2024 ANZP ROUND 12

@Thunder123 – it was announced she had an injury the same week Saunders was announced as being out for the season. Such a shame, Christie was playing exceptionally well. I wonder if as @Kerryn says she was playing with the injury to start with, but playing full games was the final straw. TBH I can’t see Saunders re-signing next season and with Christie being out for 12 months potentially the Steel will be looking for a mid-courter for next year.

The Heffernans are particularly hard watching at the moment. The amount of ball given away is insane.

In other news, best 15 minutes of the season from Fifita. Got a few balls off Salmon and keeping her team in it so far.

This is ugly for the Steel. Jackson making their shooters look like school girls. The Pulse lead the second quarter 9-1 so far.

FT Pulse 65-38

Jackson with an incredible 15 gains, while Salmon shot 53/62 after a shaky start. Fifita had a good first quarter, but it was all downhill from there. Steel dropped their heads as the game went on, and I thought K Heffernan went missing in the last quarter especially – a poor captain’s game. Bloxham should try swapping Savai’inaea and Heffernan as well as Namana and Heffernan to provide some spark.

Will we see Walmsley at the Steel next year?

Steel need to address the GS problem. Can’t put provincial players out there against the likes of Jackson, who must be in the top three in the world at the GK position. Is Fisher still on the payroll? They seriously need to get the cheque book out for a GS next season.

Why didn’t the Steel go after Salmon when they needed a GS? We see how much difference a decent GS makes to the team ie Tui at Magic, Nweke at Mystics and Salmon at the Pulse. Steel have two starting Silver Ferns in the Heffernan sisters. The score should not blow out like that if they are playing to their rankings.

Welcome back Nweke and Toeava. Loved those no look passes Peta was throwing in the mystics/tactic game! Taurua HAS to consider including Toeava in the Ferns after that showing. If she doesn’t think she’s fit for a whole game just play her two quarters like we saw.

Can’t see the Tactix getting to the finals. Nweke totally dominated their circle defences. I’m picking a Mystics-Pulse final.

Agreed the Steel will struggle to attract players at times due to its far south location. Would need to pay up or get an up and coming import shooter. Although we’ve seen some international players love it once there. Maybe NNZ can give them a ‘location’ grant to up the stakes to move there. It’s in the interest of the league, with it being only a six team league, that the Steel don’t turn into the easy beat team and perennial wooden spooners.

I think the Pulse should take Salmon over Walmsley. Much more aerial and athletic than Walmsley and she seems to be prepared to give the long shot a go. She just needs to get her shot under control some of the time.

• This reply was modified 1 day, 12 hours ago by Kwkiwi.

the whole game of Tactix vs Mystics proves the Mystics arent anything without Grace, if she ever considers moving to a different team the trophy moves with her. Toeava is the star of the WA in the championship but she can only feed Grace, that showed a couple of rounds back when she was running around like a headless chicken