Commentator’s Call: Teams set to go up a gear
Five games down, 10 to go for each of the ANZ Premiership teams in the run to the August 23 Finals Series, writes Sky Sport commentator Jenny Woods.
The schedule resumes on Friday night with the first of the rematches – this one between the Pulse and Steel.
It’s hard to believe this is a top versus bottom clash. No surprise that the reigning champions are unbeaten, but the Steel won’t be comfortable sitting at number six.
They would have taken some heart from last week’s game against the Pulse when at three quarter time, they were just two goals behind. But what happened next is what did for them - a nine goal run, with Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Aliyah Dunn finishing with 100 percent games.
That’s no mean feat and hasn’t been done in either the ANZ Premiership or ANZ Championship before. But it has to be remembered these are 48 minute games.
The Steel will have pored over that final quarter, but it’s hard to see the southerners getting the better of the Pulse. And perhaps they’ll be saving a little bit in the tank for the next day when they play the Stars. There were just two goals between these two in Round 3, with the Steel securing their only win of the competition so far.
The Stars on the other hand will be wondering how they surrendered a six goal lead over the Magic, with four minutes to go. The 46-all draw was a thrilling watch, but it’s doubtful how much the coaches enjoyed it.
The cool thing is they don’t have to wait long to have another crack. The first of Sunday’s two games pits the Magic against the Stars once again.
A rematch many have been waiting for follows, with the Mystics taking on the Tactix. These teams sit two and three on the ladder, and with no play-off system this year, everyone wants to at least be in that second position to make the Grand Final. Mystics took it by five in Round 4, but won’t be taking anything for granted this time.
Round 5 winds up on Monday with the Tactix versus Magic. The Mainland side will want all eight points from this round which means two wins. Gather those, and they’re in that coveted second spot.