is it too early reassess those expectations? The answer is yes, but they can’t get Te Paea Selby-Rickit back fast enough.
Game of the round?
It has to be between the Southern Steel and the Central Pulse at Stadium Southland in Invercargill tomorrow. The Steel have been the surprise package so far and will relish being back in front of their home fans, while the Pulse bounced back well from their opening loss easing past the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic last weekend.