Latest news with #DonnaWilkins
Scoop
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Tactix Eye Sold-Out Home Game Against Mystics
North Canterbury is set to host a sold-out, top-of-the-table clash between the Tactix and Mystics as both sides fight to remain at the top of ANZ Premiership leaderboard. Sitting in first place, the Northern Mystics will be looking to secure a fourth season win, while the VIP Frame and Trusses Tactix look to harness their home advantage, when the teams meet at MainPower Stadium in Rangiora on Saturday. After two close back-to-back North Island challenges, the sold-out MainPower game has come at the perfect time in the season for Tactix head coach Donna Wilkins. 'The first few weeks have been tough, but we have had a good start to the season and we are ready to be back in front of our local crowd, we have missed the cheering Tactix fans!' Wilkins said. In training, the Tactix have been working on correcting in-game errors, with Wilkins pushing her team to fight hard for intercepts and protect ball possession, especially in the midcourt. 'We let the Magic get on top of us in errors last week, but to come away with the tight win - we know that when the pressure is on, we can pull back the game,' she said. With fewer games and new rules to adopt, Wilkins believes the new-look ANZ Premiership has proven that any team can walk away with a win. 'Each week, we have to bring our A-game, no win is guaranteed and when we look at the premiership leaderboard, there have been numerous close games and blow outs,' she said. The Mystics remain unbeaten in the 2025 competition, with shooter Donnell Wallam top point scorer, and top 2-pointer shooter; a challenge the Tactix are excited to meet head on. Fans can expect a strong defensive response, with Tactix vice-captain Karin Burger and international alumni Jane Watson demonstrating against the Stars, that they are adapting week-on-week to the fast and physical demands of the extended goal circle. 'With the change up with the 2-point rule for defence, we are now looking at forcing errors and getting rebounds but we will still have to get out (on the court) and fight for the ball and fight for the intercepts,' Burger said. A full Tactix squad is available to play in Rangiora, with captain Erikana Pedersen match fit after a preseason leg injury. While this week's clash has sold-out, there is coverage on TVNZ+ and Sky Sport delayed, while tickets for the Tactix v Pulse in Round 6 at Wolfbrook Arena 15 June are available via Ticketmaster.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
No Rest For The Tactix Ahead Of Round Three
Following the emphatic Round 2 loss, the VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix have shifted focus to fixing key game aspects before taking on the Avis Magic in Hamilton on Sunday. After a Round 2 loss to the Stars, Head Coach Donna Wilkins has put her squad to work, knowing the northern rival cannot be underestimated, with the side expected to fight for Round 3 redemption. 'We know what it is like after a loss, but they are going to be back at home with their home crowd, so we have to follow our game plan and hopefully come out with the win,' Wilkins said. The leader has faith in her squad, and is choosing not to dwell on the loss to the Stars. 'We clawed back to within two points in the final minutes of the game, and we are still sitting in second place in the Premiership, it isn't all doom and gloom,' Wilkins said. Reflecting on the team's shortcomings in Round 2, Wilkins is calling for better ball possession and a stronger effort from defenders in securing rebounds. 'We had enough possession in the game to win it, but we didn't look after our possession, which is an easy fix and we are working on it this week,' she said. The Tactix and Magic have a long playing history, having met 42 times since 2008 with the Magic winning 25, the Tactix winning 16 including all matches (bar one) since 2022. The red and black side are eager to clinch a win but Tactix vice captain Karin Burger knows the Magic cannot be underestimated, after they took a 51-49 win over the Tactix in the penultimate round of the 2024 ANZ Premiership. 'With a short competition, we don't have time to muck around and we can fix aspects of the game asap because the Magic will be hurting after their loss, so I expect they will come out fighting,' Burger said. The 2-point rule has transformed aspects of the game, with the world-class defender adapting her game to forcing errors and getting rebounds, after the Stars got 100% of rebounds from the lucrative 2-point shot. 'We learn a lot from a loss, and now we know what we have to work harder to achieve. We will learn from the loss and fix the little things - which is really exciting, because when we do, we are going to have a really great game!'
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Tactix Fend Off Gritty Steel To Claim First-up Win
11 May 2025 Former Silver Fern Donna Wilkins launched her elite level coaching career in the best possible fashion after steering VIP Frames and Trusses Tactix to a 57-50 win over a dogged Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in Christchurch on Sunday. Honouring the memory of the late Kelly Hutton, who passed away in 2023 from ovarian cancer, and her sister Megan Hutton, both former Canterbury representative with Megan also playing for the Steel, the Hutton Family Trophy was on the line for the first time. Taking time to find their feet, the Tactix took charge in the second half of the southern derby with more impetus on attack through their young midcourt pairing of Holly Mather and Parris Petera, a lively defensive contribution from Jane Watson and sure shooting from Martina Salmon. With the game delicately poised and the Tactix leading 42-41 at the last break it was still anyone's game, the Tactix making a telling push to forge a handy lead in the run home. With key Steel midcourter Kate Heffernan ruled out with injury and assistant coach Liana Leota named on the bench as cover, and shooter Aliyah Dunn, despite being sidelined for two minutes after dangerous play in the final quarter, but coming back to nail two two-pointers, the southerners remained well in the frame throughout. The young Steel team made a great fist of challenging the Tactix, whose greater experience proved decisive in the end. Respective goal shoots, Ellie Bird for the home side and Dunn, in her 100th national league match, suiting up in her hometown colours against her old team, were key figures through the first stanza with both returning blemish-free returns from one-point range. Neither side had any luck from the two-point arc, the new rule coming into play for the final five minutes of each quarter of matches this season, the Tactix making the most of their extra opportunities to head into the first break with a 14-10 lead. They were out of the blocks quickly on the resumption, scoring the first three goals before the Steel surged back into contention. With rangy new signing Carys Stythe making Bird earn her goals, the long reach of the defender, who made the move south during the off-season, grabbed a series of clutch turnover ball. With five goals on the trot, the Steel grew in confidence through their effective defensive pressure and sure flow through court, the experience of Kimiora Poi and rising young midcourter Serina Daunakamakama having a healthy impact. Drawing level 10 minutes in, Steel goal attack Georgia Heffernan nailed two super shots to nudge the visitors into a 27-26 halftime lead. A revelation last season, Salmon was injected into the game for the Tactix for the second half alongside wing attack Petera as the teams went goal-for goal throughout a close contest, the shooter going on to have a telling impact. Crack defender Watson got some classic turnovers under the Steel hoop as the Tactix flexed their collective muscle, Salmon adding to the home team's impetus with a third quarter two-pointer to push their buffer out to five. In a tale for the ages, 40-year-old Steel assistant coach Leota was injected in at wing attack for the visitors for her 211th national league match after playing for several New Zealand and England franchises during a decorated career. Her presence had the desired result, helping the Steel make another concerted push, a two-pointer from Dunn leaving the match on a knife-edge when the Tactix took a 42-41 lead into the last turn.
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Netball's radical change is a long shot, but it could change the game forever
What to expect from the super shot Don't expect miracles, but be prepared for surprises. Since its 2020 debut across the ditch, the super shot has delivered mixed results – sometimes flipping games in the final five minutes, other times fuelling lopsided scorelines. Accuracy continues to be a sticking point. In last season's Super Netball league, 54% of the super shots found the net. Though that's increased from about 51% in the rule's first year. 'We know they're going to miss as many as they're going to get,' new Tactix head coach Donna Wilkins says of the shooters in the ANZ Premiership. Sunshine Coast Lightning goal attack Steph Fretwell (nee Wood) leads the super shot count four rounds into this year's SSN league, with 16 goals from 29 attempts. Swifts' English international Helen Housby boasts the best accuracy – sinking 66% of her 21 shots, contributing to her team's 61% success. A University of the Sunshine Coast study on the effect the super shot has on a team's technical and tactical performance showed winning teams score at a higher rate – and sink more super shots – than losing teams in the 'Power 5″ period. Across the 2023 season, goal conversion fell by 7% with missed two-pointers leading to more turnovers. And sports scientists at Deakin University found nine out of 10 goals were still shot from inside 3m of the goalpost, and the rate of scoring slowed down when teams passed the ball around the circle more to get their shooter into the super shot zone. 'When you look at Australia, they don't use it as much as you'd think,' says Pulse defender Kelly Jackson. 'They're only putting up 10 shots a game on average, and their zone is half a metre closer than ours.' Look out for players you don't usually see inside the circle moving in for the five-minute period. Players such as Peta Toeava, one of the game's greatest feeders, who also possesses a mean long shot. She's been trialled at goal attack for the super shot in pre-season games with encouraging results. 'Everyone knows the impact Peta can make when she's playing,' Mystics coach Tia Winikerei says. 'It's given us an opportunity to explore that with her. When it happens, if it happens… we always play it as we see it. But we know what's possible after trialling a few things in preseason.' Why the Kiwi super shot is tougher than the Aussie's The two-point scoring zone in the ANZ Premiership (to be called the Summerset Super Shot) is narrower – and further from the post – than the Australian version. Their zone is 3m from the goal, out to the 4.9m traditional circle edge, while New Zealand has gone for a 3.5m distance from the post, in line with the Fast5 two-point zone. Netball NZ consulted players and coaching staff on what they wanted. 'I'm a fan of it,' Mystics coach Tia Winikerei says. 'Three metres is really a midrange shot. I think 3.5m makes it a specialist gig. You must be on-point to be successful from that long range consistently.' New Mystics goal shoot Donnell Wallam, fresh from three seasons with the Queensland Firebirds, says it makes a 'huge difference' having the zone half a metre further away. 'When I'm shooting in the two-point zone here, it's such a longer shot compared to SSN, which is more of a midrange shot. So it's been challenging for me to adjust to,' says the 1.93m Wallam, who's happy shooting from range. Magic captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio expects to thrive under the new rule. 'The stakes are higher, and the reward is greater,' she says. 'It's always been a strength of mine shooting from distance, so this is an exciting opportunity for me.' From a shooter's view Ekenasio has been an advocate of the two-point shot for a few seasons, which makes obvious sense when you're the country's best long-range shooter. 'It's a shooter's dream to be rewarded for the long shots,' the 34-year-old says. 'It's changed the game in ways I didn't realise it could; it's totally opened up the court. We've become so used to seeing teams just feed a tall shooter, who bangs it in, but the two-point shot really opens that up. 'But it's a lot to get your head around. When is the right time to use it? Are you in the right position? What's happening on the scoreboard?' Maia Wilson, in her ninth season heading the Stars shooting end, has seen how the super shot can turn a game on its head. In a pre-season clash with the Magic, the Stars took a nine-goal lead into the final quarter, and drew. 'I'm very much a netball traditionalist, but this is engaging and exciting. And hopefully it gets more bums on seats,' Wilson says. 'I enjoy the game IQ of netball, understanding the strategies. And this is challenging me to look at the structure of the game differently. 'Like understanding the momentum. Look at Fast5, and the importance of ticking over the ones instead of bombing in the twos and missing. If you're in front, keep the score ticking over, but if you're on the spot, put it up. You just don't want to go overboard with [the super shot].' Wilson, who will pair up with Monica Falkner and Australian Charlie Bell (who has super shot experience), stresses the importance of having two shooters willing to put up long shots. 'I've been shooting them – not too badly to be honest. I wouldn't say I'm Ameliaranne, who has the most beautiful high arc shot. But when you have nothing to lose, why not give it a crack?' Wallam's experience playing the super shot will be a bonus to the Mystics side, left with a chasm to fill after Grace Nweke departed for Australia. 'I'm a big fan of the super shot,' Wallam says. 'It brings the crowd into the game, and lifts the energy when it goes in. 'It also adds extra pressure in the circle. You see a lot of defenders in the first 10 minutes of the quarter pushing the shooters out, and in the last five, they're pushing them closer to the hoop away from that two-point zone, which is quite unnatural for them. 'Thank god I'm not a defender, because it's so hard to defend.' A disadvantage Wallam sees is two in-form shooters on a roll in the super shot blowing out the scoreline. 'But I think the competition is so even this season that we'll see a lot of close games,' she says. From a defender's angle Kelly Jackson, the 2024 Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award winner, reckons you have to be 'a mind reader' to figure out how to defend the super shot. 'It adds a huge element of problem solving to the game, and having to think on your toes,' she says. The conundrum it presents is whether one defender goes out to the zone to block the shot, or whether both circle defenders wait under the post to claim the rebound. Most teams LockerRoom spoke to agreed it was a challenge knowing exactly how to defend it. 'It's about trying to always be one step ahead, and closing down the space they want to shoot from. In a lot of situations, they're still going to go for the one point,' Jackson says. The Pulse went to Sydney to play the Giants, whose long-range impact shooter Matisse Letherbarrow is among the best in the league. 'We picked their brains around their super shot strategies, and it was pretty evident they'd played it for a few more years than us,' says Jackson. 'It's taking us a little while to get used to.' Winikerei believes defenders are finding it harder to adapt to the new rule. 'Attackers are used to being creative with the ball,' she says. 'Our defenders have to play according to our game plan, but continue to disrupt both areas of the circle. To just give up one point may not be the best strategy at the time, there are so many variables. It's hard.' The long bomb can also create more opportunities for defenders to take intercepts. Former Silver Fern defender and coach Yvonne Willering predicts we'll see more passing to get the shooter in the best position for a super shot. 'Now do we really want players passing the ball around that much in the circle? That's a concern, because that can create more intercepts,' she says. 'We have a bad habit in New Zealand netball – when shooters first get the ball in the circle, they pass it out again trying to get closer to the post. Hopefully the super shot will encourage them to at least turn to the post first.' From a coach's perspective Getting the message to shooters – and defenders – in the heat of the two-point period isn't easy, Donna Wilkins says. In another change this season, coaches can stand in a box in front of their team bench for more 'direct engagement and strategic communication' during the game. But Wilkins hopes her players have the confidence to make the call themselves. 'It's understanding the moment. You can yell at them, or you can train them for it, but ultimately it comes down to their decision,' she says. 'If we practice it enough, we've got to trust they're going to make the right call in the moment. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. 'We're lucky we have Martina [Salmon] and Te Paea [Selby-Rickit] who can shoot long, and even [goal shoot] Ellie Bird is getting a bit of range out there in training. 'There will be a lot of mind games going on this season. And it will be interesting to see how different teams defend the super shot, or will they just play like normal, and not read too much into it?' New Steel head coach Wendy Frew has also been encouraging her shooters to think for themselves. 'If they're on, they should have a go and back themselves. But with 10s to go in the game, I'm sure there will be a few messages from the bench,' she says. 'We're still learning how we can defend it. But you could also get technical and see what other people are telling their team to do, too. 'It's adds a pretty exciting element to the game.' No go for world netball After the SSN 'trial', World Netball considered allowing the super shot at its last rules review in 2023, but decided to retain the traditional one-point rule in the international game. Rules are reviewed every four years by the rules advisory panel (which includes New Zealanders Wai Taumaunu and Jono Bredin). And it's likely to be considered again in 2027, with two more of the world's top netball nations employing it. But Willering says she can't see the two-point shot being adopted for test netball in the near future. 'The traditional game won't change. We already have super shots in Fast5, and that's fine,' she says. 'It was introduced as an addition to the SSN for a point of difference, for the audience and commercial reasons, and to start making shooters look longer. And I think that's worked.' With netball desperate to become an Olympic sport at the 2032 Brisbane Games, it's likely the super shot will be part of the push, but in a more razzamatazz game like Fast5.
Otago Daily Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Wilkins acknowledges Broughton's influence as opener looms
Donna Wilkins. Photo: Luisa Girao Mainland Tactix coach Donna Wilkins reckons her late mentor would be having a wee giggle this week. Wilkins was a key player in the Robyn Broughton era at the Southern Steel - and the Southern Sting - and the Central Pulse, as was her sidekick, Tactix assistant Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit. The duo will come up against their good friends and former team-mates, new Steel coach Wendy Frew and assistant Liana Leota, in their ANZ Premiership opener on Sunday. There are Broughton influences everywhere you look this season. Northern Stars coach Temepara Bailey and assistant Leana de Bruin also spent time under her. ''She's probably looking down on us thinking 'what are you all doing? Have you not got a life outside of netball - you're all still there','' Wilkins laughed. ''I'm sure she'd be having a wee giggle, but also really proud. ''There's a huge influence right throughout the country in netball with us giving back and I think that's what it's about. ''A lot of us have been coached for a number of years from Robbie and just giving back, and sharing her passion and knowledge a wee bit. ''A lot of our drills have come from the days of back under her guidance... it's always one of Robbie's, or we adapt something, which is really neat.'' Wilkins, who steps up to Tactix head coach after being a specialist coach for the past three years and replaces Marianne Delaney-Hoshek, was happy with where her side was at after five preseason games. ''There's always room for improvements, but I think they're ready now. ''There's only so much of preseason that you can mentally handle and I know that from being a player as well. ''You just want to get that first game under your belt and this season is no different.'' Every game counts this season with the competition cut back from three rounds to two, and Wilkins was thrilled they could open their campaign at home. ''With the shorter season, and only having 10 games, it makes a home-court advantage really, really important.'' Wilkins, who relocated from Southland to Canterbury for the Tactix, said she was ''quite pleased'' her first game as head coach was against the Steel. She and Frew had been sounding boards for each other stepping into their new roles. ''It's quite funny. Wendy and I have been laughing on the phone about it. ''We've kept in close contact throughout... and helping each other a wee bit, which is nice. ''We're all in there for the same goal of helping netball grow and being the best we can be. ''Looking forward to going up against Wendy - not so much looking forward to the fact most of her relatives are coming.'' The inaugural Hutton Family Trophy will also be on the line, honouring former Sting player Megan Hutton and her sister, Canterbury Flame Kelly, who died of ovarian cancer in 2023. The trophy with be contested between the two South Island teams throughout the season.
