Experienced core a key factor for Stars
Coming in with six changes, a new-look Robinhood Stars have bolstered their experience levels and now have proven heads in each third of the court to shore up their all-round capability.
With shooter Maia Wilson and defender Anna Harrison anchoring either end of the court, and the presence of Gina Crampton in the midcourt, the Stars have an impressive trio of Silver Ferns to build their team around.
Rock-solid and ever-reliable, Wilson, the team’s new captain is in a rich vein of form and just keeps getting better, the 1.87m Harrison, has been lured out of retirement and will turn 38 just ahead of the league’s opening round, but will add a wealth of experience to the young defenders around her. In the middle, Crampton adds another wise head and will steer the ship on attack.
“You always need someone in each area of court to be your stand-up guy, the guy that’s going to make the rest of it all come together and I feel that this year we’ve got really good prospects in each of those areas with those three,” Stars coach Kiri Wills said.
“I’ve gained quite a bit of experience and think I’ve now got a better quality in terms of being able to withstand periods in the game where we might drop away. So, I’m expecting those momentum changes to be shorter. If another team gets a roll on us, I expect us to come out of that a whole lot better than we have in the past.”
The Stars also have budding depth in regards to young players with growing ANZ Premiership experience under their belts, including Mila Reuelu-Buchanan (midcourter), Monica Falkner (shooter), Jamie Hume (shooter), Lisa Mather (midcourter) and Amorangi Malesala (shooter).
“That’s one of the things I look at as one of the real strengths of this team,” Wills said.
“I know that if plan A doesn’t go to plan, plan B, C and D are pretty solid and my biggest challenge is going to be deciding who gets out there on court each game and, fortunately, it means that I can play tactically.
“So, my line-up can be a lot more tactical than it potentially has been in the past. I’m really excited about our whole 12, across our training partners as well. We have got really good cover if anything happens to us this season.”
Top heavy at both ends of the court, with four shooters in the mix, and three in-circle defenders, there could be some tweaking in regards to players backing up as midcourt attackers and at wing defence.
“We need to have some alternative plans there, so we’ve been working a few people in those positions,” Wills said.
“It is a challenge and there will be some tough calls made and potentially people not getting a lot of court time but that’s professional sport.”
Judging the Tactix as the best team on paper, Wills is expecting an evenly contested competition and has high expectations for the Stars.
“At the minimum, we should be top three given the line that we’ve got,” she said.
“But it’s going to be tight, there are some very solid teams out there and I think it’s one of the most even spread of players across teams that we’ve seen.”