Netball returns to the shore
Top flight Netball will return to the North Shore Events Centre on Wednesday night, with a season-defining clash between the SKYCITY Mystics and Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse.
With the race to the Finals Series in full force, both teams will be looking to take the win and with it a crucial two points.
Pulse assistant coach Sandra Edge says that team is ready to embrace the challenge of rebounding following their disappointing loss to the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel last week.
“It hasn’t set the alarm bells ringing because we believe in the netball that we’re trying to play that will be successful,” Pulse assistant coach Sandra Edge said.
“That was a big blip against the Steel but due credit has to go to them because they played a strong, decisive and confident game. To a certain degree, we allowed that to happen and as a result we lost a bit of momentum in our own game and our own goals.”
There has been an honest appraisal between management and players in a bid to steady the ship ahead of the business end of the season.
With the Mystics sitting just two points adrift of them in fourth place on the table, the game is shaping as a real test of character for the Pulse.
It will be the third clash between the pair this season, the Pulse having the wood on their northern rivals with narrow wins in the earlier contests but that will count for little as desperation grows, another close tussle beckoning between the two well-matched teams.
“For us, it’s about the netball that we play,” Edge said.
“There’s some fabulous talent in every team, you don’t know what’s going to happen in other games that are coming up and there’s probably a few twists and turns yet to come.
“We want to play a game that reflects our ability, our skills, our connections and deliver a much more complete performance, individually and as a team, and that’s what’s motivating us.
“Good teams work really hard together, creating a healthy, inclusive environment where they do want to be the best that they can be and to play really good netball and that hasn’t changed in our group which is really cool.”
In her first season of coaching at this level, the former Silver Ferns midcourt maestro has experienced the emotional rollercoaster that goes hand-in-hand with the role but is thriving in the elite atmosphere.
“I am very much enjoying it,” she said. “You’re just learning all the time and are constantly reflecting on what’s happened or things that could have made a difference. You’re mentally exercised and challenged on a daily basis.
The SKYCITY Mystics will host the Te Wananga o Raukawa Pulse in Wednesday Night Netball. Fans can catch all the action live on SKY Sport 1, or for those outside of NZ – live on the ANZ Premiership Facebook page.