Latest news with #KateHeffernan
Scoop
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Late Super Shots Help Mystics Squeeze Past Steel
Two vital super shots helped the Northern Mystics grab a tense 56-52 win in a momentum-swinging spectacle against a gallant Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in front of a sold-out crowd in Auckland on Sunday. Both teams had everything to play for, with the Mystics chasing the hosting rights for the Grand Final and the Steel chasing a spot in the Series Finals, the tense atmosphere sitting heavily throughout. Both coaches called tactical timeouts during the final five minutes after the Steel, showing all their renowned spirit and grit, turned a three-goal three-quarter time deficit into a one-goal lead with just over five minutes to play. The Mystics timeout worked in their favour, with their efforts to limit penalties and retain the ball paying dividends, while super shot specialist Filda Vui stepped up in the heat of the moment to calmly nail two double-pointers. With time running out, the Steel lost any opportunity with panicky play as they desperately sought a miracle change in fortunes but deservedly came away with a bonus point. With their season hanging, the Steel also had milestone celebrations to add to the mix with midcourter Kate Heffernan lining up for 100th national league match and Carys Stythe her 50th. Umpire Cory Nicholls added to the game's special moments when taking charge of his 50th ANZ Premiership match. In an exciting opening, the lead changed hands several times, both teams taking time to settle into the match where defence played a big part. The Mystics all-smothering unit defence proved effective while the Steel employed a zone defence which was as equally valuable. Respective rising young goalkeepers Catherine Hall, for the home side, and Stythe picked off the spoils as both sides traded turnovers. A late rally, iced by a super shot with five seconds remaining gave the Mystics a 16-12 buffer at the first break. The second stanza followed a similar trend, the Steel getting off to the best of starts before being reeled in by the home side. The visitors did a terrific job of shutting down the Mystics attacking options to force the hosts into error while eating into the deficit early in the piece. On the other hand, the Steel showed resolute patience on attack with Georgia Heffernan and Dunn all composure under the hoop before momentum swung the other way. With the Steel momentarily hitting the lead, the introduction of Katie Te Ao at centre for the Mystics and the defensive work of Hall, Holly Rae and Michaela Sokolich-Beatson helped turn the tide. Te Ao and Peta Toeava found their connections with strike shooter Donnell Wallam in building an impressive attacking unit while continued pressure at the other end put the squeeze on the Steel. Enjoying more possession, the Mystics finished with a strong surge to build a 30-24 lead at the main break. With both sides taking great care of their possession, the pair traded goals through the opening five minutes of the third stanza. Wallam, who at times was unstoppable and finishing with the striking figures of 45 from 49, remained the steadying rock under the Mystics hoop but the Steel were far from done in delivering a threatening response. Showing creativity on attack and defensive ability to create turnover opportunities, momentum once again took another swing. With a big lift in energy after denying the Mystics in the attacking third and picking off valuable ball, through Kimiora Poi, Renee Savai'inaea, Abby Lawson and Stythe, the southerners cut into the deficit. The ice-cool Dunn, who delivered an impressive 38 from 38 return from the match, played the perfect role in the Steel circle with her poise, positioning and pin-point accuracy as the Steel went on to win the quarter 16-13. That left the match delicately-poised and up for grabs when the Mystics led 43-40 at the last turn.
Scoop
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Midcourt Kate Heffernan Poised For Milestone In 'Must-Win' Game Against Mystics
Silver Ferns midcourter Kate Heffernan will become just third player to bring up a century of games for Southern Steel, when she takes the court against ANZ Premiership leaders Northern Mystics in Auckland on Sunday. Heffernan joins fellow midcourters Wendy Frew and Shannon Saunders in bringing up the milestone. "To be on the list with them is really cool," she said. "Both are players I have looked up to from when I first started until now, so that is really special. "It means a lot doing it just for the Steel and home. One-hundred games anywhere is amazing, but being able to do it for just one franchise means so much to me is pretty cool." Heffernan, 25, made her debut for the Steel as an 18 year old. "I look back at the first couple of team posters and I'm just a baby." However, she won't let the milestone match divert her attention from the side's bid to make the top-three playoffs. The Steel are currently fourth on the competition ladder, equal with the third-placed Central Pulse on competition points and separated only by goal difference. The Steel went down to the Mystics by just one goal in their last encounter. "It's a must-win scenario for us, so I need to focus on getting that win against the team that's sitting top of the table," Heffernan said. "We're coming off a bit of momentum the last few rounds and I feel like we're in a good place. We're growing in confidence each week in our attacking game and honestly feeling really good about it. "We've had to win our last few games to be in contention for the top three. We need to approach this the same way, but continue to lift like we've been doing."
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Midcourt Kate Heffernan poised for milestone in 'must-win' game against Mystics
Kate Heffernan will join Wendy Frew and Shannon Saunders as Steel centurions. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography Silver Ferns midcourter Kate Heffernan will become just third player to bring up a century of games for Southern Steel, when she takes the court against ANZ Premiership leaders Northern Mystics in Auckland on Sunday. Heffernan joins fellow midcourters Wendy Frew and Shannon Saunders in bringing up the milestone. "To be on the list with them is really cool," she said. "Both are players I have looked up to from when I first started until now, so that is really special. "It means a lot doing it just for the Steel and home. One-hundred games anywhere is amazing, but being able to do it for just one franchise means so much to me is pretty cool." Heffernan, 25, made her debut for the Steel as an 18 year old. "I look back at the first couple of team posters and I'm just a baby." However, she won't let the milestone match divert her attention from the side's bid to make the top-three playoffs. The Steel are currently fourth on the competition ladder, equal with the third-placed Central Pulse on competition points and separated only by goal difference. The Steel went down to the Mystics by just one goal in their last encounter. "It's a must-win scenario for us, so I need to focus on getting that win against the team that's sitting top of the table," Heffernan said. "We're coming off a bit of momentum the last few rounds and I feel like we're in a good place. We're growing in confidence each week in our attacking game and honestly feeling really good about it. "We've had to win our last few games to be in contention for the top three. We need to approach this the same way, but continue to lift like we've been doing." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Selby-Rickit leads attack on former team
Te Paea Selby-Rickit used to be a game winner for the Southern Steel. Now she has punished them as a playmaker for the Mainland Tactix and led her new team to a 57-49 victory in Invercargill on Saturday. The goal attack was utterly dominant across the court for the Tactix, who retained the Hutton Family Trophy and stayed at the top of the ANZ Premiership ladder. Selby-Rickit might have slotted only nine goals, but she dominated the attack end with 36 feeds, 27 goal assists and 17 centre pass receives. It was a frustrating result for the Steel, who let the Tactix get a roll on and were fighting back for much of the game. Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan made a welcome return from injury, albeit on managed minutes. Steel coach Wendy Frew said the result was a "tough one to swallow". "It's a tough one," Frew told TVNZ. "The girls really brought the energy and the hype, and we just couldn't get over the line. "It felt like it was a game we were coming back into. I never thought it was out of our reach. "When we get down by that, we're chasing twos and we missed a couple of rebounds on that two. "In terms of our defence game, we just need to be more united and get ball for each other. We're not working as units as well as we need to." Paris Lokotui — in her 50th game — came up with an intercept in the pocket and the Tactix moved swiftly to find Ellie Bird on the base. When the Steel let the ball do the work and moved it around the circle edge, it opened up their attacking end to find Georgia Heffernan on the base. Centre Kimiora Poi split the circle with a nice feed to Aliyah Dunn. Carys Stythe picked up an outside arm tip, but the Steel squandered the gain at the other end. But the Steel came home strongly at the tail end of the quarter to trail 16-14 at the first break. Selby-Rickit burnt the Steel on the centre pass, popping out the middle channel to allow depth on the Tactix second phase. That helped Bird, who held high in the circle to give herself space along the base. Lokotui again snaffled a cross-court ball and Selby-Rickit's shooter-to-shooter offloads were perfect. The Steel players put one another under pressure on the pass and the take, and Tactix defenders Jane Watson and Karin Burger confused the space. That helped give the visitors a 26-19 lead, their biggest of the game. Abby Lawson came on at goal defence in a bid to shut down Selby-Rickit and Kate Heffernan at wing defence. There was a lift in the defence pressure thanks to the changes. They put on a strong zone to shut down the middle for the Tactix attackers. But the Tactix's ball placement split the zone open to find a way to their shooters. They withstood the pressure and forged ahead for a 32-26 lead at halftime. Kate Heffernan moved into centre, shifting Poi back to wing attack for the Steel to start the third quarter. The Tactix picked up where they left off, finding Bird far too easily under the post. Once Stythe moved her feet around Bird, she grabbed a deflection — but again the Steel could not make it count. The Tactix went on a six-one run and suddenly led by 10. The Steel got stuck running, and not making any direct movements on attack, and defensively, they struggled to come off the body and pick up any ball. After a slow start to the quarter, the Steel came right in the final minutes. It took until the end of the third quarter before Dunn slotted the first accurate two-pointer of the game. The Steel picked up a good rebound at the other end, and Dunn followed up with another two to to trail 45-37 at the break. The Steel came back to level the final quarter 12-12 but were unable to get within five for a bonus point. ANZ Premiership The scores Mainland Tactix 57 Ellie Bird 37 (37/42), Te Paea Selby-Rickit 9 (9/11), Martina Salmon 11 (11/14) Southern Steel 49 Aliyah Dunn 42 (39/45), Georgia Heffernan 7 (7/14) Quarter scores: Tactix 16-14, 32-26, 47-37.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Heffernan vows to return
Kate Heffernan. Southern Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan will miss more rounds of the ANZ Premiership after hyperextending her knee. Heffernan, who missed the opener against the Mainland Tactix on Sunday, hurt her knee at training last week but is expected to return this season. Steel physio Stacey Allan said there was a robust recovery plan and Heffernan was making "positive progress" as they worked towards her return. While disappointed, Heffernan said her focus was on getting back on court. "Unfortunately, injuries are one of the realities of elite sport, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking not to be able to get out there with my team," Heffernan said. "We have all worked incredibly hard during the preseason and deserve to reap the rewards of that now the competition has started. "Watching from the sidelines definitely fuels my determination. I will be following the expert advice of our medical team to the letter and doing everything in my power to play as soon as I get the green light, but I know I have to be patient." The Silver Fern travelled to the Steel's opening game in a leadership role. "Naturally I want to be out there playing my part, but I have the utmost faith in our entire squad to get the job done regardless of who is wearing the bibs." The Steel head to Hamilton to play the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic on Monday.
