Steel crumble in disappointing loss to Pulse
You cannot fault the fightback from the Southern Steel in the third quarter.
But the damage was done early for the Central Pulse to snatch a 70-45 win in front of a sold-out crowd in Invercargill this afternoon.
It was a bitterly disappointing result from the Steel – who were thumped 18-5 in the final quarter – who have been a much-improved side this year.
But you cannot let the Pulse get on an early run – they led 15-3 in the opening 10 minutes – and cough up 26 turnovers and expect to win.
It was a performance not many would have expected from the Steel, after they pushed the defending champions the Northern Mystics in a one-point loss six days earlier.
In a shining light, after being down by 20, the Steel fought back to trail by as much as seven in the third quarter and won that spell 21-14.
It was a physical encounter across the court for the Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy, which will remain with the Pulse.
The Pulse made a slick start with centre Maddy Gordon dominating the middle channel.
But the Steel put each other under necessary pressure, pushing the ball into the pocket, and their timing was out on their centre pass.
They coughed up easy turnovers, letting the Pulse jump out to a 9-2 lead.
Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau – who had a heated battle against Abby Lawson – found Amelia Walmsley under the post to help them to a 15-3 lead.
Looking to pull the score back, Khayne'-Lii Munro-Nonoa came on at wing defence, shifting Renee Savai'inaea into centre and Kimiora Poi to wing attack.
Lawson picked up a much-needed tip to pull one back and Georgia Heffernan nailed a two-pointer.
But Metuarau nailed a two-pointer on the buzzer for the Pulse to lead 19-7.
The Pulse pushed the Steel wide down the court, making it hard to get any direct ball and flow.
The visitors were polished down the court and made the Steel pay for every mistake.
Gordon and Whitney Souness balanced off each other, swinging the ball around the circle edge and firing it in.
They led 32-16 when Dunn landed a two-pointer – but they needed more where that came from.
Gordon picked the pocket and took off. Her ball speed through the court and ability to find her shooters on the base was second to none.
Forced to take the two-pointers, the Steel had several shots that rang in-and-out and Kelly Jackson's lean was impressive.
The Pulse held a 38-19 lead at halftime.
Almost immediately, the Pulse forced another turnover from the Steel and extended to a 20-point lead.
Fa'amu Ioane was the unsung hero for the Pulse. She clogged the middle, brought the ball through the court and did all the little things well.
The Steel showed flashes of what they are capable of.
When they let the ball do the work, used their speed to hit the edge and put depth on it they looked good.
Carys Stythe snaffled an intercept and the Steel took off down the court.
They used their triangles to find Dunn, as the intensity in the circle started to lift.
Stythe picked up another, Heffernan bombed it long to Dunn – and the Pulse called a time-out leading 46-29.
It was like the Steel finally clicked into gear. Heffernan and Dunn nailed two-pointers – as the Pulse defenders started to attract whistle – and suddenly trailed by seven.
But Metuarau sunk another two-pointer for the Pulse to lead 52-40.
The Pulse went on a 6-1 run to open the final quarter and continued from there.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
an hour ago
- Scoop
Mystics' Depth Highlighted In Commanding Win Over Pulse
The depth in the MG Mystics squad has been highlighted with an emphatic 13-goal win over the in-form Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse, returning the defending champions to second spot on the points table. Bouncing back from their first loss of the ANZ Premiership season and missing two key players, the Mystics brought speed but also composure to their game to dominate for a 64-51 win at TSB Arena in Wellington. The Mystics netted an 11-goal win when the two teams met in Round 2 but without star shooter Donnell Wallam and the late withdrawal of defender Holly Rae, few would have picked the visitors to topple the Pulse. But they had oodles of attacking flair packed into their performance and brought the big defensive plays when needed, upsetting the Pulse's gameplan from the outset. They now have a four-game winning streak over the Pulse and have put the rest of the competition on notice that they can bring the goods no matter who takes the court. There were no surprises in the Pulse starting line – a team which last week put 25 goals on their opponent. But the Mystics were forced to make changes at both ends of the court without Wallam and Rae, shifting Michaela Sokolich-Beatson into the defensive circle alongside Catherine Hall and rookie Sophia Lafaiali'i getting the nod at goal shooter. Despite the personnel changes, the Mystics started with plenty of confidence, moving the ball with speed and building on an early 4-2 lead with a mixture of intent on attack and the hunger to snaffle any loose ball on defence. With no tall target in the shooting circle, the Mystics opted for patience with their delivery into the shooting circle working the ball with speed on attack and waiting for the space to open up – Lafaiali'i showing sure hands and accuracy in her first ANZ Premiership start. The Pulse took some time to find their groove on attack, but once the link to Amelia Walmsley strengthened the hosts were quick to slash the deficit to 11-15 at the first break. The resumption of play brought much of the same as the Mystics kept their foot to the pedal with their ball movement and applied enough pressure on defence to With the difference back out to seven points, the Pulse called a tactical time-out to address the challenge of slowing down the Mystics attacking unit. Mystics wing attack Peta Toeava stepped up as the leader up front with her direction and her early links with Lafaiali'i – the battle between the dynamic middie and Pulse defender Fa'amu Ioane a scintillating watch. The same links into Walmsley were sporadic despite the shooter getting the better of Catherine Hall for much of the second spell but with a couple of gains it looked as though momentum was preparing to swing. In a surprise move, Pulse made a late change with Gabi Simpson replacing Parris Mason at goal defence as the hosts started to make inroads into the difference. Four super shots – including a buzzer beater two-points from Lafaiali'i – from the Mystics put paid to any Pulse resurgence however and it was the visitors who enjoyed a 36-24 halftime lead. Mason rejoined the fray after the break and made an immediate impact with an intercept as the Pulse attempted to nullify the Mystics' speed up front. Another clean take from Mason minutes later and there was a feeling within the Arena that the hosts were making their move. Playing the super shot period well was also a highlight of the Mystics game, landing the two-points through Vui but also knowing when to opt for the single point. With everything falling their way, through great hustle, the question was whether they could maintain their speed game with a 51-38 buffer heading into the last turn.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Netball: How the Mystics undid the Pulse
The Mystics celebrate. Photo: Marty Melville / Photosport The Pulse were on a roll and the Mystics were missing two key personnel, but in stepped an apprentice training partner and a solid game plan. The Mystics brought speed and composure to dominate the Pulse for a 64-51 win in Wellington on Sunday. It pushed the defending champions up to second spot on the ANZ Premiership ladder at the halfway point of the regular season, ahead of the Pulse, and just behind the Tactix. Mystics assistant coach Rob Wright said they knew that footing it with the vastly experienced Pulse midcourt would be key. "We knew coming here that the midcourt was probably our only really experienced area so if they held up we thought 'it gives ourselves a little bit of a shot' and I thought they did a terrific job. So did the ends but I thought that the midcourt really did a great job," Wright said. Peta Toeava, Tayla Earle, and Katie Te Ao were able to negate Pulse midcourters Whitney Souness, Maddy Gordon, and Fa'amu Ioane. Wright said Souness and Gordon in particular form the Pulse engine room and slowing them down would in turn make life difficult for their shooters. "They're pretty scary because they just keep going and they can just keep reworking it and they've got speed to burn so it's about trying to slow them down and then try and build some pressure and I thought we did that pretty well." The Mystics experienced their first loss of the season when they were beaten by 11 goals to the Tactix in the previous round and Wright said there was a lot of determination to bounce back from that. "The Tactix did a terrific job last week but I thought we let ourselves down and I thought we probably learnt a lot from last week and put it into this week." Mystics Peta Toeava (L) with Pulse's Fa'amu Ioane. Photo: Marty Melville / Photosport The Mystics were without import shooter Donnell Wallam for the game against the Tactix, with the Australian Diamond injuring her wrist near the end of their round three game. There were doubts about how the Mystics would fair without their strike shooter again. They were also without defender Holly Rae on Sunday, due to illness. "Sometimes you've got nothing to lose right, I'm not sure if people would have expected us to even win this game so sometimes you play with a bit more freedom." The Mystics led 15-11 after the first quarter and were able to block out the noise generated by the Pulse home crowd. Wright said the Pulse have done a lot of damage to teams in the first quarter and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen. "They've ripped people apart early and we knew that if we could hang with them you at least give yourself a shot and I thought we did a nice job in the first quarter." After getting 17 minutes against the Tactix in her first ANZ Premiership game, rookie Sophia Lafaiali'i started the game against the Pulse and put up an incredible 45 shots at 98 percent accuracy. Lafaiali'i is one of the Mystics apprentice training partners, who generally come to training once a week. "It's just straight out amazing isn't it, she did a great job and sometimes I think you've got no fear, you come out and you just play ... because we weren't sure how it was going to go and she did a terrific job and hence why we left her out there," Wright said. At over 6 foot, Lafaiali'i was a great target and never wavered from her holding game, despite coming up against Silver Ferns goal keep Kelly Jackson. Donnell Wallam Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Mystics Goal keep Catherine Hall put plenty of pressure on Amelia Walmsley, who shot 38 goals at 100 percent. The Mystics were so solid across the entire court that no substitutions were made at all, which is quite a rare thing now. The Mystics won the second quarter by a whopping 21-13, thanks in part to Filda Vui nailing three super shots. The experienced goal attack proved a handful for the Pulse and has fast become one of the most dangerous two-point shooters in the competition. Lafaiali'i then put the icing on the cake with a Super Shot on the buzzer and the Mystics led 36-24 at half-time. The Pulse would chip back a few goals in the second half but the Mystics always responded with a run of their own. The Mystics now have a four-game winning streak over the Pulse, including of course last year's grand final when they pipped them by one goal. Wright said Wallam was likely to be a couple of weeks off a return. "She's back doing some modified training so probably at least another couple of weeks I would suggest." The Mystics are hoping Rae will be back next week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- 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.
