Memorable Night For Reuelu-Buchanan At Stars Awards
Go Media Stars midcourter Mila Reuleu-Buchanan has had a night to remember at the annual Stars end of season awards event at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Karaka.
Reuelu-Buchanan has been recognised for her outstanding ANZ Premiership season, taking home the Stonz Jewellers player of the year, members choice and player's player of the year gongs.
After suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024, Reuelu-Buchanan came back strong and hit the court running in 2025, producing a stellar campaign and leading from the front with her tenacity and class shining through when she took to the court.
Reuelu-Buchanan was second in the competition for feeds with 361 and had 152 goal assists.
Lili Tokaduadua was rewarded for a fantastic second season in the ANZ Premiership with the emerging talent award.
Tokaduadua played in all 10 games this season and was all energy and effort at the defensive end.
Tokaduadua finished the campaign with 27 deflections and 13 intercepts and continues to show why she's one of the most promising prospects in the game.
The Matariki award is given to the player that lives the values of the team every day.
This year's dual winners were Lisa Mather and Kate Burley.
The defending champion Comets had a season to be proud of, finishing third on the Synergy Hair National Netball League ladder and narrowly missing out on a spot in the grand final.
Jaelin Tulikaki was named player of the year, with Teuila Sotutu and Marie Hansen sharing the player's player of the year award and Charlie Lindsey being recognised as the emerging player of the year.
The Stars men put on a show once again in their three game series with the Mystics men, as they showcased their skill and athleticism in three competitive outings.
Tanekohurangi Apaapa was named Stars Men's MVP.
Many aspects of game day wouldn't be able to happen without our amazing volunteers and this year's recipient of the volunteer of the year award went to Wiremu Te Rongomau.
Wiremu has been a volunteer since the inception of the Stars and is the friendly face fans would see when they get their tickets scanned ahead of games.
Robinhood Stars Awards 2025:
Stonz Jewellers Player of the year - Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
Members Choice Player of the year - Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
Players Choice Player of the year - Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
Emerging Talent Award – Lili Tokaduadua
Matariki Award - Lisa Mather, Kate Burley
Comets Awards:
Comets 2025 Player of the year – Jaelin Tulikaki
Players Choice Player of the year – Teuila Sotutu, Marie Hansen
Emerging Player of the Year – Charlie Lindsey
Stars Men's MVP - Tanekohurangi Apaapa
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Newsroom
an hour ago
- Newsroom
At last, captain's pain worth it for Tactix glory
Erikana Pedersen's body was screaming at her to stop. But this was one time she wasn't prepared to listen – desperate to lead her Tactix side to New Zealand netball history. Cramping from her hips to her toes, the 30-year-old wing attack pushed through the pain that kicked in late in the third quarter of the ANZ Premiership grand final against the Mystics on Sunday afternoon – and almost made it to the end. 'Everything was going – my toes, my calves, my hips… everything was completely gone,' Pedersen said with a laugh. Pedersen retired from the game back in 2021, after the Tactix narrowly lost the premiership grand final to those same opponents. But this time, everything was pointing to a very different ending. The Tactix were in control – up by 11 at three-quarter time after a dominant first-quarter blitz that knocked the stuffing out of the defending champions in their own sold-out stadium. As her side refused to let the Mystics back into the game, Pedersen was confident this was finally Canterbury's time. After a short breather on the bench in the final spell, Pedersen was sent back on court by first-time head coach Donna Wilkins – who wanted her captain, who'd given one of her finest performances in 101 matches with the Tactix, to be out there when that moment came. But with just over a minute left, Pedersen reluctantly limped to the sideline. By then, though, the game was well and truly won. The Tactix' emphatic 58–46 victory ended a 28-year wait for a national netball title to be claimed by a Canterbury franchise – a win built on grit, belief, and a complete team performance. Donna Wilkins comforts and congratulates Erikana Pedersen just moments before the Tactix won. Photo: Michael Bradley 'We had a lot of people doubting us, as they should – we came to Mystics' territory and they were No.1,' Pedersen said. 'But we had full belief. It was a grind at times, but Donna said 'It will come. We don't care if it takes 50 passes to get in there; we don't care if it's pretty or ugly. We just want to get those goals in'.' There's a strong chance this was Pedersen's final game of elite netball – and she won't be the only Tactix player weighing up her future in the next few weeks. But not all for the same reasons. Shooter Ellie Bird, who nailed 50 from 54 and stole two unlikely intercepts in the final, had already confirmed this season would be her last – another who came out of retirement for a last shot at a championship. Veterans Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Jane Watson, both unavailable for the Silver Ferns, are nearing the end of their careers – in New Zealand at least. Karin Burger – widely tipped as the next Silver Ferns captain – was immense on defence in the final, which should further bolster interest from top clubs in Australia and England. And now, with Netball New Zealand's U-turn on Silver Ferns eligibility for offshore players, the door is officially open for players of Burger's calibre to leave. Especially with the future of our domestic league still, incredibly, up in the air. Beyond the promise of a six-team competition in 2026, there are still no confirmed dates or a broadcast deal announced. Franchises would usually be signing players in the weeks immediately after a grand final. At the trophy presentation, Netball NZ head Jennie Wyllie spoke of the league's record-breaking crowds, outstanding broadcast figures, and exciting innovations (namely the two-point shot) this season – but made no mention of the next. Karin Burger and Jane Watson leap in tandem to defend a Filda Vui supershot. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography 'We don't know who's going to come back next year. We've left that… our focus has been on finals,' Wilkins, a former Silver Fern, said of her Tactix squad. 'For some of those old heads and those experienced ones that keep coming back because they wanted to win a championship – that's what I'm most proud of, now they've got it. 'But who knows what next year brings for them? I don't actually want to talk about it. I just want to enjoy this moment; take that trophy back to Christchurch. It's a long time coming… we'll worry about next year next week.' The Mystics, lugging around a world of hurt after relinquishing the silverware, also weren't ready to talk about what lies ahead. 'We wanted to win a grand final first. We'll deal with that in two weeks' time,' said captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson. Next, they need to get to the bottom of what went wrong. The Mystics knew the juggernaut was coming – they'd embarrassed the Tactix by 14 goals at the same venue just a fortnight ago. This time they simply had no answer for how to stop it. 'They did exactly what we thought they were going to do,' head coach Tia Winikerei said afterwards. 'Which is probably why it hurts a lot,' continued Sokolich-Beatson. 'Because nothing blindsided us. We were so prepared for them to be that good.' So why didn't the Mystics, three-time premiership champions and clear favourites to pull off the league's first threepeat, have a game plan to combat that? 'I don't know the answer to that right now,' Winikerei said. 'All I can say is we weren't good enough for what we knew was coming.' Mystics Donnell Wallam and Tactix Jane Watson vie for the ball in the ANZP grand final. Photo: Michael Bradley Wilkins described the Tactix' first-quarter assault as 'next level' – stifling the Mystics' key weapon Peta Toeava, successfully getting inside the head of shooter Donnell Wallam, and patiently threading the ball downcourt to Bird. A run of seven goals took them out to a 17-8 lead at the first break, and from then on, they rarely gave the Mystics a sniff of a comeback. Burger and Watson responded to Wilkins' call to get early touches to ball destined for the Mystics' shooting circle. 'Jane did that right from the get-go,' said Wilkins. 'We needed to nullify that connection between Peta and Donnell. They were doing one or two more passes before they were launching it in, whereas a couple of weeks ago, it was just catch, boom.' There was more disappointment for the Mystics after their defeat. At the same time, but across the Tasman, Grace Nweke's Swifts stunningly lost their Suncorp Super Netball elimination final, 66-65, to the Melbourne Vixens – losing a 10-goal lead in the final quarter. Winikerei felt for Nweke, who left the Mystics this season to grow her game up against different defenders. 'Love you, Gigi. It's heartbreaking to lose, because of all the work that goes in,' she said. 'We got you back here.' Mystics keeper Catherine Hall gets a hand to the ball ahead of Tactix shooter Ellie Bird. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography The Pollyanna in Sokolich-Beatson was able to see the Mystics' success this season as creating a new legacy at the club. 'We got some young kids on the court tonight in a grand final, and the way that they stood up, they held their own,' she said, referring to their two young goal keeps, Charlotte Manley and Catherine Hall (who was arguably the Mystics' standout player on the night). 'I think we're building something greater than a win here at Mystics.' The Tactix will hope their triumph marks the beginning of a new era (even if it's the only time their name is engraved on the ANZ Premiership trophy, should there be a new naming sponsor for next year's league). It was a victory built on legacy. The late Robyn Broughton, one of New Zealand's most successful domestic coaches, helped shape players in the Deep South like Wilkins, who broke down in tears speaking about Broughton's influence on her first season as a premiership coach. 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Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
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'Pretty special': Third-time lucky for the title-winning Tactix
By Bridget Tunnicliffe of RNZ Nothing pleased Tactix coach Donna Wilkins more than seeing her veteran players win their first ANZ Premiership title in the red dress in Auckland on Sunday night. The Mainland Tactix won netball's ANZ Premiership for the first time by stunning the Northern Mystics 58-46 in the grand final. For Jane Watson, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Erikana Pedersen, and Ellie Bird - they had suffered two heart-breaking grand final losses in 2020 and 2021. They came the closest in 2021, losing by just two goals to the Mystics. By then Karin Burger had joined the side and had well and truly become a stalwart of the team. Wilkins said the thought of winning an elusive title was what kept bringing some of the older players back. "It's pretty special… we don't know who's going to come back next year, our focus has been on finals. 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Everything was stacked against them - the Mystics have won every grand final they have appeared in, and six of the eight grand finals had been won by the team who claimed the minor premiership. But the Tactix showed a lot of fight when they beat the Pulse in the elimination final and Wilkins philosophy? "Finals netball is getting into it and giving yourself a chance." The former Silver Ferns defensive pairing of Burger and Watson picked up where they left off from that Pulse game. Watson unsettled Australian import shooter Donnell Wallam, who had not looked flustered all season. "They are big game players, they are experienced, they are used to playing against tall shooters. I told them they needed to get touches early and Jane did right from the get-go so it made it a little bit doubtful for them to just let rip and throw that ball in," Wilkins said. "They were doing one or two more passes before they would launch it in, whereas a couple of weeks ago it was just 'catch-boom', so we needed to nullify that connection between Peta [Toeava] and Donnell and I think we did a good job of that. "And because we are so clinical in looking after our own possession off our centre pass, even if teams hit a couple of two point shots, they don't make headway and we showed that on Monday night." Once again Wilkins stuck with her starting seven, apart from a brief period where Pedersen had to come off the court due to cramping. "Everything was going, my toes, my calves, my quads, my hips… but we knew we needed to prepare for a tough game, I think Teeps [Selby-Rickit] started cramping as well," Pedersen said. Despite the cloud hanging over the domestic competition, with Netball New Zealand still trying to pin down a broadcast deal for 2026, Wilkins said none of that was a distraction. "We had an opportunity to win a championship, that's been our focus, it's been about us." She was looking forward to taking the trophy to Christchurch. The Tactix and their National League predecessors, the Canterbury Flames, had not won a title since the introduction of franchise netball in 1998. The Flames played in four Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup finals but lost all four to the Southern Sting. "It's a long time coming, enjoy just being together as a team and enjoy the moment with our family and friends and we'll worry about next year next week," Wilkins said. The Tactix may look a little different next year. Bird is off to Australia and doesn't plan on coming back for another season. It remains to be seen whether the likes of Pedersen and Watson might call it a day. Selby-Rickit had one of her finest seasons and the 33-year-old may well be on the radar of an Australian team. Mentor with her To guide the Tactix to the title in her first season as head coach is a dream start to Wilkins' elite coaching career. Pedersen was full of praise for the former Silver Fern and Tall Fern. "Donna's been in our position, she knows what it's like to play in high pressure matches. She's very disciplined in the way that we play on attack but she's just brought this winning mentality, like even warm up games, she's is all about winning and I love that because I think that's what our Tactix team needed." Competitive, clinical with possession, and sticking with a starting seven are all traits associated with the late great Robyn Broughton, one of New Zealand's most successful netball coaches. Broughton became an icon of Southland netball during her long tenure with the Southern Sting, where she was head coach from 1998-2007, winning a record seven Coca Cola/National Bank Cup titles during that time. Wilkins played many seasons under Broughton, as did Tactix assistant coach Te Huinga Selby-Rickit. When Wilkins was asked what the legendary coach would have made of it, she shared that she treasures a photo of her old friend. "Well I actually brought [the photo of] Robbie with me, I normally talk to her before we play our home games but this week I thought I better take it with me and I think it might have helped. She's always there, God she coached me and Hu [Te Huinga Selby-Rickit] and a lot of the players, it's pretty special," an emotional Wilkins said. Mystics not blindsided The Mystics were denied a historic three-peat and were denied a chance to play their best netball. Despite easily beating the Tactix two weeks prior, Mystics coach Tia Winikerei said they knew the visitors were going to bring some venom. "When you get beaten like that and you're a quality side like they are, you come back fierce and you want to win. "Tactix came out very very strong and we didn't cope with that very well… we let them over power us, we actually just didn't execute what we should have in that first quarter and that hurt us for the rest of the game. "I didn't see any momentum shifts throughout the game and so the story of the first quarter was almost the story of the whole game." Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson said they were not blindsided - "They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." The Tactix have now become the fourth franchise to win the title, since the competition began in 2017. The Steel have won twice, and the Pulse and Mystics three times each.
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sports News for 28 July 2025
A huge first quarter helped the Mainland Tactix to their maiden ANZ Premiership netball title. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
