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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.
RNZ News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: Slick Tactix take step closer to elusive home final
Amelia Walmsley of the Pulse (left) and Jane Watson of the Tactix tussle for the ball. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 It was the most complete performance of the season from the Tactix, and cemented their position at the top of netball's ANZ Premiership table. The Tactix were firing on all cylinders when they beat the Pulse 61-50 in Christchurch on Sunday. The Mystics are second on the table, and the Pulse third. If the Magic can get a win over the Mystics tonight, they will jump into third, and consign the Pulse to fourth, with four rounds left in the regular season. Martina Salmon started ahead of Ellie Bird in goal shoot and did a brilliant job in tandem with Te Paea Selby-Rickit. Selby-Rickit is not known as a high volume shooter but the veteran goal attack sunk 24 goals, along with Salmon's 36, which made life difficult for the Pulse defenders. It was a huge contrast to the Pulse. Goal shoot Amelia Walmsley was a beacon, scoring 44 goals at 100 percent but goal attack Tiana Metuarau only put up four goals from six attempts. The game pit the teams with the two best defensive records in the league against each other but it was the Tactix Karin Burger-Jane Watson combo that came out on top by far. The Pulse circle pairing of Kelly Jackson and Parris Mason did not have the impact that they normally do. Tactix wing defence Paris Lokotui believed it was her side's best outing this season. "And I believe we've been working towards that the whole year. We were able to get ball on defence and transition that into goals and it was cool to see Martina [Salmon] get a full game out there and get the MVP performance today," Lokotui said. "It was cool that we were able to do that complete performance and work towards the final goal, which is getting a home final." Martina Salmon tries to grab the ball. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 There were three turnovers before the first goal was scored via the Pulse, who got off to a fast start before the Tactix adjusted and led 15-14 after the first quarter. Watson and Burger created some misunderstandings down in the Pulse attacking end, while the Tactix were finding it easier to score. Salmon nailed the first of just two super shots scored across the game, when she beat the half-time whistle to push the Tactix out to a 35-26 lead. Pulse coach Anna Andrews-Tasola played around with the midcourt; at one point Whitney Souness headed to the bench and Maddy Gordon switched to wing attack. Whenever the Pulse got on a mini run, they would throw the ball away. In the end the visitors committed 25 turnovers, which Metuarau described as uncharacteristic. "I didn't feel like every single pass was pressured so in a sense we probably did it to ourselves in just not taking for example an extra pass or resetting, just small things like that," Metuarau said. "Despite the fact that the difference was 11 it actually still felt contested in that last quarter and with the nature of the game now, we can still fight back. "They capitalised on the majority of the ball that they had, which was probably the difference. I think we'd like to get our gains up as a defensive end but I thought there was still some positives, we were still applying some really good pressure in the second half." The home side's starting seven remained on court for the entire game, with the exception of Erikana Pedersen who started cramping with a couple of minutes left in the game. Lokotui said having two very different goal shooters competing for the starting bib, was a big asset. "And it's cool that Te Paea can kind of become a third feeder when that's needed but also put up lots of shots when that works well for us as a team. It was really cool that we were able to do that and execute in those crucial moments." Lokotui said they took on board what the Mystics did when they beat the Pulse in the previous round. "The Mystics came out of the blocks firing and we wanted to do the exact same, we knew that the Pulse were going to be strong and they started really strong so it was just for us keeping the pressure on throughout the whole game, executing crucial moments and finishing where we needed." The Mystics host the Magic in Auckland tonight.
RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Southern Steel see off struggling Northern Stars in ANZ Premiership
Monica Falkner of the Stars and Carys Stythe of the Steel during their ANZ Premiership netball match. Photo: photosport Southern Steel have inflicted another painful blow on Northern Stars in netball's ANZ Premiership, winning all four quarters to ease to a 62-46 victory in Auckland. The visitors calmly took command of a clash between the two teams ranked last on the standings, lifting the Steel to a 2-4 win-loss record and still with a slim chance of qualifying for the knockout phase. With four games remaining, the injury-hit Stars' post-season prospects have all-but disappeared, with a 1-5 record. The Steel opened up a 15-11 lead after the first quarter, but took full control early in the second, when they went on a nine-goal unanswered run. That outburst prompted a response from the Stars, who trailed 29-23 at halftime, but the match truly slipped from their grasp late in the third quarter, as the Steel again scored freely to be 12 goals up entering the final stanza. Among the Steel's best was goal keep Carys Stythe, who disrupted the Stars attacking circle throughout the contest, pulling off five intercepts and six deflections. At the opposite end, Steel goal shoot Aliyah Dunn landed 46 of 48 shots, linking particularly well with centre Kimiora Poi. Kate Heffernan continues to log court-time in her injury comeback. Photo: photosport There was another encouraging outing for Steel co-captain Kate Heffernan, who played 31 minutes, after just 18 minutes of court-time in last week's loss to the Tactix, as she recovers from a knee injury suffered before the season. "The knee feels great," she said. "It's good to be out there, obviously, and I'm hoping to keep building up the minutes. "I'm trying to tick all the boxes, but I'm feeling really good. It's so good to have a win. "We've had a couple of tough games, so to go out and do what we say we want to do with a performance we're proud of is awesome." Centre Mila Reuelu-Buchanan was the only Stars player on court for 60 minutes and was arguably their best, winning some key turnovers and treasuring possession better than several of her teammates. Stars goal shoot Charlie Bell landed 31 of 35 shots. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Washington Post
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson to step down at year's end
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson will step down at the end of the year, creating a vacancy in one of the most powerful jobs in New Zealand sport. Robinson led New Zealand's national sport for six years, through the difficult period of the pandemic when matches often took place in empty stadiums.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: ANZ Premiership wrap
Carys Stythe (left) and Catherine Hall (right) Photo: Photosport Analysis - An out of sorts Magic were punished 69-41 thanks to a near flawless performance by the Steel in Hamilton on Monday. The Magic are a far better team than what they've shown in their two opening games of the ANZ Premiership season and they don't have much time to rectify it. The Magic scored eight super shots to the Steel's three but it was nowhere enough to limit the damage. Twenty seven turnovers cost the Magic dearly as they struggled to gain connections on attack. Silver Ferns wing attack Claire O'Brien, who is usually so assured, was benched at one point. The Magic struggled to get enough shooting volume out of goal shooter Saviour Tui but she was put under enormous pressure by Steel goal keep Carys Stythe. Aliyah Dunn for the Steel was magnificent, shooting 52 goals at 96 percent. The Steel have had to call on replacement players with Silver Fern Kate Heffernan dealing with an injury, along with defenders Abby Lawson and Dakota Thomas. Steel shooter Georgia Heffernan said it felt good to put out such a complete performance and said her twin sister Kate was glued to the TV. "She's got the biggest FOMO right now. I think that's what we're so proud of, losing Kate before the first round and then Abby this week and then not having Dakota, we've had to adjust a lot and really trust that we've done the work and we can still be really strong out there and we showed that tonight," Heffernan said. Catherine Hall and Carys Stythe are two of the most exciting young defenders in the country. The problem was, they also came from the same catchment area and started their elite careers with the Auckland-based Mystics. Last year the pair shared a lot of court time with Hall getting her first full contract. Stythe made a really smart decision to move to the Southern Steel where she was likely to get full games. Hall and Stythe, both 21, are too good to be on the bench and both are thriving as starting players for their franchises. Stythe has been sensational in her first two games for the Southern Steel, picking up back-to-back MVPs. Hall has been in terrific form for the Mystics too. It might not be long before the pair are in the Silver Ferns together. Maia Wilson Photo: PHOTOSPORT Since the birth of the Stars franchise in 2017, Maia Wilson has been the side's starting goal shooter. Now, with the 196cm tall Charlie Bell at the back, the side has an out-and-out tall target. The Australian import is the tallest-equal player in the competition and looks like a handy addition to the Stars, who upset the Tactix 57-52 in Auckland on Sunday after a challenging week. Wilson has finally been able to take on the goal attack position, which could help her Silver Ferns prospects. Not having to be responsible for the majority of the side's scoring has also taken some pressure off Wilson's shoulders. "It definitely has, I think it's nice to be able to have a strong, tall target and it shows that we have so many different options to be able to throw out there. I think tonight she was really able to muscle it out so really proud of her to be able to come out here with a 60 minute performance," Wilson said. It turns out that former Stars coach Kiri Wills, who is now in charge of the Queensland Firebirds, wanted to go down that track earlier. When the 201cm shooter Mary Cholhok signed with the Queensland Firebirds for 2025, it was revealed that the Ugandan previously turned down two offers from Wills to play for the Stars. Donnell Wallam Photo: Bradley Kanaris The Mystics did about as well as they possibly could when they had to fill the gaping hole left by Silver Fern Grace Nweke. The defending champions had to act fast when Nweke announced she would be playing across the Tasman in 2025 and pulled off a real coup when they signed Australian Diamonds shooter Donnell Wallam. Wallam had another commanding performance when the Mystics beat the Pulse 59-48 on Saturday. But it should not come as a surprise given Wallam was second in Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) for total goals in 2023 and 2024, just behind the most prolific shooter in the world - Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. It came as a shock to fans in Australia when the Queensland Firebirds let go of the 31-year-old after three seasons, instead signing Mary Cholhok. Wallam is a late bloomer to netball and didn't make her Test debut until 2022. It's a little surprising that she has only played five tests for Australia since then. After two rounds of ANZ Premiership, Wallam is the top goal scorer. Nweke is also the top goal scorer after six rounds of SSN. But while Wallam is still able to represent Australia, Nweke is not eligible to play for the Ferns this year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
