Five takeaways from ANZ Premiership round three: Race for Silver Ferns positions heating up

Olivia Cook runs through the main takeaways from week three of the ANZ Premiership.

1. Thriller proves Pulse are contenders

The young Central Pulse side are real contenders this season, despite their one-goal loss to the Mystics.

It went right down to the final few seconds for the Pulse. who took away a bonus point in a match lauded by commentators as "the game of the season" thus far.

Although the Pulse have clinched only one win and had a rocky start to the season due to Covid postponements, the Wellington side are growing into their game, putting up a real fight against the reigning champions on Sunday.

The shooting duo of Tiana Metuarau (38 goals) and Aliyah Dunn (23) looked unstoppable at times, and their success is helped by the fact both players are sharing the shooting load, putting up a significant number of goals each game.

The Pulse play the Magic again on Sunday after beating them by 16 goals in round two and will be looking to build on last week's performance to deliver a similar result.

2. Steel still have their old resilience

Kate Burley of the Steel. Photo / Photosport

It was a significantly more unified performance that helped the Southern Steel to a nine-goal win against the Northern Stars on Sunday.

Coming off the back of a crushing 70-50 loss to the Mystics, the Steel proved they still have the grit and determination that led them to two ANZ Premiership titles in the past.

Shooter George Fisher remains a stalwart for the Steel – netting 51 of 52 shots – while her performance was supported by captain Shannon Saunders, who nabbed the MVP award for an impressive performance at wing attack.

The Steel meet the Mystics again next week and will be hoping for redemption after that huge loss in round two.

3. Tactix on the board

It's taken until the third round of the competition, but the Mainland Tactix clinched their first win of 2022 against the Magic on Monday night.

Last year's finalists have had a troubled start to the season with on-court combinations failing to find their feet in the first few rounds.

It was a similar start to the game on Monday, with both the Tactix and Magic conceding significant turnovers and being plagued by a raft of individual player errors throughout the court.

After the Magic went to the halftime break with a one-goal lead, it was the Tactix who found their feet in the second half, going on an eight-goal run in the third quarter to put themselves out of reach of the Magic.

It's a matter of settling into new combinations for the Tactix, who are without former captain Jane Watson in the defensive end. However, it was yet another MVP-winning performance from last year's player of the season Karin Burger, who provides a key line of connection between defence and attack.

4. Ameliaranne Ekenasio is back on the rise

Former Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio. Photo / Photosport

Returning to the court after baby number two, the former Silver Ferns captain is still on managed time for the Magic but managed 10 goals from 10 attempts in her 30 minutes played.

Ekenasio made her return to netball last week when the Magic went down heavily, but it was a far more competitive performance from her this week despite a second half collapse from her Waikato side against the Tactix.

Ekanasio is a key addition to the Magic this season and after proving that she's still got what it takes to post with accuracy, she could be a welcome addition to the Silver Ferns squad when selection time comes.

5. Race for Silver Ferns defensive positions heating up

With key players not up for selection this year, it is going to be a significantly different looking defensive end that will take the court for New Zealand at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Defenders Jane Watson and Katrina Rore, crucial figures in the Silver Ferns' 2019 World Cup win, are both unavailable due to pregnancy, opening up important defensive positions for coach Dame Noeline Taurua to fill before the Games open in July.

After the conclusion of round three, there's a large pool of players who seem to be putting their hands up for these coveted spots.

Perhaps the most expected of these – Sulu Fitzpatrick, Karin Burger and Kelly Jury – have had great starts to their season; Fitzpatrick and Burger each turning out MVP-winning performances this week.

Returning from maternity leave, Kayla Johnson and Phoenix Karaka are both looking to rebuild their game over the course of the season to ensure they are back in the black dress come July.

The newer faces of Kate Burley, Elle Temu and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson have been noticeable figures on the court so far this season and will be hoping to catch the eyes of selectors.

Even fresher faces such as Kristiana Manu'a and Carys Stythe have proven welcome additions to the Pulse and Mystics respectively, and could provide the Ferns with the innovative boost they need after what was a poor showing at the Quad Series earlier this year.