Netball: Magic crash out

The Adelaide Thunderbirds beat Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 51-37 in Hamilton tonight to set up an all-Australian final in the second season of the trans-Tasman netball league.

The Magic lost to the Melbourne Vixens in last week's major semifinal and were facing the Thunderbirds in the their second life tonight.

The Silver Ferns-laden Magic, crushed by 19 points, 54-35, when the teams last met in the final round of the regular season in Adelaide, hoped home ground advantage and their fanatical fans would help tip the balance in their favour.

Magic coach Noeline Tauraua also gambled with her starting line-up, starting Maria Tutaia at goal shoot and Irene van Dyk at goal attack in a positional swap between the two.

The Thunderbirds had no need for any such sleight of hand strategies and tough defenders Mo'onia Gerrard and Geva Mentor would have been delighted to see van Dyk and Tutaia not play in their usual positions.

The Magic duo failed to gel and were responsible for a number of early turnovers that had their side, already struggling to connect both ends of the court, under pressure almost immediately.

There were a number of inspirational moments such as three intercepts in a row by goal defender Jodi Tod and solid defending by Casey Williams.

But such moments were too few and far between to trouble a ruthlessly efficient Thunderbirds side operating like a Swiss watch.

Their shooters Kate Beveridge, 28 goals from 30, and Natalie Medhurst, 22 from 25, silkily potted their attempts while Tutaia and van Dyk struggled to get consistent quality ball in the shooting circle.

Van Dyk shot at 96 per cent but Tutaia went missing sinking 12 from just 17 attempts at a poor 71 per cent.

Tutaia and van Dyk went back to their normal position midway through the third quarter but there was no stopping a Thunderbirds side that led 11-8 at the first quarter and had built that up to 38-26 at the start of the final quarter.

"We had an opportunity with two semifinals and we stuffed up both -- it's quite disappointing," van Dyk said.

"We haven't hit our straps this season and I can't put my finger on it, honestly.

"At training, it looks really good, everyone seems upbeat, everything seems working but then we come up against a classy side like today, the Thunderbirds, and we can't seem to get those links going -- just little things but (they) not working."

Thunderbirds skipper Natalie von Bertouch said the team had been programmed to peak next week and were looking forward to the challenge of taking on the Swifts in next Sunday's grand final in Melbourne.

- NZPA