Netball: Magic seize the initiative at death in feisty tussle

Magic shooter Jo Harten admits her side didn't have a great game on attack. Photo / Getty Images

Cooler heads at their attack end prevail as Waikato/Bay of Plenty side grab second.

The Magic have reclaimed second position on the New Zealand conference ANZ Championship netball ladder with a feisty win over the Steel in Hamilton last night.

The match played out in remarkably similar fashion to the last time the two sides met in round seven in Invercargill, with the game tightly fought throughout until the Magic seized the initiative in the final few minutes.

The home side looked in trouble early on in the fourth quarter when they trailed the Steel 45-49. But a couple of timely turnovers from the Magic defensive pairing of Leana de Bruin and Kristiana Manu'a, who toiled all night to try to contain the Steel's 1.98m shooting weapon Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, helped the Waikato/Bay of Plenty side back into the match.

Down the final stretch the Magic had the cooler heads in their attack end, as the introduction of Ellen Halpenny at goal attack in place of the mercurial Malia Paseka proved a master stroke from coach Julie Fitzgerald.

Young midcourter Jamie-Lee Price was also influential over the frantic final five minutes of the game, coming up with two impressive intercepts to help the Magic to a flattering six-goal win.

The result was a bitter blow for the Steel who were just starting to gather some momentum to their season after following up a last-gasp draw against the Thunderbirds in round nine with a one-goal win over the Pulse. The 50-49 win saw the Steel leapfrog the Magic into second place on the New Zealand conference ladder on goal percentage heading into last night's match, adding plenty of interest to the clash with the opportunity for one side to make inroads into the five-point lead the Mystics have on the chasing pack, with the Auckland side sitting out this round with the bye.

Magic shooter Jo Harten, playing in her 50th ANZ Championship match, admitted it was not a pretty performance from her side, but they were delighted to get the crucial points and reclaim their second spot on the ladder.

"We didn't have our best game on attack, but our defence end did such an amazing job to win all the ball back we threw away, and young ones in the middle didn't stop running all night," said Harten.

Steel midcourter Shannon Francois said she was disappointed her side lost their composure over the latter stages of the match after making great strides in this area over the past two matches.

An even start saw the match poised at 8-all at the midway point in the opening quarter as both sides made a relatively slow and considered start. But the home side produced a big push over the final five minutes of the period, capitalising on a couple of handy pick-ups in their defensive end, with young midcourters Sam Sinclair and Price doing a good job of disrupting the Steel's rhythm.

The Magic surged out to a six-goal lead with two minutes remaining in the period, but a late turnover saw the Steel close the gap to 17-13 at the first break.

The visitors continued to chip away at the Magic's lead in an error-ridden second spell, scoring five consecutive goals to draw level at 26-all just three minutes before halftime, and just managed to sneak into the lead before the break.

It was to prove the first of many momentum shifts throughout the game with neither side able to impose themselves on the proceedings for any great length of time.

Magic 59
Steel 53