Commentator’s Call: Magic #18 for Metuarau

There’s something about the number 18 at the moment for Tiana Metuarau.

The 19-year-old averaged 18 minutes per game for the Pulse last season, and in Round 3 of the 2020 ANZ Premiership, she got another 18 minutes on court, but this time they helped clinch a thrilling win over the Mystics.

Metuarau entered Monday night’s game about halfway through the third quarter at WA, and had just a couple of minutes there before moving across to GA.

Those two minutes gave Yvette McCausland-Durie the chance to have a quick word to the non-stop Maddy Gordon and set her back on course.

Metuarau put away 9 goals from 12 attempts in her time in the circle, and helped the Pulse secure a 42-35 win. All in all, she’ll take a lot of confidence from that performance after what must have been a very frustrating 2019.

And so will the Mystics. Yes, they faded in the final quarter, and the old “critical errors at critical moments” cost them a bonus point. But the Pulse are very clearly the benchmark for 2020, and the Aucklanders now know they have the wherewithal to trouble the defending champions.

The Mystics open Round 4 on Friday night with what promises to be the pick of the games. They have a 5-4 record against the Tactix in this competition and are enjoying second place on the ladder – a rare position for them. But drop this game and they’ll allow the Tactix to share that spot, so expect a fierce encounter.

The Pulse has back to back outings – firstly against the Steel on Saturday followed by the Magic on Sunday. It’s hard to see either side troubling the Katrina Rore-led side, although the Steel have worked their way off the bottom of the table.

That’s thanks to a bonus point loss to the Mystics and a win over the Stars. Unfortunately, their lift in form was accompanied by a serious knee injury for Georgia Heffernan.

It’s the Magic’s turn on Monday night to have two games in a row, when they match up to the Northern Stars. This should be another close one, but it looks as though it could be another long drive home for the Waikato Bay of Plenty side.

If they want a chance of adding four points, they’ll need to lift their shooting percentage out of the 70s.