Tactix secure back-to-back wins on opening day of pre-season
The Trident Homes Tactix and Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel remained the only unbeaten teams after the opening day’s play at the Te Wānanga o Raukawa hosted ANZ Premiership pre-season netball tournament in Ōtaki on Friday
The Tactix hold pole position after posting wins against Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and the MG Mystics while playing just the one game, the Steel delivered a handsome win over the Robinhood Stars.
With games played over four 12-minute quarters and many of the attending players on managed loads, there was plenty of variety and interchanging of combinations.
The Tactix led through all the quarter breaks in the last match of the day and looked to have the game sewn up when pushing out to an eight-goal lead at the last turn but the Pulse stormed home to level the scores and open the door enough to clinch the win before falling at the last hurdle.
After recording a first-up loss, the MG Mystics bounced back to prevail 50-42 over Avis Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in their afternoon clash.
The Mystics were given a run for their money early on from a fast-starting Magic with centre Charlotte Elley and wing defence Georgia Takarangi (nee Tong) denying their opponents too much leeway on attack.
Livewire midcourter Peta Toeava got the Mystics on the front as her connection with shooter Grace Nweke found it’s grove and after trailing by one at the first break, the northerners had pushed into a two-goal lead.
Nweke had an increasing influence on the game as the Mystics took charge of the possession stakes to forge a 37-32 lead at the last turn.
Shooters Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Ivana Rowland played the whole match for the Magic, threatening on occasions to break the game wide open with a run of successful long-range bombs but weight of possession counted against them inflicting greater damage.
The Steel rounded out the opening day’s first session with a comprehensive 55-37 win over the Stars.
The Steel shrugged off the recent loss of their international shooter, George Fisher, to a season-ending injury with an emphatic first-up win. Capitalising on an explosive start, the Steel shut the door on the Stars, who struggled to counter the intensity and sharp execution delivered by the southerners, who continued to build on their momentum as the match progressed.
New Steel recruit Sam Winders looked well ensconced in her new role as a wing attack while all combinations made the most of their time on court with Kate Burley being a prominent figure at the defensive end.
There couldn’t have been a better start to the tournament with the opening two games of the morning session delivering closely-fought contests.
The Tactix unveiled their potent new-look team with a stellar 54-50 win over an equally talented-stacked Mystics in a high-scoring outing.
The ever-reliable Aliyah Dunn, a new recruit for the Tactix this season, prevailed in the battle of shooting supremacy to slot 32 goals from 34 attempts after playing three-quarters of the match while her opposite Nweke posted 27 successes from 30 attempts after playing for similar minutes.
A late rally helped the Magic squeeze past the hosts to sneak a tight 48-47 win in the opening match of the day against the Pulse.
Retaining an unchanged line-up throughout, the experienced heads of Bailey Mes, Ekenasio, Claire Kersten and Erena Mikaere helped the Magic claw their way back for the win while the Pulse rattled through a number of changes with young shooter Amelia Walmsley impressing while midcourters Maddy Gordon, Whitney Souness and Ainsleyana Puleiata all had their moments.
Day 1 results:
Magic 48 Pulse 47
Tactix 54 Mystics 50
Steel 55 Stars 37
Mystics 50 Magic 42
Tactix 41 Pulse 39