Netball: Sting looking formidable as Cup contest heats up

Being patient and finishing off is all that is needed to beat the Southern Sting, Auckland Diamonds netball coach Joan Hodson believes.

It sounds simple enough, but only the Otago Rebels have managed to beat the defending champions in the National Bank Cup this year.

Hodson's Diamonds came close to upsetting their southern rivals in round five of the competition last night, but blew it in the last quarter with bad passing and missed shots.

The Diamonds led the Sting 13-12 at the first break, and trailed by two at halftime and three at the three-quarter break.

But in the last quarter, the Sting scored eight successive goals to take the match 58-44.

"We didn't finish off and they did," said Hodson, who stuck with shooters Julie Kelman-Poto and Brigette Tapene for the entire match.

"Once it gets in their goal circle, it's a goal."

Sting coach Robyn Broughton was hardly over the moon with her team's scrappy performance in a physical encounter, but she was happy with the way they came together when it counted most.

"We know how to absorb the pressure, and we showed that when we came away at the last quarter," she said.

"I thought Anna Rowberry and Victoria Edward really handed it to us, but their mistakes under pressure were too many.

"We made mistakes under pressure, too, but theirs were crucial."

The win kept the Sting at the top of the standings with North Harbour's Force.

With the competition now at the halfway mark, it is difficult to see the Sting finishing anywhere but first.

Their powerful shooting combination of Tania Dalton and Donna Loffhagen is unstoppable, and with talented midcourters Adine Harper and Lesley Nicol feeding them quality ball, it is going to take virtually a perfect game from any other team to match them.

"The loss against the Rebels was wonderful," Broughton said.

"It was a wake-up call, and after it we trained so hard and trained on all the things we did wrong."

The match against the Flames next Friday will be the Sting's last real test of character.

After that, they face the less-fancied Flyers and Shakers.

"The Flames are very head strong and I expect they will just come straight out at us," Broughton said.

"They are strong in their defensive circle and strong down the other end as well, but I am not sure about their midcourt. We'll be ready for a tough game."

Sixth behind the Sting, Force, Flames, Rebels and Magic, the Diamonds have to win their remaining four matches to secure a semifinal spot.

They play the Cometz next Friday and the Magic on the following Sunday.

"There are tall players in both those sides, so we'll be doing a lot of jumping this week," Hodson said.

"We'll also be looking at working the ball in, and my shooters had better be doing their 100 shots a day."

In other round five matches last night, the Otago Rebels beat the Capital Shakers 58-36, the Force easily dismissed the Western Flyers 64-35 and Bay of Plenty/Waikato Magic thrashed the Counties Manukau Cometz 69-33.