Latest news with #ANZPremiership
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
ANZ Premiership Netball: Waikato BoP Magic can't steal a win from rivals Southern Steel
From left: Steel Kimiora Poi, Aliyah Dunn, Georgia Heffernan and Renee Savai'inaea celebrate their win. Photo: Marty Melville A late comeback by the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic was not enough to stop a dominant Southern Steel from securing a 64-56 win in the ANZ Premiership in Invercargill on Saturday. The Steel are on a three-game winning streak and have taken outright third place on the points ladder with two more rounds before the finals. The Magic finished strongly with a last quarter flurry to win the final 15 minutes 18-11 but were outplayed across the first three quarters. Steel shooter Aliyah Dunn was nearly flawless from close to the hoop converting 43 of her 45 goal attempts. It was shooting accuracy which proved the difference at the end of the first quarter, the Steel leading 15-13 after nailing all their opportunities and the Magic missing two after both sides had equal attempts. In the second quarter the intense pressure employed by Carys Stythe and Abby Lawson under the Magic hoop resulted in turnovers while at the other end Dunn and Georgia Heffernan continued their recent strong form. The pair shared the load expertly and intuitively in feeding off each other with Dunn producing a standout first half through her positioning, pin-point shooting and rebounding ability. The home side were ahead 33-25 at halftime. The Magic struggled to keep up after the break with the Steel outscoring them 20-13 in the third period as the visitors' misguided passes and inaccuracies took a toll. The loss was the Magic's third defeat in a row and the second time they have lost to the Steel this season. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball's Super Shot - who's scoring, who's not and does it matter?
Stars shooter Charlie Bell has shot 10 two-pointers among her 220 goals this season. Photo: Blake Armstrong/Photosport Analysis - What do the statistics tell us about the two-point shot and its impact on this year's ANZ Premiership, if any? Netball New Zealand decided to introduce a 'super shot' to the domestic league this year, following in the footsteps of Australia's Super Netball league, which rewards shooters for taking longer shots. The two-point shot comes into play for the last five minutes of each quarter, so for a third of the game. Well after seven rounds, the stats suggest that there's no real correlation between super shots and winning games. Tabletopping Mainland Tactix have sunk the least two-point shots by far this season, with just eight, at a conversion rate of 35 percent. Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic, who are second to bottom on the ladder, have scored the most super shots of any team with 34, at a success rate of 52 percent. Northern Mystics are second on the table and have converted the fourth-most with 27, but have the best conversion rate of any team at 57 percent. That's largely down to the shooting prowess of Filda Vui, who has the more two-point goals than anyone in the league with 23, at an impressive 62 percent. Magic shooter Saviour Tui ranks second with 21 and team-mate Ameliaranne Ekenasio third, with 13 super shots. Pulse replacement shooter Amorangi Malesala has only played 56 minutes this season, but has the fourth-most super shots with 12. Overall, 45 percent of attempts at the longer distance have been converted, which seems on par with the Australian league, given that the scoring zone across the Tasman is closer to the goalpost. Amelia Walmsley is the ANZ Premiership's leading scorer, but has not hit a 'super shot'. Photo: Photosport In last season's Australian SSN competition, 54 percent of the super shots found the net, where shooters are awarded two points for shots starting from three metres away. In the ANZ Premiership, the zone starts 3.5m away from the post. Northern Stars, who sit at the bottom of the table, have scored the second-most double-point shots with 31, at 41 percent. They have attempted more than any other team, which is not surprising, given they've trailled in most matches and have tried to make up ground by doubling their points. Central Pulse shooter Amelia Walmsley has scored the most goals this season with 307, at an incredible 96 percent. None of those goals include super shots. Second is Aliyah Dunn with 281, including 11 super shots, and Charlie Bell is third with 220, which includes 10 two-pointers. Tactix coach Donna Wilkins encourages her players to use the super shot sparingly. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 Tactix coach Donna Wilkins, who played netball and basketball for New Zealand, has encouraged her shooters to use the super shot sparingly, noting the risk involved. A miss is often gobbled up by the opposition defence and turned into a goal at the other end of the court. Of course, its use can depend on who you've got in your team and whether you've got a high-volume shooter, like the Pulse do with Walmsley. Australian players have had a few years to get used to the rule change, which was introduced to their competition in 2020. Adelaide Thunderbirds won the premiership last year, but had by far the least two-point attempts in 2024. They won the grand final against the Vixens without putting up a single super shot attempt during the game. The success of the rule change shouldn't only be judged on whether it has an impact on results. If fans are more engaged by the anticipation and risk-versus-reward element, then that's a win. One of the most exciting finishes we've seen this season came in the final game of round seven on Monday, when Steel shooter Georgia Heffernan sunk a super shot in the dying minutes to help her side pip the Pulse. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Frustrated Silver Ferns taking offshore club offers seriously
Lingering frustration over the ANZ Premiership's uncertain future is causing senior Silver Ferns to look at overseas options more seriously. Netball New Zealand is yet to confirm a broadcast deal for 2026, with the current one expiring this year. Last month, NNZ reassured players and staff there will be a
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel's miracle win over Pulse a season-defining game: coach
Steel goal shoot Aliyah Dunn (left) and Pulse goal keep Kelly Jackson compete for the ball during the ANZ Premiership match in Wellington on Monday night. PHOTO: HAGEN HOPKINS/MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY There are no genuine miracles in sport but the Southern Steel delivered the closest thing to one on Monday night. They roared back from a nine-goal deficit heading into the final quarter to stun the Central Pulse 58-57 in a wild finish to the ANZ Premiership game in Wellington. Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan, in perhaps the defining performance of her career, landed a late two-point shot, and after the Pulse missed an attempt, it was 57-57 with 37 seconds to play. The Steel stayed patient, worked the opportunity and celebrated wildly when Aliyah Dunn converted the winning goal right on the buzzer. Steel coach Wendy Frew described this as a season-defining game, and it may prove to be just that. The Steel remain in the hunt for a playoff place. Perhaps just as importantly, they have proved they have reservoirs of courage and heart, especially considering they were pumped 70-45 the last time they played the Pulse. "We never lost belief," Heffernan told Sky Sport after the game. "We really thought we could win this game, and we came together as a team, so we're stoked." The Steel have two more home games, against the Magic and Stars, either side of a tricky away game against the Mystics.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scoop
Steel Come From Behind For Crucial ANZ Premiership Points
With their season on the line, the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel have scrapped to a crucial one-goal win over Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse earning maximum points for a move up the ladder. But it took everything from their squad to come from behind for the 58-57 victory over the Pulse at TSB Arena in Wellington, handing the hosts their third straight loss. Just one spot in the ANZ Premiership finals series remains free with the Tactix and Mystics having already sewn up two, currently holding down first and second place on the ladder with a points margin to ensure they will feature in the play-offs. The Steel, who now move into fourth place, went into the match knowing that nothing less than victory was needed to stay in the hunt for a top three spot and they continually surged against a Pulse team also looking to rediscover some form with only three games remaining in the regular season. Producing her best performance of their campaign, Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan was instrumental in the result including landing a key two-point play in the dying minutes of the match and putting in a high work-rate both inside and out of the shooting circle. The Pulse looked to have grabbed the initiative in the deciding stanza and when Steel wing defence Renee Savai'inaea was suspended for late and dangerous play midway through the spell, many would have expected the hosts to march on. But in an indication of the ebbs and flows of the game, the Steel stepped up and hurried the Pulse into errors as the intensity lifted another notch – mammoth tussles across the court producing plenty of great moments. The Steel well-and-truly buried the 25-goal loss they suffered to the Pulse in Round 4 as both teams brought the desperation for maximum points as the business end of the season looms – the Pulse's defensive efforts helping them to a stronger start on the scoreboard, as they showed greater connections up front to jump out to a 5-2 lead. Overcoming their early wobbles, the Steel settled into their work against the smothering Pulse defence, showing patience to work the ball into Aliyah Dunn particularly with goal keeper Kelly Jackson hunting outside of the circle for the hosts. The disconnect up front from the Pulse has been evident in recent weeks but both Tiana Metuarau and Maddy Gordon rediscovered their links to Amelia Walmsley in the opening stanza. The Pulse shooter was a key target as the hosts edged further ahead – the quick release, including 20 long feeds during the first quarter, into Walmsley proving difficult for the Steel to halt. While Walmsley landed the lion's share of the Pulse's points, the shooting load was evenly shared between Dunn and Georgia Heffernan in the Steel circle and the visitors went into the first break trailing just 14-16. Georgia Heffernan picked up from her first quarter efforts on the resumption of play as the Steel hit the front on the scoreboard for the first time and forced the Pulse into personnel changes with Gabi Simpson replacing Fa'amu Ioane at wing defence and the hosts snatching back a slim advantage. With five goals the difference, thanks to a messy patch of play from the Steel, the visitors used a timeout for a double change on defence with Kate Lloyd and Abby Lawson injected into the game. It did little to stem the flow of ball into Walmsley, who despite blemishing her accuracy record under the hoop, was still the main scorer for a Pulse team which enjoyed a six-point buffer heading into the super shot period of play. But knowing that nothing short of a win would suffice, the Steel surged again and a two-point buzzer beater from Georgia Heffernan left the visitors down 30-34 at halftime. Carys Stythe returned action for the Steel after the break, but the Pulse feeders continued to drive into the pockets for an easier sight of Walmsley as a six-point margin again opened up. But a timeout was needed from the Pulse as the Steel's niggle started to take its toll and at the midway mark of the stanza the hosts pounced on two unforced errors to take some control heading into the deciding spell with a 50-41 lead.
