Tauranga Sports 1 vs Paroa: Top Harbourside netball final a clash of styles

Roena Williams, Shea Baker and Hinemataroa Maui will take the court for Paroa in the Harbourside Netball Centre premier women's final tomorrow. Photo / Adyn Ogle

It will be a battle of east versus west when Harbourside Netball Centre's top two teams clash for final glory.

Unbeaten Tauranga Sports 1 will play Eastern Bay of Plenty team Paroa in the Women's Premier League first division final at Trustpower Baypark tomorrow night to claim Tauranga's top netball prize.

Tauranga Sports cruised into the final with a 60-25 win over Mount Allied while Paroa edged past last year's champions, Ngongotahā with a 56-54 win.

Tauranga captain, and former ANZ Championship player, Hayley Saunders says her side is in for a tough game.

"They [Paroa] have gone from strength to strength. We will make some small tweaks specific to Paroa, but generally the focus is on our plan," Saunders says.

Saunders says her team is out to win, but they have found a balance to that drive.

"We have a group of really skilled individuals. We have gelled as a team, and enjoyment has been at the forefront of it. We have noticed a pattern when we get too intense and don't play well. The intention is to enjoy it and support each other."

Saunders has retired from a 10-year ANZ championships career, playing her final season with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic last year.

"There is always that part of me that is willing to part with what I know. But to be honest, there are a lot of girls with lots of knowledge in the team. It is about blending what we all know."

Tauranga Sports is a tall team and Saunders says that can sometimes be a hindrance.

"There have been many games where we have played over and then it has been not as effective against another team. It has been about finding a balance and playing a nice, flat crisp game as well."

Happy with the underdog tag, Paroa coach Ardelle Williams says they will need to use their fast mid-courters to combat Tauranga's tall timber.

"We have a mixture in our team and we haven't had a game where it has all clicked together yet. Hopefully, that is this week," Williams says.

"I think we have a real good vibe in our team, they are such an awesome bunch of girls. The girls all get on, we are quite relaxed, but when the time comes, we are down to business. As a coach, I am all about finding the players strengths and working with those. It is important to not trying to change them and getting them to realise that."

In previous years Paroa competed in both the Whakatāne and Tauranga competitions but decided to drop the eastern Bay matchups this year to focus on one. Williams says the move has paid off with a reduced workload on the players.

Women's Premier League first division finals:
Thursday August 29, Trustpower Baypark Arena.
Final: Tauranga Sports 1 v Paroa, court 8, 7.45pm.
Third-place playoff: Ngongotahā v Mount Allied, court 6, 6.30pm.