Netball: Central Pulse crush Northern Stars in ANZ Premiership final

They're the youngest team in the ANZ Premiership and the Central Pulse now have the distinction of being the most decorated as well, trouncing the Northern Stars 56-37 in Sunday's grand final for their third title.

After a disappointing 2021 season which saw the Pulse finish second-to-last, it's been a meteoric climb under the guidance of returning coach Yvette McCausland-Durie and newly appointed co-captains Kelly Jury and Tiana Metuarau.

Metuarau was ecstatic with her side's performance, with a superb showing when they needed it most.

"Proud is an understatement. I think people thought we were going to come sixth - on paper we probably should've come last - but we've worked hard all season. I spoke to Mum [former Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu] about us finally stringing together a full 60 and I think tonight was the night.

"Consistency was our focus all throughout the season. We had quite a few lulls and we probably made it quite hard for ourselves throughout the season, so it was nice to see we could get that done."

Metuarau also paid tribute to McCausland-Durie's influence.

"She's incredible. All the girls love her. We have so much pride and respect for her and she knows exactly how to get the best out of us."

Sunday's final promised a fierce competition between the Auckland and Wellington sides; the Stars claiming victory two of the three times the teams had met in the regular season this year, and both sides had clinched important and impressive wins in the past few rounds to gain their final spot.

It was a dubious start for the Pulse with goal attack Metuarau picking up two offensive contacts in short succession but with her side quickly regaining the ascendancy to notch four intercepts in the first quarter, they turned the tide in their favour to go to the initial break with a 15-6 lead.

The Stars came out firing in the second to score the first three in a row, helped by the input of Kayla Johnson at wing defence and the usual defensive pressure from Anna Harrison, but they couldn't maintain the pace in the second half of the quarter and fell to an 11-goal deficit going into halftime.

Despite some moments of brilliance from the Stars in the defensive end, they couldn't replicate the impressive form they had shown during the run-up to finals, captain Maia Wilson not putting up her usual volume or accuracy in the shooting end, netting only 21 of 25 attempts.

But any lapse in form wasn't helped by the fact that the Pulse defence jumped on every mistake; Kelly Jury and Kristiana Manu'a notching eight intercepts and fourteen gains between them - a stark contrast to the Stars' unusually low four intercepts over 60 minutes.

The Pulse stormed towards the finish, even having the opportunity to clear their bench in the fourth quarter, giving a glimpse of the future of the franchise and paying tribute to the youth that the Pulse have thrived with all season.

With their record third ANZ Premiership trophy and with McCausland-Durie confirming her return to the club next season, the Pulse have gone from underdogs to the ones to beat come 2023.