KEY POINTS:
The NSW Swifts won't be bothering trying to second guess what line-up the Waikato/Bay of Plenty will put out on court in the grand final of the transtasman league this Monday.
The Magic booked a title showdown against the Swifts with a hard-fought 51-49 win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Monday night, in a match that saw several curveballs thrown before the opening whistle.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua has made a habit of pulling surprise positional switches this season, and she is again expected to keep everyone guessing when it comes to her starting line for the ANZ Championship finale.
But Swifts shooter Susan Pratley believes there is little point trying to try speculate which way Taurua will opt to go with her line-up. She said the Swifts will focus on their build-up and expect the unexpected when it comes to the make-up of the Magic's run-on side.
"It's very hard to try and predict things because their line-up has been changed around quite a bit in the last few weeks, so we've just got to focus on what we can do and shutting down each of the players as we match up," she said.
Two weeks ago Taurua took a huge gamble in shifting Irene van Dyk, who has played her entire career at goal-shoot, into the unfamiliar role of goal-attack. Van Dyk has clearly relished playing a more roving role, confirming the faith shown in her with a strong showing on Monday night against tenacious Thunderbirds defender Mo'onia Gerrard.
But Taurua proved she had more tricks up her sleeve, opting to start captain Amigene Metcalfe at centre and Silver Fern Laura Langman at wing-attack against the Thunderbirds.
It was a move that had observers questioning Taurua's wisdom.
Langman started out her career in the wing-defence role, but has recently been converted into a centre at both international and domestic level. To take on yet another new position in a high-pressure sudden-death environment was a gutsy call.
Taurua hinted Langman was initially reluctant to take up the wing-attack duties.
"I still think she's getting through that. Everyone has made changes, except for Casey [Williams] and she knows it's for the team, she's good."
For the most part, the midcourt adjustment worked extremely well for the Magic, with Langman's exceptional pace and movement lifting the tempo in the attack end - one of the keys to overcoming the physical Thunderbirds defence.
The Swifts could afford to feel confident no matter which side they ended up facing in the final, given they have already beaten both the Magic and Thunderbirds twice this season.
But Pratley said it was nice to have the final piece of the puzzle in place so they can have some certainty about their build-up.
"Now we know who we're playing against we can start to focus on that and have a look at the video and start to think about where we can improve."
* Former Silver Fern Temepara George is set to make an announcement on her playing future today.
