Commentator’s Call: Round 3
SKY Sport NZ commentator Jenny Woods is rubbing her hands together at the thought of a top-of-the-table clash. All this and more, in this week’s Commentator’s Call…
The ANZ Premiership has come alive courtesy of two cracking games in the last round.
After a game that could have gone either way, the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel punished the SKYCITY Mystics in the dying minutes to deny the northerners a bonus point, running out with a seven point win. Two nights later the WBOP Magic would have simply been happy to get the win, as the Te Wananga o Raukawa Pulse certainly deserved their bonus point for finishing two goals adrift.
These four teams have got the goods. Each boasting a mix of experience and youth, with some of that youth very exciting.
Tougher to read are the Northern Stars and the Silvermoon Tactix. The former certainly look as though they will keep getting better; while the latter simply need more success in the circle, with a shooting percentage of 66 per cent.
Things won’t get any easier for the Tactix as they head to Wellington for the first game of Round 3 on Sunday afternoon. The Pulse defence was outstanding against the Magic, with Katrina Grant in particularly good form with four intercepts and a deflection. A match-up to watch is Cathrine Tuivaiti’s clash with former Mystics teammate Temalisi Fakahokotau.
The game many have been waiting for comes on Monday night. The Steel have their first home outing of the league when they play the Magic in Invercargill.Both sides are unbeaten. The last time these sides met was at ILT Stadium Southland last year when the Magic took down the Steel in an upset. That 59-57 scoreline to the WBOP side could well be repeated. Judging by their performances so far, Casey Kopua and Kelly Jury look to have the ability to complete the job that Anna Harrison came so close to pulling off in the last round; containing Jhaniele Fowler-Reid.A game not to miss!
The round is completed on Wednesday night when the Stars have their first home game… this one at the Vodafone Event Centre in Manukau. It’s a cross-town clash as the Mystics hit the motorway, hopefully early to beat the notorious Auckland traffic. A number of the players will be up against former teammates with Kayla Cullen, Sulu Fitzpatrick, and Fa’amu Ioane - all of whom turned out for the Mystics last year.
The Stars were much improved in Round 2, but the Mystics have shown enough in their two games to go into Wednesday night as favourites.
There’s no question of the value of the bonus point for finishing no more than five goals adrift of the opposition. Ask the Mystics and the Pulse, they’ve already held on for close wins.It’s those close wins that could prove all the difference towards the end of the season.
You can hear Jenny and her commentary team colleagues calling all the action live on SKY Sport and FanPass (NZ fans) and on the ANZ Premiership Facebook page (outside NZ).