New Zealand schoolgirl reps Malia Josephson and Alisha Winstanely from Mount Maunganui College played key roles in the Trans Tasman Trophy against Australia held from December 18-20 in Australia. New Zealand won the series 2-1 for just the sixth time in its 34-year history.
The first test saw the girls very nervous pre-game but they came out firing and held their own with Australia all the way before finally edging the win 12-11. The Australians fought back in the second test and were fired up by what they saw as a shock loss to take the test 11-4. The New Zealand girls looked very flat and coach Davor Carevic was disappointed they could not lift to the intensity shown by Australia.
So it came down to the final decider last Saturday afternoon in game three with the winner take all. The Kiwis were a different team to the previous night's performance and played a very physical game to keep Australia at bay for most of the game.
Mount Maunganui College Year 11 student Malia Josephson scored four goals in helping New Zealand to a famous 12-8 victory. Malia was named Most Valuable Player.
