Last weekend, we saw round 5 of the ANZ Premiership, and it was clearly the closest round so far.
We saw the second draw of the competition, and three other games were decided by a combined total of six goals. In the first game of the round, Pulse did just enough to defeat Steel 40-37. Steel gave the premiers an almighty fright and with not long to go, actually had a chance to draw level. Sadly however, Steel shooter Jen O’Connell went down with a serious knee injury, and lost possession in the process. It’s subsequently been confirmed that O’Connell has ruptured her ACL. Having already lost Georgia Heffernan for the season, Steel’s shooting stocks were badly depleted when they had to back up again the following day. They fought valiantly, but it was no surprise when Stars ran away with the match by nine goals. In the third match of the round, Stars won again, this time beating Magic by two in a topsy-turvy encounter. The fourth match was another nail-biter. Strangely, Mystics coach Helene Wilson decided to start the game with star shooter Grace Nweke on the bench. She was brought on at quarter time, but Tactix grew in confidence and maintained the lead for the majority of the match. An exciting late Mystics rally came up just short and Tactix held on by one. The last game of the round developed into a classic goal for goal match. It was just a matter of which team would be in front at the final whistle. But neither team was in front. For the second week in a row, Magic were involved in a 46-46 draw on Monday night. This time their opponents were Tactix, and it put a dent in Tactix’s hopes of finishing top two. Round six starts tonight.
2020 ANZ PREMIERSHIP – Round 5
Central Pulse 40 (11, 11, 11, 7) def Southern Steel 37 (12, 8, 9, 8)
Pulse
Dunn 23/25 (92%)
Ekenasio 17/20 (85%)
Team Total: 40/45 (89%)
Assists 36 (Gordon 13)
Gains 16 (Jury 7)
Steel
O’Connell 25/34 (74%)
McCollin 12/17 (71%)
Pelasio 0/0
Team Total: 37/51 (73%)
Assists 32 (Crampton 15)
Gains 8 (Saunders 3)
Points: Pulse 4, Steel 1
Player of the Match: Kelly Jury (Pulse)
Northern Stars 48 (12, 12, 9, 15) def Southern Steel 39 (11, 9, 11, 8)
Stars
Wilson 36/39 (92%)
Hume 12/15 (80%)
Team Total: 48/54 (89%)
Assists 46 (Kara 20)
Gains 10 (Purvis, Maihi 3)
Steel
McCollin 27/29 (93%)
Namana 6/8 (75%)
Pelasio 6/10 (60%)
Team Total: 39/47 (83%)
Assists 37 (Crampton 18)
Gains 8 (Selby-Rickit 4)
Points: Stars 4, Steel 0
Player of the Match: Maia Wilson (Stars)
Northern Stars 45 (13, 10, 10, 12) def Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 43 (10, 8, 18, 7)
Stars
Wilson 39/43 (91%)
Hume 6/11 (55%)
Team Total: 45/54 (83%)
Assists 45 (Hume 19)
Gains 11 (Burley 4)
Magic
McPhee 29/33 (88%)
Latu-Meafou 14/17 (82%)
Team Total: 43/50 (86%)
Assists 41 (Souness 17)
Gains 12 (Fowler 5)
Points: Stars 4, Magic 1
Player of the Match: Kate Burley (Stars)
Mainland Tactix 41 (8, 12, 12, 9) def Northern Mystics 40 (6, 13, 11, 10)
Tactix
Selby-Rickit 21/24 (88%)
Bird 20/25 (80%)
Team Total: 41/49 (84%)
Assists 41 (Pederson 17)
Gains 13 (Poi 6)
Mystics
Nweke 29/32 (91%)
Tui 10/11 (91%)
Grapes 1/3 (33%)
Team Total: 40/56 (87%)
Assists 36 (Toeava 18)
Gains 12 (Karaka 7)
Points: Tactix 4, Mystics 1
Player of the Match: Te Paea Selby-Rickit (Tactix)
Mainland Tactix 46 (14, 11, 7,14) drew with Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 46 (11, 14, 9, 12)
Tactix
Bird 30/35 (86%)
Selby-Rickit 14/17 (82%)
Prosser 2/6 (33%)
Team Total: 46/58 (79%)
Assists 41 (Selby-Rickit, Poi 13)
Gains 14 (Fakahokotau 7)
Magic
Latu-Meafou 23/27 (85%)
McPhee 23/29 (79%)
Williams 0/1 (0%)
Team Total: 46/57 (81%)
Assists 41 (Souness 17)
Gains 12 (Mikaere 5)
Points: Tactix 2, Magic 2
Player of the Match: Erikana Pederson (Tactix)
Table:
1 – Pulse . 24 points (Pld 6)
2 – Mystics . 17 points (Pld 6)
–
3 – Stars . 16 points (Pld 7)
4 – Tactix . 15 points (Pld 7)
5 – Magic . 9 points (Pld 7)
6 – Steel . 6 points (Pld 7)
Upcoming matches:
(NZ times)
7pm, FRI 17 JUL – Mystics v Stars
5pm, SAT 18 JUL – Pulse v Mystics
5pm, SUN 19 JUL – Pulse v Tactix
7pm, SUN 19 JUL – Steel v Magic
7pm, MON 20 JUL – Steel v Tactix
