Kaierau A1 took on Pirates A1 in the first round of Monday night netball, with players including (from left) Pirates' Cheyann McDougall, Kaierau's Ashlee Murphy, Rebecca Benge and Pirates' Arcardia Fantham. Photo / Bevan Conley
Kaierau A1 took on Pirates A1 in the first round of Monday night netball, with players including (from left) Pirates' Cheyann McDougall, Kaierau's Ashlee Murphy, Rebecca Benge and Pirates' Arcardia Fantham. Photo / Bevan Conley
Round one of the Premier Netball Competition started in Whanganui on Monday night, with the introduction of the Premier 2 grade at Springvale Stadium.
Games have changed from an hour long to 40 minutes to allow for the extra teams, draw more crowds and refresh the competition.
This has also freed up space for the influx of teams into the Saturday competition.
Three rounds are played from 5.45pm, with plenty of room in the grandstand for spectators and Gourmet Express food and coffee at the door.
Premier 1 grade consists of Kaierau Mitre 10 Mega A1, Kaiwhaiki A1, Marist Mint A1, Whanganui Collegiate A1, Phillips Electrical Whanganui High School A1 and Pirates A1.
Premier 2 grade teams are Mt View Marist A2, Kaierau Gemini Pepper A2, Kaiwhaiki A2, Kaierau Moore Markhams A3, Whanganui High School Junior A1 and Tech A1.
These last four teams have not played their netball in the stadium before so a few nerves came in to play on Monday night, but each team held their own once they settled. It is particularly exciting to see a secondary school junior team come indoors.
The Whanganui High School Junior A1 team is littered with young netball talent. The team is a mixture of Year 9 and 10, many of whom have never played high school netball, let alone Premier level.
The first half of their game against Kaierau A3 was full of nerves and some basic errors crept in; however, they overcame this. The young players found their feet and were able to pull back the lead and continue the momentum into the final quarter to finish strong.
Whanganui High School Junior A1 played against Kaierau A3 in the Premier 2 grade at Springvale Stadium. Photo / Bevan Conley
Coach Bailee Kauika was thrilled with their first outing.
“Although there is still a lot to work on moving forward, it was great to see this young team step up and prove that age is just a number.”
Monday night was also a debut for Kaierau A3.
“Adjusting to the intensity and pace was a challenge, but there were some standout moments and promising combinations,” coach Blanche Cloete said.
“Connie Hadfield impressed at GS while Jackie Hines provided stability in the mid-court.”
Whanganui High School took out the game 25-20.
Reigning Premier 1 grade champions Kaierau A1 had their first outing for 2024 against Pirates A1.
New Pirates coach Casey McDougall was happy with their strong start and the turnovers they created.
With a number of new players, they are still finding their feet but are feeling confident they are building well and looking forward to the season ahead.
“Cheyann McDougall and Arcadia Fantham worked really hard tonight in defence to win us some nice ball,” McDougall said.
Kaierau took the game 41-16. Rebecca Benge has stepped up from last year’s A2 side and looks in good shooting form.
Kaiwhaiki A1, runners-up in the 2023 competition, took on High School A1. New caps Georgina Nauga and Merenia Ratana-Peina took the court and showed they deserved to be there.
“We had a slow start, still dusting off some cobwebs, but we did the job we came to do,” coach Te Rina Peina said.
“Melini Meo had a great outing tonight, picking up some great intercepts and deflections.”
High School A1 coach Lisa Murphy was happy with the girls’ performance in their first game of the season.
The team started well against an experienced Kaiwhaiki side. Young shooters Ella Campbell and Ruby Bullock stood up to the challenge, working confidently in the circle.
“It was great to be able to get all players on the court to get a taste of Premier netball. I am looking forward to seeing the young team grow and build trust in each other,” Murphy said.
Kaiwhaiki won 41-21.
New Collegiate coach Elise Niu was very proud of her girls’ first hitout against Marist A1.
They managed to keep the score close for the first half and Niu was very happy to get all her Collegiate players out on the court, including five new players to the team.
“This year we are all about building the repertoire of every player, with our sights set on the Lower North Island tournament in September.”
The experience of the Marist midcourt defence restricted the Collegiate flow through the court, enabling them to take the lead back in the second half, winning 52-33.
Coach Te Ora Nyman was very pleased. “Outstanding defence from Kelsi Hogard at WD and both our circle defence connected well tonight.”
In other Premier 2 games, Kaierau A2 beat Kaiwhaiki A2 34-24. It was a very evenly contested game until Kaierau settled going into the second half. Tech A1 enjoyed their first outing in the stadium, taking out the win by a one-goal margin against Marist A2.
