Commentator’s Call: Six down, six to find
Noeline Taurua has dropped a tantalising titbit on where her decision making is at regarding her Netball World Cup team.
Who those half dozen are, and who will join them will become clear on May 23.
Two names who appear to be givens, are Laura Langman and Maria Folau. The interesting thing there of course, is that few people on this side of the Tasman have seen them play since the January Quad Series.
Taurua has seen plenty of Langman, given she’s back in her Sunshine Coast Lightning side and will be training up a storm. But Folau has been less visible. Her Adelaide Thunderbirds side begins its campaign on April 28 and like all the Australian sides will be flat out right up until three weeks before the World Cup starts in Liverpool. Like Langman, Folau is a proven big game player and the questions are really who will be around them.
Using mind-reading capabilities, it might be considered that the other four in Noeline Taurua’s mind are Casey Kopua, Gina Crampton, Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Jane Watson. The good news is that there’s a number of others pressing for selection. Katrina Rore, Kelly Jury, Karin Burger, Maia Wilson, and Phoenix Karaka spring to mind. The only concern there is that you can’t take six defenders!
Round 7 this weekend should produce some closer results than the one previous. The highlight was the Mystics snaring their first win of the season, in a thrilling second half revival over the Magic. They should be able to build on that momentum this round and get home against the Tactix.
The Stars Magic game in Takanini on Monday night could be dubbed the ‘Battle of the Bruises’. Both sides nursing injured pride after their sizeable losses to the Pulse and Mystics respectively. The Stars have a little more fire power at the ready to pick up another three points.
Once again the highlight will be Wednesday’s Steel v Pulse clash. It was just two weeks ago in Wellington when the Pulse beat the defending champions 54-50.
This time the game’s in Dunedin and while not the famous Invercargill fortress, there’s no escaping it’s a home game for the Steel. However, having seen what the Pulse did to the Stars on Wednesday night, that may not matter.