KEY POINTS:
Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic reaffirmed their transtasman netball league credentials with a crushing win over the Canterbury Tactix today.
The Magic strolled away with the match 69-44 in Hamilton in an almost perfect shakedown ahead of the playoffs next weekend.
The Magic had shown signs of wear and tear in recent times, successive losses and an unconvincing win over stragglers Central Pulse leaving many questioning whether they could go all the way.
They responded with an exclamation mark today, recording the highest score of the competition to date and registering their 10th win from 13 games to confirm their place in the major semifinal.
They now have to await the New South Wales Swifts' match against West Coast Fever on Monday night to see whether they enter the playoffs as the No 1 or No 2 qualifiers.
Top spot will earn them a home tie against the Swifts, providing the Sydney side win on Monday and don't overhaul the Magic on goal differential.
Another Swifts win will drag them level on 20 points with the Magic and the pecking order will be decided on goal differential.
Before today the Magic led that category by just .46 per cent and one of their aims against the Tactix was to distance themselves as much as possible from the southerners.
They did that, and more.
"We just wanted the win to be honest," Magic captain Amigene Metcalfe said.
"The goal difference was a bonus and we'll just wait and see if that's enough."
Coach Noeline Taurua pulled off a major surprise from the outset by employing Irene van Dyk, arguably the world's best goal shoot, at goal attack with her international partner Maria Tutaia in the shooter's bib.
That left van Dyk to fill much more of a roving role than she is accustomed to but it clearly also threw the Tactix defence a curve ball they were not expecting.
The outcome was as good as settled by the end of the first quarter when the Magic led 18-8 on the back of some mid court mastery from wing attack Metcalfe and centre Laura Langman.
They provided quality service for their shooters, while the Tactix were almost sterile by comparison as they put up just three attempts in eight minutes when falling behind 2-11.
Tactix coach Helen Mahon-Stroud responded at the first break by introducing English international Rachel Dunn for goal shoot Hayley Stockman and Victoria Smith for Elizabeth Manu at goal defence.
They helped plug the holes but the damage had already been done and the Tactic, who gave away 16 turnovers in the first half alone, went to the main break 20-37 in arrears.
The cause of much of the shelled ball was the work of Magic defenders Jodi Tod and Casey Williams, who were tireless in pressuring the Tactix' Dunn and Anna Thompson.
The pattern remained similar after the resumption as the Magic cleared out to lead 53-31 at the end of the third quarter when Taurua continued to toy with her opponents by having van Dyk and Tutaia exchange bibs for the closing stanza.
The total dominance of the Magic's shooters was reflected in the scoring statistics, with Tutaia converting 36 of her 41 attempts while van Dyk landed 33 from 35, at 91 per cent.
The Tactix were not so well served, with Dunn their best with 24 from 28, while Thompson shot 16 of 22 and Stockman four from five.
- NZPA
