2025 ANZ Premiership Previews – Round Four

Take a look at the three match-ups coming in Round 4 of the 2025 ANZ Premiership.

Saturday, 31 May

Tactix v Mystics, 4pm at MainPower Stadium in Rangiora

Talking points:

• The VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix sit second on the ANZ Premiership ladder but were not entirely convincing in their four-goal win over the Magic last week.  Bedding in their new midcourt is taking time and play often broke down in their attacking third or with their final pass into the shooting circle.z

• Young Mystics defender Catherine Hall is making the most of her opportunities on court this season as she steps out of the shadow of Carys Stythe and Phoenix Karaka.  She leads the way in intercepts in the league and third on deflections.  Tactix shooter Ellie Bird made an impact from the bench last week and may get the start over Martina Salmon for a match-up with Hall.

• Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson was pleased with how her team executed their game plan in a tense final two minutes of play against the Steel last week.  Missing shooter Donnell Wallam in the last quarter (injury), they shifted Peta Toeava into the circle during the power play and Sokolich-Beatson gave the move a pass mark.  “We know what it’s like to lose our anchor shooter because we’ve had it in the past, so we’ve been training those combos – for us it’s nothing new and we know we’ve got to work the ball a bit more and not just lob it in.”

Final thought:

The top two teams on the ladder – Mystics sit in the box seat with Tactix two points below – have plenty to play for as they look to make a bit of a break from the chasing pack.  The Pulse are threatening, and the Steel have shown they are a team pushing hard for a top three spot.

Sunday, 1 June

Steel v Pulse, 4pm at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill

Talking points:

• Expect another cracker when the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel host Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse in the Deep South.  Confidence must be running high in both camps after producing some of the best netball of Round 3.  The Pulse were defensively dominant last week while the Steel pushed the unbeaten Mystics to the brink and will have the backing of their famous southern crowd to push them on.

• The litmus test for  any shooter in New Zealand is Pulse defender Kelly Jackson.  Her long reach and ability to turn ball over means she is a constant threat – something Charlie Bell experienced first hand last week.  Jackson’s match-up with shooter Aliyah Dunn will be one to watch with the latter having made an impressive start to the league in Steel colours but bracing to take on Jackson for the first time this season.

• The Pulse midcourt duo of Whitney Souness and Maddy Gordon could be the difference here.  Their experience when the pressure comes on will be invaluable in what many are expecting to be a tight tussle.  The two share the load evenly when it comes to ball distribution up front

Final thought:

“We let ourselves down in certain areas so we’re very disappointed right now.  It does give us confidence but in saying that we need to be better.  It was a game we could have taken, and it went right down to the whistle.  We made silly errors at silly times – it sucks, it hurts.” – Steel coach Wendy Frew on the disappointment of losing a close one against the Mystics.

Monday, 2 June

Magic v Stars, 7.30pm at GloBox Arena in Hamilton

Talking points:

• Welcome back AVIS Magic – they may not have taken maximum points last week but showed plenty of encouraging signs in the bonus point defeat to the Tactix and produced a performance many had been expecting from the side.  The shooting circle worked well and the injection of Ariana Cable-Dixon into the midcourt certainly had an impact on proceedings up front, while Claire O’Brien had her best showing of the season and Georgie Edgecombe was a menace on defence.

• Outclassed last week, the GoMedia Stars failed to win a quarter and have plenty of areas to work on.  Shooting accuracy hurt but it was the slow start which they need to address as they struggled to get back into the game, trailing by eight early on.  Consistency let them down after some promising moments against the Pulse and hesitancy crept into their game, particularly the feed into the shooting circle.

• Watch out for the match-up between Stars shooter Charlie Bell and Magic defender Erena Mikaere.  Bell was intimidated by the long reach of Kelly Jackson last week and faces more long limbs in the form of Mikaere.  The Magic goal keeper however had a quiet outing on the stats sheet and will look to stamp her mark early over Bell.

Final thought:

“There’s nothing too massive to work on.  It’s a good learning for us as a team and we’ll only get stronger from it.” – Stars coach Temepara Bailey reflecting after a heavy defeat last week.