Latest news with #WaikatoBayofPlentyMagic


NZ Herald
11-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Netball: Home crowd rallies behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic
The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic's Saviour Tui (left) battles with the Northern Stars' Kayla Johnson at the Pullman Arena in Auckland. Photo / Michael Bradley The sold-out sign has officially gone up for the AVIS Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic's upcoming ANZ Premiership home game in Tauranga against the Central Pulse at Baypark Arena today. The Tauranga fixture continues to be a highlight on the Magic calendar, with strong community support and a passionate home

RNZ News
28-06-2025
- 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.


NZ Herald
24-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Ex-Silver Fern Samantha Winders teaches netball injury prevention as ACC claims rise
Winter sports-related injury claims and costs have consistently gone up over that period in Bay of Plenty. Rugby union led the pack last year, with nearly 5000 claims costing more than $10m. The 1504 netball claims cost just over $3.2m. Football, basketball, and netball injuries were most common among 10-14-year-olds, whilst rugby union and rugby league injuries were most common among 15-19-year-olds. Winders, a former John Paul College deputy head girl, spent nine years with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and played 47 tests for the Silver Ferns. She has not hung up her bib yet, playing club netball for Ngongotahā in the Tauranga premier competition. Winders said she managed to avoid any serious injuries during her professional playing days, when she was an ambassador for NetballSmart. ACC has partnered with Netball NZ since 1997 to deliver the programme focused on improving performances in sport by preventing injuries. Winders said her regional development job was about teaching, a vocation she had always felt called to. 'It's very much a teaching role, but not in a classroom setting, obviously in a netball setting, and that's something I feel like I'm a bit of an expert in.' As the development officer, Winders works with coaches, players, schools, centres and clubs to help develop strategies to improve performance and decrease injury risk. NetballSmart is an evidence-based framework and includes a revised warm-up that focuses on key game-specific movements such as landings and deceleration. Winders said she had a responsibility to develop the athletic side of a netball player, setting a good foundation in injury prevention and management. 'Injury management doesn't just happen on the netball court or in prevention. It starts well before that. 'A big part of it is preparation, warming up properly and moving well, but at the same time it's sort of empowering athletes to take responsibility for themselves in the way they prepare for the game.' She said NetballSmart was about breeding 'good movers' who lived by their principles. 'NetballSmart speaks for itself, it's a smart way to approach netball. 'If you have a good, strong foundation, then you will prevent injuries.' She was 'very grateful' that netball was and remained such a 'massive' part of her life. 'It's a pretty basic sport, but there is so much room for growth and development within it … it's taken me all over the world." She could not imagine ever losing her love for playing and competing, but said she also found working with young players very rewarding. 'I really would love to see more players from this region crack it, because they have the ability to.' Silver Ferns lead physiotherapist Sharon Kearney has driven a revision of the programme. 'Sam's ability to share her expertise directly with players on achieving success, integrated with NetballSmart messaging to minimise injury risk, is invaluable,' Kearney said in a statement. 'That is why Sam was great as a NetballSmart ambassador and now as one of our regional officers. She can help tell the story of what it takes to play netball like she does.' Winter sports injury claims ACC data for 2024 in the Bay of Plenty showed: 1504 netball claims costing $3,216,405 2485 football claims costing $3,449,577 4912 rugby union claims costing $10,500,091 995 rugby league claims costing $2,276,739 1721 basketball claims costing $1,719,023.