Magic face tough treble of Australian teams at start of season

The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will open next year’s trans-Tasman league with a tough trio of fixtures against Australian sides, but coach Julie Fitzgerald is unfazed by that task.

The 2015 draw was released yesterday and sees the Magic play the first game of the competition, away to the Thunderbirds in Adelaide on Saturday, February 28, before they host the NSW Swifts and then the defending champions, the Melbourne Vixens.

‘‘You can never read too much into how the draw will affect the season,’’ Fitzgerald said.

‘‘I don’t mind meeting three Australian teams first-up.

‘‘We’ve probably got the best record against the Australian sides of any team in New Zealand. You’ve got to play them at some stage so it doesn’t really worry me if we have to play them first,’’ she said.

Like the competition was this year brought forward to accommodate the Commonwealth Games, next year’s sees the same situation, with the World Cup in Sydney in August.

On a rotational basis, teams either host six or seven regular season games, and next year the Magic get six, with them allocating three to Hamilton Rd 1, Sat, Feb 28, v Thunderbirds, Adelaide Rd 2, Mon, Mar 9, v Swifts, Mt Maunganui Rd 3, Sun, Mar 15, v Vixens, Mt Maunganui Rd 4, Sun, Mar 22, v Tactix, Hamilton Rd 5, Mon, Mar 30, v Pulse, Wellington Rd 6 (Easter) Sun, Apr 5, v Mystics, Rotorua Rd 7, Sat, Apr 11, v Steel, Invercargill (Claudelands Arena), two to Mt Maunganui (ASB Arena) and one to Rotorua (Energy Events Centre).

Magic chief executive Tim Hamilton Rd 8, Sat, Apr 18, v Firebirds, Brisbane Rd 9, Sun, Apr 26, v Fever, Perth Rd 10, Bye Rd 11, Sun, May 10, v Steel, Hamilton Rd 12, Mon, May 18, v Mystics, Auckland Rd 13, Mon, May 25, v Pulse, Hamilton Rd 14, Sun, May 31, v Tactix, Christchurch acknowledged it was their responsibility to promote netball throughout the zone, and added that the Magic are also looking to host some pre-season matches – something they haven’t done in recent seasons – with these likely to be held outside of main centres.

Because of how the draw works out and venue availability, the Waikato, with the biggest stadium, won’t see any Australian teams, which often pull the crowds.

‘‘Of course we’re very conscious of that, but that’s the way the draw’s worked out,’’ Hamilton said. ‘‘Sometimes it doesn’t work out in the ideal situation for the fan base, but we try and do the best we can with the opportunities we do have.’’

The Magic’s six home games mean they have to play three times across the ditch, and the last two of those come back to back, in Brisbane and Perth, which will probably mean the team stays overseas between games.

Having this year exceeded many expectations in making the preliminary final, next year the Magic may be helped by a revamped, expanded finals series, though TTNL will make a decision by the end of the month as to whether they introduce that for 2015.

A feature of the draw is a first-time Friday night fixture, with the West Coast Fever hosting the Queensland Firebirds in Perth on May 1.