2024 ANZ Premiership Round 2 Preview
We preview all three matches coming up in Round 2 of the 2024 ANZ Premiership.
4pm, Saturday 20 April
Pulse v Magic at TSB Arena in Wellington
Live on Sky Sport and free to air on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+
International streaming on www.netballpass.com
It’s hard to look beyond the battle in the AVIS Magic shooting circle against the Te Wānanga o Raukawa defensive unit of Kelly Jackson (nee Jury) and Parris Mason.
The latter was particularly impressive in the opening round of the ANZ Premiership, not only with her defensive skills but also with her vision into the shooting circle and ability to execute the long pass into Amelia Walmsley. Co-captain Jackson said she enjoyed working with Mason having worked alongside her in some capacity over the last four years.
“She’s got a great netball brain on her and lots of energy to burn,” she said.
The duo takes on a new Magic shooting combination who impressed against the Mystics and will be one to watch. Their attacking unit was cohesive in the first half but as the defensive screws were tightened, the errors started to creep into their game and a run of 10 goals against the Magic proved costly.
Captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio said there were plenty of positives for her side, including her shooting partner Saviour Tui who looks set to excite in the Magic dress. Tui earned the MVP award last week and the mobility of the Magic shooting circle will test all teams in the league.
“She’s a real smiling assassin and we just want to get more out of her. I’m really proud of how far she’s come, even in just pre-season, so I think it’s a combination that’s going to grow in time,” Ekenasio said.
4pm, Sunday 21 April
Tactix v Stars at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch
Live on Sky Sport
International streaming on www.netballpass.com
Both shooting circles will look to step up their game in the second round of the ANZ Premiership with neither firing in their campaign openers. The Trident Homes Tactix looked on track to post a formidable score against the Steel last week but their accuracy in the circle let them down as the match wore on, landing just 74 per cent of their attempts at goal.
Stars captain Maia Wilson is also calling on her attack line to lift their performance when they travel to Christchurch and said while there was a bit of “musical bibs” in their attack end last week, it was up to them to adapt to the changes.
“At the end of the day we need to think about shot selection and pass placement which we need to tidy up before next week.”
Defensively, both teams won plenty of ball and the injection of young Stars defender Lili Tokaduadua had an immediate impact on the game against the Pulse running out with seven deflections and one intercept – she may have done enough to earn a starting spot against the Tactix.
Wilson said while they were disappointed with the first-round loss they were “still a new side and still learning” but would need to take their opportunities in Round 2.
“We talked about going into the last quarter how important scoreboard pressure is,” she said of their match against the Pulse.
“We were only down by four in that last quarter – we need to take our opportunities to take the game.”
7.30pm, Monday 22 April
Steel v Mystics at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill
Live on Sky Sport
International streaming on www.netballpass.com
It doesn’t get any easier for the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel this week, and despite being home, they face a tall order against the MG Mystics. They will be out for a better start, having scored their lowest first quarter score in history when they went down to the Tactix.
Captain Kate Heffernan said her side got enough ball on defence but at times struggled to get the ball through court.
“It was tough to get it past their defenders but at times we made it even harder for our shooters than it already was.”
She said it was important everyone did their own jobs out on court against what is a strong looking Mystics unit. It took a dominating third quarter for the Mystics to turn around the scoreboard in a tough opener last week and captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson said they needed the halftime break to highlight areas they needed to combat.
“We were really wide, we were really parallel, we were flat, and we had no-one punching.”
But once they remedied those issues, the Mystics switched gear, flexed its muscles, and ran away with the game to sound a note of warning to the rest of the league. Everyone knows the threats they hold on attack in the link between Peta Toeava and Grace Nweke, but the Mystics also boast impressive defensive depth.
It was highlighted in their opening round win with Catherine Hall getting the nod ahead of Carys Stythe - the young duofinishing the game together in the circle and bringing plenty of height, and potential, to the court.