Netball: New approach to old Aussie problem

Laura Langman says her Magic teammates have felt less external pressure this season. Photo / Getty Images

If you were to run your eye over each of the Magic squads for the first four years of the transtasman league, you would probably say that this would be the year in which they would most likely struggle to make the play-offs.

Instead, 2011 is shaping up to be the Magic's best chance yet of winning the competition.

Already assured a place in the top four, a win for the Magic on Monday night against the Pulse would seal the runners-up spot behind the Queensland Firebirds and the bonus of the double-life system afforded the top two.

And with other top-four hopefuls the Northern Mystics, NSW Swifts and Melbourne Vixens struggling to put together two consistent performances all season, the Magic look the most likely team to challenge the unbeaten Firebirds in the finals.

It is something few would have predicted at the start of the season, with the Magic sporting a new-look line-up.

With the exception of their "big three" - Irene van Dyk, Laura Langman and Casey Williams - the bulk of the Magic squad is relatively inexperienced.

There aren't the big names in every position like we've seen in previous years, but what the Magic have this season is a more balanced squad.

Ten players in the team have had regular court time this season, whereas in previous years they have relied upon a top seven all year and then found themselves in strife when injuries struck later in the season.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua said with the condensed nature of the draw this season, one of the key considerations when assembling her squad was making sure they had strong options on the bench.

"We knew coming into the season that with the nature of the draw with the super rounds is that we couldn't survive on having just seven players, knowing the energies that are needed when you hit the business end of the competition," said Taurua.

"So we needed to have players that we can put in and out."

Not all the changes were a case of wanting to share the workload. The loss of former Silver Fern Jodi Brown and illness to Frances Solia earlier in the season forced the Magic coaching staff to field a new-look frontline, with Jess Tuki and former Steel shooter Julianna Naoupu elevated into starting roles after three seasons of watching on from the bench.

Taurua admits there have been teething problems as they've tried to bed down those new combinations, but she is happy with the pair's progress.

"One of the big things we're really happy with was those ones who are inexperienced have done a lot of work on themselves and we've done a lot of work to keep their confidence up, even though sometimes the product out on court has sometimes been, um, crap really."

One of the positive spin-offs of having an inexperienced squad is that the Magic have been able to fly under the radar.

Captain Laura Langman acknowledges while the expectation remains just as high, the external pressure is not as sharply felt from previous seasons.

Having a virtual shadow Silver Ferns side in those early years did the Magic no favours when it came to public expectation - the weight of New Zealand's fans hopes that a Kiwi side would lift the ANZ trophy rested squarely on the Magic's shoulders.

The Magic have hung their hat on being the best performing New Zealand team over the opening three years of the competition. But at the end of the day their trophy cabinet still remains bare.

The realisation seems to have come that win the transtasman crown the chances are the Magic will have to beat an Australian side to do it.

So Taurua focussed on developing a gameplan that would be effective against the Australian style of play.

That meant moving to a more patient, possession style of game, suppressing the urge to just biff the ball to Irene van Dyk.

"Magic are renowned for playing that open style of just letting the ball go, however for that style to be successful everyone needs to be mentally in tune and all seven players in that same zone, and you can only get that sometimes maybe once or twice a season."

The switch of gameplans hasn't been an entirely seamless one, there are times when their play has looked stilted and lacked cohesion, but Taurua is generally happy with the way they are tracking.

"It's still not beautiful, I must admit; there are times when the flow of the ball and the timing isn't there and it looks ugly and quite congested," she said.

"But we are starting to get the ball through and maintain that possession and that is something that hasn't been there previously."

And the new gameplan is certainly proving successful against the Australian style.

With the exception of their lacklustre performance against the NSW Swifts, the Magic's best performances this season have been against Australian sides.

They may have lost to the high-flying Firebirds in Brisbane, but they were one of just two teams to keep the deficit under five goals. Likewise a one-goal win over the West Coast Fever in Perth may on the face of it seem like nothing to brag about, but their ability to absorb the pressure and get over the line showed a maturity in their performance.

Their 12-goal win over the Melbourne Vixens was another strong sign they had what it takes to string together a clinical and consistent performance.

But perhaps the best indication yet that the Magic have turned a corner this season was last weekend's 19-goal demolition of the Thunderbirds in Adelaide - a margin simply unheard of in the context of New Zealand teams playing in Australia.

That win has ensured the Magic can fly under the radar no more, reigniting hopes that this year may just be the year the Waikato side take home the trophy.

Part of the reason for the optimism among fans is that the Firebirds, who have set the pace all season, are beginning to show signs of cracking following the loss of their captain Lauren Nourse in the midcourt.

The Firebirds only just managed to edge out the Fever last week, and it is thought the Firebirds lack of experience in the midcourt may be exposed in the finals.

If the Magic can secure second place on the ladder with a win over the Pulse this weekend, they are set to meet the Firebirds in the first week of the play-offs, with the winner earning the right to host the grand final.

Many are already predicting the Magic are perfectly poised to topple the Firebirds in the semifinals, but Taurua said her side's sole focus is this weekend's match against the Pulse.

"We're taking things one game at a time - I know that sounds cliche, but in the past I think there may have been times when we've gotten ahead of ourselves."

"We know we want to be No 2 playing against the Firebirds in Brisbane, and for us to do that we need to make sure our product out on court this week is top notch."