Latest news with #AmeliaranneEkenasio
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Netball wrap: Can Mystics survive loss of shooter in shortened season?
The Magic beat the Stars in Hamilton. Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga The Magic kept their ANZ Premiership season alive in emphatic fashion after beating the Stars 72-51 in a must-win game in Hamilton on Monday. Coming into the game, the Magic had the worst attacking record of all the teams but Silver Ferns shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio and Saviour Tui enjoyed their best outing by far. Searching for their first win of the season, the Magic led 17-14 after the first quarter thanks to slick work in feeding the ball into their shooting end. At half time the Magic led 33-25 over the Stars. The Stars came out strong in the second half and forced the Magic into a team time-out when they got within two goals. But the Magic finished strongly and led by seven going into the final spell. Magic shooter Saviour Tui was a stand-out with 56 goals. Magic defender Georgia Tong said letting go of the pressure they put on themselves worked in their favour last night. "That's what we were doing to ourselves at the beginning of the season, the fact that it is a short season and that we were a team that had been together for a while we felt that we had all this pressure on us so I think we finally let go of that pressure and we were able to play freely," Tong said. The Tactix sit at the top of the ladder after four rounds, just ahead of the Pulse. Donnell Wallam Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Australian import shooter Donnell Wallam could be out for a few weeks with a wrist injury according to Mystics assistant coach Rob Wright. Wallam, who injured her wrist in round three, will know more after seeing a specialist this week but the Mystics will be keen to get their strike shooter back as soon as possible. The Mystics missed her when they lost to the Tactix 61-50 in Rangiora on Saturday. Last year former Mystics shooter Grace Nweke was out of action for a few weeks after injuring her knee. Without her, the Mystics dropped down the ladder but managed to hold on to the crucial third spot to get into the elimination final and Nweke returned for the business end of the competition, which they went on to win. Mystics captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson said they were no strangers to having to adapt to losing a key player. "It does give us confidence, we have been here before, we make sure that we train all our combinations every time we train so it's nothing new for us," said Sokolich-Beatson. But with the season cut from three rounds to two, it will be a race against time to get Wallam back on court. Wing attack Peta Toeava played goal attack again for a few minutes of the final quarter on the weekend. Sophia Lafaiali'i got her ANZ Premiership debut, playing 17 minutes at goal shoot for the Mystics and at over six foot provided a nice target. Georgie Edgecombe (right) Photo: Photosport Magic midcourter Georgie Edgecombe has been the most consistent performer in a team that only started hitting its straps last night. The 24-year-old has shown explosiveness off the mark and an ability to cover a lot of ground to win ball for her side at wing defence. The Pulse circle defence pairing of Kelly Jackson and Parris Mason are again proving to be the best in the competition as they make life difficult for shooters. That was highlighted big time when they beat the Southern Steel 70-45 in Invercargill on Sunday and restricted Aliyah Dunn to just 24 goals. Pulse player Amelia Walmsley is consolidating herself as a strong high volume goal shooter, and converted 50 goals from 51 attempts on the weekend - her second half-century of the season. After four rounds, Walmsley is the top goal scorer of the competition and her accuracy is superb at 95 percent. Tactix shooter Ellie Bird seems to have picked up where she left off last year, and is putting up high volumes when she's on court. The Tactix defensive duo of Karin Burger and Jane Watson were a little quiet by their standards at the start of the season but the pair have improved, with Burger in particular starting to win a lot of ball. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Netball: Players Association finds solution to Silver Ferns, Grace Nweke, ANZ Premiership conundrum
The New Zealand Netball Players Association believes it has found a way to solve the Silver Ferns' eligibility conundrum. Silver Ferns skipper Ameliaranne Ekenasio and veteran defender Kelly Jackson have both suggested test eligibility rules should change to allow them to play overseas, but there is concern the exit of top talent would cripple the ANZ Premiership. Currently, athletes must play club netball in New Zealand to represent the Ferns. Goal shoot Grace Nweke is ineligible after shifting to the New South Wales Swifts in Australia's Super Netball, but calls are rising for her to receive an exemption. The Players Association is proposing moving Aotearoa's domestic competition to before or after Australia's Super Netball and allowing the country's top players to compete in both. There is currently plenty of room on the calendar. The shortened two-round ANZ Premiership only runs from May to July, while Super Netball is from April to August. The international window is from September to November. There is often a January test series, but neither New Zealand nor Australia were invited to England's Nations Cup this year.
RNZ News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Netball: 'Humbling reality check' as Magic succumb to Pulse
Amelia Walmsley of the Pulse during the ANZ Premiership match against the Magic. Photo: Photosport The two-point shot was not enough for the Magic to beat an impressive Pulse in the opening game of the ANZ Premiership. Last year's beaten finalists inflicted a 57-44 win over the Magic in Palmerston North. The Magic, who are touted by many as finals contenders this year, were blindsided in the first quarter when they were outscored 15-6 by the home side. The Magic netted four two-pointers in the final quarter but it wasn't enough to close the gap. It took until three minutes before half-time for the first super shot of the competition to be converted under the new 2-point rule. Unsurprisingly it was Silver Ferns captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio, who finished with five out of seven attempts for the Magic. Fellow Magic shooter Saviour Tui, who shared court-time with Kate Taylor, converted two of her 10 attempts. Pulse injury replacement player Amorangi Malesala scored four from six, and was injected during the last five minutes of each quarter, when the double scoring zone comes in to play. Pulse captain Kelly Jackson said they were lucky to have the clutch shooter. "Amorangi is a huge asset to our team and thankful that we've been able to bring in someone with such experience and confidence out wide and she just complements our game style really well," Jackson said. The Magic were better in the second quarter but the Pulse led 28-19 at half-time. The first game also saw the first suspension of the competition, with Fa'amu Ioane sent to the sideline for two minutes for dangerous play late in the third quarter. But the Pulse had another big quarter, winning it 17-10. Maddy Gordon in action. Photo: Photosport The Magic won the final quarter 15-12 off the back of Ekenasio nailing double pointers. Jackson was glad her side had a big buffer. "At the back of our minds we knew that those shots are Ameliaranne's strengths and it was a focus of ours to be able to just continue to put up the ones and keep the scoreboard ticking over because we know they are a team that can hunt down a scoreline," Jackson said. Ekenasio summed her side's performance up. "We just weren't good enough, we didn't really show up, we prepped really well, so disappointed in what we put out in comparison to what we've been consistently putting out in training every week. We'll go back and we'll train hard and really take on the next game, I think it's a real humbling reality check for us," Ekenasio said. "Have to give it to Pulse, they are always a quality team and that's what we were expecting, however we definitely did this one to ourselves, we didn't really take on the game right from the start." Jackson was very happy with their start to the season but not surprised. "I think we more so surprised everyone else. We have had a very unsettled pre-season with various injuries and illnesses but the best thing about our environment is that when the going gets tough, the tough get going and we work our way through it," Jackson said. Australian netballer Gabi Simpson also provided injury cover for the Pulse and was impressive in her three-quarters at centre. Jackson said it was hard to believe that she had not played netball since 2023. "It's pretty crazy, no one would believe that ... last week was her first netball training in a long time. It just shows how much experience she has and she just loves the sport so we're very thankful that she's been able to come in and help us out for a few weeks. "She's been loving it, she's missed netball so it's just great to see her playing with so much joy." In promising signs for the Pulse, Maddy Gordon and Whitney Souness both got significant court time, as they near full fitness. "One of the very few games this year where we've had nearly everyone available but having both Maddy and Whitney available is huge for us." Pulse shooter Amelia Walmsley had a very solid outing, putting up 39 goals at 95 percent accuracy. The Pulse defensive work was excellent, with Parris Mason nabbing lots of intercepts. Pulse goal attack Tiana Metuarau clocked up a remarkable 100 games for the Pulse and cleverly worked the ball into Walmsley. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
ANZ Premership: Pulse sting Magic 57-44
Amelia Walmsley of the Pulse, during the ANZ Premiership match against the Magic. Photo: Photosport The Pulse have won the opening game of the ANZ Premiership with a comprehensive 57-44 win over the Magic. They outscored the Magic 15-6 in the first quarter of the game on Saturday, which did most of the damage. Magic captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio scored a number of super shots under the new 2-point rule, but it wasn't enough to close the gap. Relive the game, with RNZ's live blog:
Scoop
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Pulse Take Statement Win In ANZ Premiership Season Opener
Saturday, 10 May 2025, 6:55 pm Press Release: ANZ Premiership Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse have set the competition on notice with a slick first up performance to open their ANZ Premiership campaign with a dominant win over AVIS Magic. Fast out of the blocks, the Pulse built on a commanding opening quarter for a 57-44 victory at Fly Palmy Arena on Saturday. In a match that produced everything, Magic captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio made Premiership history in landing the game's first Super Shot, Pulse coach Anna Andrews-Tasola used the coach's box while both teams used the new tactical timeouts. Pulse midcourter Fa'amu Ioane was also suspended for two minutes late in the third spell for dangerous play. The Summerset Super Shot was highly anticipated in the opening round, and it took some time for both teams to take advantage of the higher scoring zone – Andrews-Tasola perhaps showing a superior strategy by injecting long range specialist Amorangi Malesala during the last five minutes of each quarter to land four two-pointers. A flurry of Super Shots in the fourth quarter certainly closed the gap as the Magic netted four two-pointers in an impressive last-ditch effort to stop the Pulse. Equally as impressive was the Pulse's defensive showing as they stamped their mark on the match at their first opportunity, forcing Magic to shoot long and earning the turnover as they raced out to a 3-0 lead. Playing in her 100th game in Pulse colours, Tiana Metuarau helped marshal the attacking unit against an experienced Magic defence and combined well with both Whitney Souness and former Australian Diamond Gabi Simpson who was in her debut for the club. Little went right for the Magic as they struggled to find any rhythm on attack or stymie the flow of ball into Pulse shooter Amelia Walmsley who landed all 10 of her first quarter attempts. The Pulse were the first to make use of the new tactical timeouts introduced this year, coming in for a quick chat with just over three minutes remaining in the spell. The hosts transition from defence onto attack was also troublesome for the Magic who struggled with composure and went into the break trailing 6-15. Ekenasio called on for her Magic troops to step up and do the work in the second quarter and they made one change heading into the stanza with Kate Taylor replacing Saviour Tui at goal shooter. Malesala, who came on for Metuarau late in the first quarter, held her spot at goal attack as both teams traded goals early on. Personnel changes continued with Magic searching for an answer to shut down the Pulse's shooting dominance, Oceane Maihi injected into the game. At the other end of the court, goal defence Parris Mason built into the game and pulled in three intercepts in the second quarter, making the Magic work hard. Ekenasio made history in sinking the first Super Shot and when she netted a second one less than a minute later, the Magic closed a 10-goal deficit to six. But the hosts' relentless defensive pressure turned the screws yet again as they restored their lead to 28-19 at the main break. Andrews-Tasola went to her bench again with Maddy Gordon, returning from injury, replacing Souness and re-establishing links with Metuarau. Georgie Edgecombe showcased her speed when moving to centre as both she and Simpson set the midcourt alight. Malesala, who interchanged with Metaurau throughout the match, helped the hosts extend the lead with her first Super Shot as the Pulse turned into the final spell with a 45-29 lead. © Scoop Media
