"It's all testing at the moment - seeing how relevant it is to netball. Time will tell," says Taurua. "It is about getting the technique right from the start and then trying to adapt that into netball specifics."
"I was one of the ones who was really apprehensive about it to be honest but [the wrestlers] are actually quite amazing," says Magic captain Laura Langman. "It's been great to learn little tricks. They have phenomenal core strength - it's about using your body and your size to benefit yourself; it's been a pleasant surprise."
They have undertaken many drills, including one-on-one wrestling duels where they have to push their opponents out of a 2m x 2m square.
"Obviously it's not UFC or anything," laughs Langman, "and you may not have a lot of weight behind you but it comes down to technique and how you use your body. That's been quite good in terms of defence, in how we take hits, and it gets the aggression levels up. Elias [Shadrock] is extremely good - you don't really want to wrestle on a little mat with her but everyone has done well. It's certainly different, and you have to get used to having people in your personal space, but I think Mark was quite impressed."
"We wanted to take them out of their comfort zones," says Grayling, who has previously worked with Bay of Plenty rugby and the All Black Sevens. "Some of them hated it at first but they have made a lot of progress, especially considering some were expecting to see a ring with ropes around it - that was their knowledge of wrestling."
Grayling says the powerful Langman is "pretty formidable" but has also been impressed with the attitude of beanpoles such as Kopua (1.88m), Van Dyk (1.90m) and Leana de Bruin (1.90m).
"It's much harder for the taller players - especially with all the drills that involve going to ground and springing to your feet," says Grayling. "I have been impressed with how tough they are. They didn't hold back and don't mind someone right in their face. Their attitude towards trying something different has been quite incredible."
As well as standard duels, the team have practised 'disorientation' drills. They involve being crouched on the ground and having to spin right and left and then spring to their feet to catch or throw a pass. Grayling estimates that, across a two-hour session, the players have had to drop to their feet and back again a gut-busting 300-400 times.
"They are spending a lot of time in the crouch position," adds Grayling. "It relates to netball when they go to ground or need to bend to pick up the ball."
"If you fall over, you want to be able to get up and recover quickly so teams don't get easy passes," says Langman. "It sounds quite trivial but it's the two per cent, it's that one pass that might change a game."
There is an unusual jinx in the ANZ Championship - no defending champion has made the final four - but things seem on track for the Magic.
"We are aware of it," says Langman. "Obviously we hope it doesn't happen to us but, like last year, we are going to take things week to week."
Play Virtual Netball
Test your tipping skills with Virtual Netball, our game for the ANZ Championship. It all starts Sunday 24 March with prizes and bragging rights up for grabs. Be part of the game and sign up now.
