Sports News for 28 July 2025
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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. 'I actually brought Robbie with me,' Wilkins said. 'I normally talk to her before we play our home games, but this week I thought I better take her with me, and I think it might have helped.'
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
New Black Caps coach expects more from Zimbabwe in Test series
New Zealand's Tim Seifert during the Blackcaps v Pakistan 3rd T20I at Eden Park Friday, 21 March Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Black Caps coach Rob Walter believes the team's adaptability is paving the way for their success in Zimbabwe. New Zealand went through the T20 Tri-Series unbeaten, scoring a three-run win over South Africa in the final in Harare on Sunday. Walter, who is on his first tour in charge, said the players adapted well to the local conditions. "Played on three different pitches through the series and all three of them played differently," Walter told RNZ. "The way the guys were able to adapt to the conditions and the opposition was excellent, both with bat and ball." Walter used 18 different players during the Tri-Series. Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway were the top three run scorers in the tournament, while Matt Henry grabbed 10 wickets. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi had the best bowling economy rate of 5.75, with Zak Foulkes just behind him on 6.31. Conway wasn't originally named in the squad for the Tri-Series, but was called up to replace the injured Finn Allen. He made the most of his opportunity, averaging 45 over four games. "Dev is a quality player and sometimes form can be a bit wanting, but ultimately these guys will shine at some point," Walter said. "It was good to see him expressing himself and playing with some nice freedom New Zealand's Matt Henry (L) and Mitchell Santner. Photo: photosport The Black Caps now prepare for a two-Test series against Zimbabwe starting in Bulawayo on Wednesday. Zimbabwe have played seven Tests so far this year. Their most recent was a 2-0 loss at home to South Africa. They lost the first Test by 328 runs and the second by an innings and 236 runs. "They'll certainly be a better team in this series, they've got a couple of players coming back that will definitely strengthen what they look like. "We'll be paying attention to our standards so we're looking to deliver a really good performance across the two Test matches." Test series, Queen Sports Club, Bulawayo First Test: 30 July- 3 August Second Test: 7-11 August Black Caps test squad Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Michael Bracewell (first Test only), Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Boxing: NZ's Lani Daniels beaten in world title fight
Claressa Shields takes on Lani Daniels in Detroit. Photo: © DAZN 2025 New Zealand boxer Lani Daniels has fallen short in her bid to become the undisputed women's world heavyweight champion. Daniels lost to Claressa Shields by unanimous decision, with the American retaining her four title belts in Detroit. Shields outclassed the New Zealander throughout much of the contest, with Daniels not really challenging the champion until the later stages. The American's dominance grew as the fight went on and she landed some clean shots in the middle rounds as 37-year-old Daniels tired. Lani Daniels and Claressa Shields. Photo: Frank Balluff Daniels lifted her performance and traded punches with Shields in the eighth round, but the American was never really tested as she improved her record to 17-0. Shields said she expected Daniels to come out firing and was surprised the New Zealander started slowly. "I thought she wanted to fight, but she didn't really engage until the last three rounds," Shields told DAZN. "She was very tough and tricky toward the end, but I know I won every round." Shields became a five-weight world champion when she moved up to heavyweight earlier this year and beat Danielle Perkins to unify the division. The American is a three-weight undisputed champion, having previously held all four belts at middleweight and light-middleweight. Shields is expected to step away from the heavyweight division and move back down in weight, but she doesn't care who she fights next. "Anybody can get it," Shields said. "I want to make the biggest fights and the best fights." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
