Latest news with #DonnellWallam
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: ANZ Premiership final - what you need to know
Donnell Wallam of the Mystics shoots. Photo: Joshua Devenie / Photosport The ANZ Premiership winner will make history in Auckland on Sunday. Either the Tactix will win a maiden title or the Mystics will win a three-peat, something no other team has done. Mainland Tactix v Northern Mystics 4pm Sunday, 27 July The Trusts Arena, Auckland Live blog updates on RNZ Sport Since the competition began in 2017 three franchises have lifted the trophy - the Steel twice, and the Pulse and Mystics three times each. The Mystics will become the most successful team in ANZ Premiership history if they win Sunday's final and claim a record fourth. The Mystics have home advantage having finished on top of the regular season. This will be the Tactix' third ANZ Premiership grand final. The side lost to the Pulse in 2020 and the Mystics in 2021, where they lost by just two goals. Six of the eight previous ANZ Premiership grand finals have been won by the team who finished top of the regular round and claimed the minor premiership. The only two occasions the top team after the minor round hasn't won was in 2018 when the Steel defeated the Pulse. And last year when the Mystics beat the Pulse, but that can be attributed to the fact that strike shooter Grace Nweke was out injured for part of the season, which saw the Mystics slip down the ladder in 2024. The Mystics have won every grand final they have appeared in. When the teams last met in Round 10 the Mystics defeated the Tactix 70-56 in Auckland . The Tactix won the Round 4 meeting 61-50 in Rangiora, but the Mystics were without star shooter Donnell Wallam in that game. But the Tactix are coming off an impressive 57-52 victory over the Pulse in the Elimination Final . Coach Robyn Broughton and captain Bernice Mene after Southern Sting beat Canterbury Flames in the 2001 Coca Cola Cup domestic final. Photo: Photosport Two ANZ Premiership grand finals have been decided by one goal; Last year the Mystics pipped the Pulse by one goal in the dying seconds. In 2018 the Steel overcame the Pulse 54-53 , incredibly the same score as last year's grand final. The Tactix would claim their region's first National League title if they can defeat the Mystics. The Tactix and their National League predecessors, the Canterbury Flames, have 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. If they take the win, the Mystics will become the first New Zealand team to claim three consecutive titles since the Southern Sting, who won six titles in a row between 1999 and 2004. Donna Wilkins has led the Tactix to the grand final in her first season as head coach. Tia Winikerei is the most recent head coach to claim the title in her first season, when she led the Mystics to the 2023 title. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: Northern Mystics set to host ANZ Premiership Grand Final
Prolific Mystics shooter Donnell Wallam scored 57 goals for the Auckland side. Photo: Joshua Devenie / Photosport Auckland's Northern Mystics have stormed into the ANZ Premiership Grand Final, outclassing the Tactix by 14 points in netball's top of the table clash. The 70-56 win on Sunday night secures the Auckland side hosting rights for the championship decider in a fortnight with the two-time defending champions advancing directly to the final. With both teams at full-strength, the Mystics showed their depth of quality with Australian shooter Donnell Wallam and rising young defender Catherine Hall in the game early. Despite the stinging loss, the Mainland Tactix remain in the hunt for the grand final and will now take on Wellington's Pulse in the elimination final next Sunday. After qualifying in second place, the Canterbury side will prepare to host the elimination final at Wolfbrook Arena. On Saturday the Pulse came through in a thriller with a last gasp win against the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Pulse shooter Amorangi Malesala scored a two point shot on the buzzer to seal the incredible win for her side. Tomorrow night the Steel take on the Stars to sign off their contrasting seasons in the final round in Invercargill. Both sides are now out of contention for the finals.
Otago Daily Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel, Pulse fighting for third playoff spot
Southerners never like to leave their fate to Aucklanders. But Southern Steel fans will be hoping their northern counterparts can throw them a bone in the next couple of weeks. Two rounds remain in the ANZ Premiership season — scaled back to 10 games this season — and the hunt for a finals spot has never been tighter for the Steel. The Steel will face the defending champion Northern Mystics on Sunday and wrap up the regular season against the Northern Stars at home in Invercargill on July 14. But if things go their way — and other results fall nicely, too — there is every chance the Steel could make a welcome return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Steel are fourth on the ladder, but share the same record, and points, as the third-placed Central Pulse with four wins and four losses for 13 points. The Pulse have the edge in goal percentage — 108% compared to the Steel's 103%. The Wellington side did the Steel no favours in beating the Mainland Tactix 59-50 last weekend and knocking them off the top of the table. That left the way for the Mystics to claim top spot. The Steel pushed the Mystics all the way and came up agonisingly short in a 55-54 loss in Dunedin in May. Both teams have had changes since then. Australian Donnell Wallam, who hurt her wrist against the Steel, returned in the last round for the Mystics, and Silver Fern and co-captain Kate Heffernan is back in the Steel's midcourt. The Mystics have lost only one of their seven games this season and will be a tough task at home. The Steel then face the Stars, who have had a horror injury run this season, picking up only one win. Considering the Steel thumped them 62-46 last month, it is safe to assume this is a winnable game for the Steel. The Steel have to put their foot down in both games and deny other teams a bonus point — teams get three points for a win and one bonus point for losing by fewer than five — to stay in contention. The Pulse loom as the biggest problem for the Steel's playoff hopes. They face the Magic (fifth) and Stars (sixth) in their final two games of the season and are likely to win both those encounters if they fire. The Pulse will also be desperate to put up some big performances to edge their goal percentage further ahead of the Steel's. The Magic, who sit 2-6 for eight points, are still an outside chance for the finals but have a tough task against the Pulse and Tactix to round out the season. After meeting the Steel this weekend, the Mystics wrap up the regular season in a big clash with the Tactix. If the Tactix beat the Magic this weekend, their game against the Mystics could determine who hosts the final and snags top spot. Whoever finishes top of the table gets the week off and hosts the final, while No 2 will play No 3 in the elimination final. ANZ Premiership The standings • Northern Mystics: 7-1, 21 points (next opponents: Steel, Tactix) • Mainland Tactix: 6-2, 19 points (next opponents: Magic, Mystics) • Central Pulse: 4-4, 13 points (next opponents: Stars, Magic) • Southern Steel: 4-4, 13 points (next opponents: Mystics, Stars) • Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic: 2-6, 8 points (next opponents: Tactix, Pulse) • Northern Stars: 1-7, 3 points (next opponents: Pulse, Steel)
RNZ News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball wrap: Mystics in pole position, the Pulse's dilemma
Amelia Walmsley (left) and Tiana Metuarau of the Pulse. Photo: Joshua Devenie / Photosport Analysis - The Mystics climbed to the top of netball's ANZ Premiership ladder after beating the Stars 67-47 in Auckland on Monday, putting them in a prime position to host the grand final. Donnell Wallam returned to the court for the first time since she injured her wrist at the end of round three, and looked like she hadn't been away. The Australian import finished with 42 goals in 46 minutes, and was replaced by Sophia Lafaiali'i, who has been a real find for the Mystics this year. Mystics goal keep Catherine Hall continued her stunning form, etching out seven deflections and one intercept. The Stars terrible run of injuries continued, with former Silver Fern Kayla Johnson ruled out of the game. The Mystics took a 31-24 half-time lead over the bottom of the ladder Stars. Stars captain Maia Wilson went into GS early in the second half, with Charlie Bell's hands just letting her down. The Mystics made plenty of changes in the third quarter, including pushing wing attack Peta Toeava into goal attack, but the substitutions were seamless. The Mystics and Tactix have already guaranteed themselves two of the three spots in the finals series. The most fascinating storyline over the final two rounds will be the battle for the final play-off spot between the Pulse and Steel. Playing with a sense of desperation, the Pulse beat the table topping Tactix 59-50 in Wellington on Sunday to put themselves back into third, just ahead of the Steel. The Mystics celebrate another win. Photo: Marty Melville / Photosport Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau put up just one goal in her side's win over the Tactix. The week before that Metuarau shot seven goals, and the week before that four goals. Metuarau has scored 58 goals so far this season after eight matches in which she has played majority of minutes on court - an average of seven goals per game. Remarkably, in her first season in the ANZ Premiership in 2017 - she put up an average of 20 goals per game. Somewhere in between, the 24-year-old has lost confidence in going to the post and become more of a third feeder. Fortunately for the Pulse, Amelia Walmsley has been a tower of strength, and had one of her best outings of the season with 54 goals against the Tactix. You could argue there is far too much reliance on Walmsley, who is the leading goal scorer in the competition, or that the Pulse are simply playing to their strengths. It's not that different to the situation the Mystics were in back in 2021 when Silver Fern Grace Nweke was shooting most of the goals, and goal attack Bailey Mes shot very few. The Mystics went on to win the title that year so there's probably no right or wrong approach, except there's a risk that the Pulse are too predictable and they'd be in trouble if Walmsley got injured. The Pulse could utilise shooter Amorangi Malesala a lot more, given that the former Stars player is known for backing herself and going to post. The Southern Steel have improved this year. Photo: Marty Melville Last year Netball New Zealand announced that the domestic league would be cut from three rounds to two. The 2025 ANZ Premiership consists of 30-round robin matches and two finals over a 12-week period. Under the previous three-round format, 45 matches and two finals were played over a 17-week period. The worst aspect of it was that teams were playing each other three times and it felt like the season dragged on. At the time Netball NZ said the change was designed to ensure an engaging and exciting competition in response to teams' and audience feedback. You would have to say it has been more engaging, knowing that teams can't afford to lose many games if they want to qualify for the play-offs. The players have had to face more pressure cooker situations under the two-round season, which can only be good for them. After three successive losses, the Pulse had their backs against the wall when they hosted the Tactix on Sunday. Pulse captain Kelly Jackson said the pressure of a shorter season was palpable "It's going to be over in the blink of an eye and has just shown how crucial each game is, in terms of being able to accumulate points because before you know it, the season's over and you're at Finals time,'' Jackson said. "It has taken time to adjust to that and you do feel a considerable difference in going from a three-round competition to two rounds. There's not much time to muck around." It's disappointing that Netball NZ have not been able to organise anything in the window that opened up as a result of a shorter domestic season. The Silver Ferns will play just seven Tests this year, nowhere near the international exposure they need before next year's Commonwealth Games. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Diamonds star left ‘in agony' as NZ move lasts just three games in ‘big blow' for her team
Diamonds squad member Donnell Wallam has been sent for specialist scans after injuring her wrist in a nasty fall while playing in New Zealand. The star goal shooter's return to play now remains unclear, with Diamonds medical staff to be consulted on the best option for the 31-year-old. Watch every game of the 2025 Suncorp Super Netball season, LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Wallam, playing for the Northern Mystics, had been attempting to keep the ball in play off a rebound when she turned to shoot and fell awkwardly, landing on her left arm. It's the same arm Wallam broke while playing under Dan Ryan in England for the Leeds Rhinos before she would go on to light up Super Netball and earn a fairytale Australian call up. Wallam's injury late in the third term of her side's thrilling win over the Southern Steel was described as a 'big, big blow' for the Mystics. 'She took a hard fall,' commentator Jeff McTainsh said. 'She's coming off here, not happy. She landed hard trying to keep it in. 'Just tried to break her fall Wallam, stuck out her left wrist. 'A big, big blow for the Northern Mystics.' Fellow commentator Kruze Tangira said his 'heart dropped' watching Wallam immediately clutch at her injured wrist. 'My stomach was in knots seeing that,' Tangira said. 'She tried to attempt that shot and just fell heavily on her left wrist. 'She was attempting to get the ball back in, we've seen that in previous games where she does a little flick behind the post. 'As soon as it happened, she grabbed that left wrist obviously in agony.' Wallam stayed on court for almost a minute before she was able to head to the bench and not return for the remainder of the contest. The Aussie star recruit was clearly in pain as she made her way from the court. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Mystics confirmed Wallam would be sidelined indefinitely. 'Donnell Wallam is currently undergoing treatment for a hand injury that she suffered in the Mystics Round 3 clash with the Southern Steel,' the club said. 'Donnell will be seeing a hand specialist this week and a return to play plan will be confirmed following consultation with Mystics and Australian Diamonds medical teams. 'We wish Donnell a speedy recovery and can't wait to have her back on court.' Wallam was only in her third game across the ditch after moving on from Super Netball when not offered a deal at the Queensland Firebirds. The goal shooter was sitting inside the league's top five for goals scored – alongside fellow Aussie recruit Charlie Bell at the Stars – before she suffered the arm injury. Wallam is the player who replaced Super Netball's superstar recruit Grace Nweke at the three-time ANZ Premiership champions.
