Central Pulse

Great to see the Central Pulse find their winning formula after they’ve lost three straight weeks that puts them at risk of not making Top 3 finals but now they’re still hanging in there with two rounds left.

Pulse also listened well to feedback from their fans when utilising the expertise of Amorangi Malesala more often to help finish games strong at Goal Attack and yet Malesala delivered at the right moments like the two-shot time while Amelia Walmsley continues to sink in A + goals.

I mean the plan they’ve got has worked and Pulse should stay that way unless they’re stuck on the back foot of course so they know what to do from here.

Then there’s seasoned mid-counter Maddy Gordon, who also made the most out of her attacking capabilities particularly at wing attack, especially when Gabi Simpson was given the keys to steer the ship in her usual spot. 

It’s for the best sometimes when the Pulse were backed in a corner and just like how Maddy loves showing off her dance moves on TikTok, she also made the Tactix second guess themselves from sublime reading to quick bombs & waltzing jumps for her own runners with the Gilbert ball.

Looking at the Tactix, their good run across the last straight rounds plus the season opener win v Steel has now come to an end. They’re still leading the ladder though a bit longer depending on the Stars v Mystics match tomorrow night and Mystics just one point behind them on 18.

Again, they were absolutely confident of getting things done like it was last year and the same happened so far this season  irrespective of head coach. It just wasn’t the same today when a poor start on the back foot saw themselves trapped by Pulse mightily other than a good finish to the 4th quarter alone. Tactix cannot start games & then be risk averse like this which is something to think about if they want to win that Premiership next month.

Their best player there for this match? Martina Salmon at Goal Shoot. Even though she’s part Australian and NZer, Martina’s performances so far this season has put Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua on notice. She always rocks up close and also afar within the Super Shot circle having spent some of last season at the Pulse as well as Sunshine Coast Lightning a few years ago in QLD. 

At the end of the day, front foot supportive tactics has to be on point and maybe Martina could go on of the ANZP’s top shooters in 2025 ahead of Amelia Walmsley. Robust competition for each and against each other so Noeline knows what’s at stake without Grace Nweke.

The final score was 59-50 to Pulse over Tactix by a nine goal difference with Pulse just ahead of the Southern Steel based on goal difference on shared 13 points. 

Steel continued to record another win yesterday at home in Invercargill against the Magic from Waikato by 65-56.

It remains to be seen if Steel can not only keep their season alive and maybe score more goals to gain a small advantage but at the same time, they would like to see Pulse fall to Stars and/or Magic so Steel can have an extended crack instead. 

Tough ask when the battle for 3rd still neck and neck with Steel’s next meeting next Sunday v Mystics in Auckland will be their biggest test to date but good news is that Kate Heffernan and Kimiora Poi’s Real Steel line-up are ready to go all in from start to finish.

Oh so close on what has been a cracking elimination final decider yesterday afternoon between the Mainland Tactix & Northern Mystics at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch. There can only be one winner who will go on to meet the Minor Premiers Central Pulse for next Sunday’s Final at TSB Arena in Wellington while the losing side will have to bow out outside the Top 2. In the end, it was the defending champs Mystics who got away over the Tactix with the four-goal win 64-68. 

Now it’s going to be a brilliant finish to the 2024 ANZ Premiership season with one match to go before we look at the Silver Ferns International season starting with England at home (3 x game series) in September.

How good was Katie Te Ao off the bench when she came on to turn the Elimination Final around that puts the Mystics into the Grand Final once again, especially in the last few minutes in the middle of the park for Tayla Earle. She’s really quick alongside her decent height and can also drop down a bit at wing defense too but what’s really good about Te Ao is the way she bridged these ball through the attacking third that gave Grace Nweke (goal shooter) & Filda Vui (goal attack) the run of her money. Keep an eye for her going into next week’s Final whether it’s in the starting seven or as an impact sub.

Then we’ve got the experienced Mystics defender Phoenix Karaka who worked so hard to stop the Tactix from conceding goals whether if she’s at goal keeper or goal defender. Although she was much better though at goal defender where not only she worked well alongside her team-mate Catherine Hall, Karaka also got the best out of her defensive abilities including five intercepts every time the Tactix unable to find their own like Ellie Bird to shoot through the circle. The work isn’t done yet as Karaka hopes to bring home another Grand Final win for the Mystics despite finishing 3rd in the regular season.

And great to see Ellie Bird given the nod as goal shooter after being frozen out during the last regular season game v Pulse. She too knows how to get going thanks to her experience and tall physical frame that puts the Tactix on the front foot. It’s a shame that a couple of attacking handling errors & incomplete passes unfortunately gave the ball away, especially in the last few minutes before it was too little, too late. Bird came out of retirement this season, so interesting to see if she will stick around or just help out soon enough.

It’s been a good season though for the most part by the Tactix thanks to their experienced defense as wish Marianne Delaney-Hoshek the best of luck with a new coach set to take over going into the 2025 season.

The regular phase of the 2024 ANZ Premiership Netball season is now over after 15 weeks across 45 games as we turn our attention to the last two Playoff games that will set up a brilliant finish for the Grand Final where there can only be one winner to take home the major championship come Sunday 4th August.

This last regular-season match belongs to the Pulse fair and square where they’ve started so well off the back of an unbeaten first-half run that puts them into a decent lead up front by nine goal at half-time, 31-22. Yes, the Tactix did win the 3rd quarter alone, having began to play catch-up as the game isn’t over yet with a six-point trail (42-36) going into the final quarter. 

But then that comeback was short lived off the back of the Tactix’s poor attacking play and tactics as Pulse went on to extend their lead as further as they can towards the end with a 14-goal win, 58-44. Not only the Pulse won the minor premiership, they too now go straight into the Grand Final with a two-week rest.  For now, it’s all eyes in the Elimination Final this weekend — it’s either going to be the Tactix again who had to finish 2nd on the ladder or defending champions Northern Mystics after they safeguarded 3rd over the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic thanks to their final round win v Stars.

Tiana Meruarau has been unbelievable that kept the Pulse ticking tonight at goal attack as her side is now going straight into the grand final with the minor premiership. She’s blessed with the strong defense led by skipper Kelly Jackson off the back of the Tactix’s poor conversion play where Tiana knows where to find her shooter while she can shoot from a far whenever it’s convenient in order to get the job done into the net. She had 10 centre pass receives, 30 feeds, 6 goals and 21 goal assists that reflected her huge impact for the Pulse. The job is not done yet where a huge final win would give her the chance to translate her game for the Silver Ferns soon enough later this year. 

Gotta say Maddy Gordon kept the game going for the Pulse in the middle even though she didn’t start the game due to her recent return from injury, especially when her side got away unscathed towards the end with the win. She never stops running around that gave attackers the chance to get as many goals as she can every time Jackson and co. stopped the Tactix in its tracks. Out of the 43 minutes she played tonight, she had 12 goal assists & 21 feeds – which was good work being paid off. Yes, heard she came off sore; but surely that won’t affect her too much since she’s on managed minutes with a two-week rest time before the Final.

And Jane Watson did the best she can to stop the Pulse from scoring who stood her ground as always defensively behind the goal posts for the Tactix. She isn’t afraid to steal the ball from up high with a couple of intercepts/turnover being recorded that gave her team the chance to get things done at the other end including that improved 3rd quarter after half-time. It’s just a shame really that the Tactix’s attacking play is not good tonight where they were so far behind for the most part as getting Ellie Bird on until the last few minutes really cost them before it was even over. Tactix do have a 2nd chance though but need to win v Northern Mystics first in the Elimination Final this Saturday.