2022 ANZ Premiership Round 6 Preview
Take a look at all three match-ups in Round 6 of the ANZ Premiership.
Saturday, 16 April
Tactix v Stars, 4.10pm at Christchurch Arena in Christchurch
Both teams have been biding their time on the side-lines for two weeks and will be counting down the minutes when they can reignite their 2022 ANZ Premiership campaigns on Easter Saturday. With crowds allowed back into the stadiums, the Tactix faithful will get an opportunity to see their team live in action for the first time this season and the red-and-blacks will want to add to their solitary win so far.
Captain Kimiora Poi said they were “just feeling excited” to finally be able to get out on court again. The last time they played the Robinhood Stars, back in Round 2, the Tactix opened strongly but faded in the second half to allow the Maia Wilson-led side to come from behind for the 57-52 win.
Wilson will again have to be in the Tactix sights with the Silver Fern dominating in the circle last month in Christchurch while defenders Anna Harrison and Elle Temu picked up seven gains between them. But the Tactix showed in their last outing on court, against the Magic, that their attacking unit was also finding its feet with Samon Nathan delivering quality ball into the circle and the shooter-to-shooter play between Ellie Bird and Te Paea Selby-Rickit back to its best.
Expect another physical encounter between these two teams with both desperate to make a move on the Premiership points ladder after such a long lay-off.
Sunday, 17 April
Steel v Mystics, 4.10pm at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill
The celebrations for Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel captain Shannon Saunders 150th national league match have been kept on ice but the Silver Fern midcourter should get to crack the bubbly today when her side hosts the MG Mystics.
There is also the Georgina Salter Memorial Trophy at stake and the Steel will want to keep the spoils in the Deep South in memory of the legendary southern coach. They will also be out for redemption after suffering a 20-goal loss to the Mystics when they met in Invercargill back in Round 2. They had slashed that deficit to eight goals by Round 4 and after last week’s extra-time effort against the Pulse, must go into this match oozing with confidence.
Saunders said their ability to eliminate personal errors helped changed the game in the fourth quarter against the Pulse when they came from 11 goals down to force the match into extra time. “It was awesome to see us individually step up,” she said.
The new defensive pairing of Kate Burley and Sarahpheinna Would, along with middies Kate Heffernan and Renee Savai’inaea, were also at the top of their game and will need to reproduce their efforts against a Mystics attacking unit which can score quickly.
The Mystics have had a week off, thanks to Covid disruptions, with the 67-59 win over the Steel at the start of the month their last outing.
Monday, 18 April
Magic v Pulse, 7.15pm at Energy Events Centre in Rotorua
It is hard to imagine these two teams topping the finish they produced back in Round 4 when Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse shooter Aliyah Dunn calmly slotted a winning penalty just as extra time was threatening.
A week on the side-lines, thanks to Covid, was no doubt the last thing the Splice Construction Magic would have wanted having gained momentum with their on-court performances. All eyes will be on the match-up between the in-form pairing of Magic shooter Bailey Mes and Pulse defender Kelly Jury.
The Pulse co-captain leads the league with deflections (28) and intercepts (15) and back in her “home end” at keeper is delivering some of her best results. There will also be some sting left in a Pulse side determined to make amends for last week’s extra time loss to the Steel in a match they seemingly had won at the three-quarter mark.
Jury said it was a “healthy reminder” that netball was a 60-minute game and not over at the 45-minute mark. “We just let it slip – no excuses.” She said she wanted to see her side build an advantage on the scoreboard against the Magic. “To be fair it would be nice to get a game with a bit of a lead – build a lead and keep it.”