Preview: Super Sunday
Netball’s new era starts now.And it’s straight into top gear with the inaugural ANZ Premiership opening with a blockbuster Super Sunday.
New Zealand’s Netball landscape has changed and with it comes the chance to showcase the style and flair which are famous to these shores.
All six ANZ Premiership teams step on court at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton on Sunday for the first of three Super Sundays where Netball fans have the opportunity to see all of their favourite players at one venue.
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And the pressure mounts from the opening whistle of Round 1 when league favourites, the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel, take on the new kids on the block, the Northern Stars.
Reaching new heights will be the Steel’s aim – led by the league’s tallest player in Jamaican sharpshooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid – and with the bulk of last year’s squad returning it is hard to look past the Wendy Frew-led side for the inaugural crown.
It is however all new territory for the Stars who make their debut on New Zealand’s Netball scene – fortunately they have some of the game’s most experienced heads guiding the way in coach Julie Hoornweg and captain Leana de Bruin.
Defensively the Stars still sparkle despite the pre-season loss of Holly Fowler but the other end of the court offers as much intrigue with shooter Afa Rusivakula about to feature in the record books as the first Fijian import player to be named on the full-time playing roster for an international Club competition.
Just how the Stars’ frontline shape up against a Steel back three which includes Silver Fern Jane Watson and former internationals Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit and Frew will dictate how the league’s first match unfolds.
There are up to 18 possible debutantes ready to bring their game to the ANZ Premiership but it is the familiar face of hometown girl Casey Kopua who will attract the most attention when she leads the WBOP Magic out against the Mainland Tactix.
Kopua’s return to top level Netball – after the birth of her first child last season – is eagerly anticipated and it’s a new-look Tactix shooting circle of Brooke Leaver, Anna Thompson and England’s Kadeen Corbin which could feel the full effects of the defender’s keenness to get back on court.
The Magic are another settled unit although a new shooting combination could be where opponents place their target – South African Lenize Potgieter and Kiwi youngster Monica Falkner, who impressed at Beko Netball League last year, teaming up for the first time.
Familiarity in the shooting circle won’t be a problem for the SKYCITY Mystics who are blessed with Silver Ferns Bailey Mes and Maria Tutaia, while fellow Ferns Anna Harrison and Storm Purvis will provide a formidable defensive wall at the back.
The midcourt will be an area to keep an eye on when they meet the Central Pulse in Round 1 – both teams turning to English imports (Sasha Corbin for Mystics and Sara Bayman for Pulse) to strengthen their inexperienced links through court.
The loss of goal attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio (pregnant with first child) may see the Pulse regarded as the under-dog but with a wealth of experience in their coaching line-up – Yvette McCausland-Durie (head coach), Sandra Edge (assistant), Irene van Dyk and Waimarama Taumaunu – they could yet make the biggest statement on a blockbuster Super Sunday.
Can’t make it to the game? Fans in New Zealand can catch all the ANZ Premiership action LIVE on SKY Sport 3, or they can subscribe to FAN PASS, powered by SKY Sport, and live stream the matches with no long-term contracts (daily, weekly or monthly passes available).