Grace Nweke notched up yet another MVP-winning performance. Photo / Photosport
Grace Nweke notched up yet another MVP-winning performance. Photo / Photosport
Olivia Cook runs through the big talking points from round eight of the ANZ Premiership.
1. Stars snap Pulse winning streak
Off the back of the Central Pulse's convincing 10-goal win over the Northern Stars in their rescheduled round-one game only four days earlier, Sunday night's rematch was anything buta repeat, with the Stars snatching a 47-46 win.
The Auckland side found their flow quickly in the first quarter, shutting down Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau, who was unable to do her usual damage in the goal third.
Coupled with the fact the Stars shooting duo of Maia Wilson and Jamie Hume were on significantly better form than in Wednesday night's loss, this meant the Northerners went to the first-quarter break with a four-goal lead.
While the Pulse held on to claw their way back to take a one-goal advantage midway through the fourth quarter, they were unable to seal the deal, although the narrow loss handed them a bonus point to cement the second spot on the table.
It was yet another masterclass from Stars defenders Elle Temu and Anna Harrison, who smothered the Pulse attacking end and finally got to see their hard work converted into a win for their team. Temu added four intercepts to her overall season tally of 19, although she trails Pulse co-captain Kelly Jury who has picked up a whopping 21.
2. Magic regain some of their spark despite loss to Mystics
Bailey Mes in action. Photo / Photosport
After a blistering start the Magic were down by only one goal heading into the first quarter break, but the Waikato side were unable to maintain momentum through the second half and eventually fell by 12 goals to the Northern Mystics.
It was a second half of netball that tested the longevity and depth of both sides: while the Mystics rose to the challenge and were able to bring on young defender Carys Stythe and wing attack sensation Peta Toeava, the Magic are still lacking any real specialised options in the wing attack position.
They also found themselves without Ameliaranne Ekenasio at their disposal this week, and while veteran shooter Bailey Mes and newcomer Ivana Rowland had some impressive moments, the lack of depth on the Magic bench hurt their chances in the second half.
Although we are in round eight of the competition, the Magic have still only played six games thus far, and the internationally-tested shooting combination of Ekenasio and Mes have yet to put on a full game performance. It will be interesting to see what damage a full-strength Magic side may do in the latter half of the season.
3. Mystics attack looks impenetrable
Despite what Mystics captain Sulu Fitzpatrick called "a fudging hard game", Monday night's clash against the Magic looked like a walk in the park for the unflappable shooting duo of Grace Nweke and Monica Falkner.
Nweke notched up yet another MVP-winning performance, missing only three shots to put up 47 goals for her team. Coming up against the hugely experienced Erena Mikaere, Nweke held her ground in the Mystics shooting circle, aided by Falkner who put in 17 feeds to her shooting partner.
The win put the Mystics back on the top of the table and most certainly in the hunt for their second premiership title after the Pulse held top spot very briefly following their bonus-point loss on Sunday afternoon.
4. Tactix combine for second win of the season
Karin Burger and Kelera Nawai-Caucau challenge a shot. Photo / Getty Images
The Tactix picked up a much-awaited victory in Invercargill on Wednesday evening, bettering a heavily Covid-impaired Southern Steel 63-52.
The Steel seemed to be playing with rolling subs at times, with almost all players on managed time under the return-to-play protocols, limiting the ability for the Southern side to gather any real flow throughout the match.
It was a much-improved team effort from the Tactix, helped overall by defenders Karin Burger and match MVP Kelera Nawai-Caucau, who combined for six intercepts.
Astoundingly, it is the first time in 84 matches that the Tactix have won all four quarters of a game. They'll be hoping the momentum from last night's performance will carry them through the upcoming weekend when they take on both the league leaders Mystics and bottom-of-the-table Magic in successive days.
5. Silver Ferns watch
On the Silver Ferns front this week, coach Dame Noeline Taurua maintained that the rigorous fitness standards imposed for international selection would be upheld for the Ferns heading into the Commonwealth Games.
The fitness standards were a significant contributor to the Ferns' successful World Cup run in 2019, and are critical in guaranteeing longevity during a demanding Games schedule.
Even those currently putting on impressive on-court performances, such as Pulse defender Kelly Jury, have fallen victim to Taurua's fitness standards in the past, which included an eye-watering minimum yoyo score of 16.3.
It's a factor that could result in some surprising omissions at selection time, and combined with the fact Taurua is also valuing big-game experience when picking her squad, there's no predicting at this stage who could be donning the black dress come game time in Birmingham.
