Netball: Magic line up A game for Thunderbirds

Laura Langman of the Magic passes the ball. Photo / Getty Images

Silver Ferns midcourter Laura Langman has isolated three types of game put on court by her Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic team in this year's trans-Tasman netball league.

"It's got to the stage where you've got your A game, and your B game, and your just-get-through game," Langman said.

"We've certainly had our fair share of those this year."

The Magic have lost three games from 11 starts this year, with all three losses - to the Northern Mystics, the Queensland Firebirds and the NSW Swifts - by less than seven goals.

But their wins, Langman is the first to admit, have been scrappy at times.

"Teams these days have to be armoured with different strategies. We've been getting through, and we've been getting the points. It wasn't pretty at times, but we got there."

With just two more games until the top four teams are finalised for the early-May playoffs, the Magic need to find form with a vengeance against defending champions Thunderbirds in Adelaide on Sunday.

The Magic lie third on 16 points behind the unbeaten Queensland Firebirds and NSW Swifts, who recorded a 40-39 win over Southern Steel on Thursday to move into second.

Hunting closely at the Magic's heels are Melbourne Vixens and Northern Mystics, both on 14 points.

The Thunderbirds, in sixth place on 10 points, are perfectly place to play the spoiler's role if the Magic can't manage to find a so-far elusive 60 minutes of consistency.

Langman acknowledges her team's inability to maintain intensity over four quarters, but points to the their 53-41 win over the Melbourne Vixens last month as evidence that it can be done.

"I think probably everyone would agree our Vixens game was fantastic," she said. "We were letting the ball go, our links were seamless, and we were turning some really good ball over on defence."

The Magic followed that game up with a solid effort against the Firebirds, losing 53-49, but have struggled since with losses to the Swifts and an unconvincing four-goal win over the struggle Canterbury Tactix.

Against the Thunderbirds, Langman knows a sub-par effort will be punished.

"From what we've seen they're going to be extremely physical, which is something we're going to have to be able to absorb, in a way that doesn't faze us so we're still able to play the game we want to play.

"When we have the ball we need to make sure we convert it, and we need to be relentless on defence -- just turn the ball over and score from it as much as we can."

Langman, recently named in the Silver Ferns team to contest the world netball championships in Singapore in July, has been less than satisifed with her own form of late.

"It's probably a little reflective of our team's game -- I think I've been a little bit up and down. I probably would have liked to stamp my dominance a little bit more within games."

The perfect time to do that would be on Sunday when she will be up against Thunderbirds lynchpin Natalie von Bertouch, a match-up Langman is anticipating eagerly.

"She's very consistent and extremely dogged, and I think she's a real key holding the Thunderbirds line-up together. I've definitely got my work cut out for me."

The league's penultimate round continues on Saturday when the Vixens host a slowly improving Central Pulse in Melbourne. The Northern Mystics will be looking to dominate the winless Canterbury Tactix in Auckland on Sunday, while the pacesetting Firebirds host West Coast Fever in Brisbane on Monday.

- NZPA