Latest news with #KellyJackson
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
ANZ Premiership live updates: Pulse v Mystics
Mystics goal attack Dani Binks, left, lines up a shot under challenge from Pulse captain Kelly Jackson during the ANZ Premiership Grand Final. Photo: Marty Melville/Photosport The Pulse and Mystics are both gunning for outright top spot this weekend, as they are locked in a three way tie with the Tactix. Play starts at 7pm. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog:
RNZ News
01-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Netball: Pulse defence on display in big win in Steel territory
Pulse's Parris Mason (R) and Kelly Jackson (L) with Steel's Georgia Heffernan. Photo: Marty Melville The Pulse have the best defensive record in the ANZ Premiership and that was highlighted big time when they suffocated the Southern Steel 70-45 in Invercargill on Sunday. Playing at home in Invercargill for the first time this season, the Steel have shown promising signs in returning to their form of old but were largely outclassed. In registering their highest winning score since 2018, the Pulse dominated across the court and rocked the Steel early on. The circle defensive pairing of Kelly Jackson and Parris Mason, supported by wing defence Fa'amu Ioane and centre Maddy Gordon, stifled the Steel attacking line early. Goal shoot Aliyah Dunn has been impressive for the Steel, and sits second in the competition for goals scored. But Dunn was restricted to just 24 goals at 70 percent accuracy. A ballooning scoreline prompted a rearranged midcourt for the home side who had plenty of work in front of them when trailing 19-7 at the first break. Things blew out even more for the Steel, and they went into the main break trailing 38-19. Dunn was forced into several Super Shot attempts in an effort to close the gap but was only able to convert two out of 10. Pulse captain Kelly Jackson said they knew how dangerous Dunn could be. "We wanted to keep her ball in hand to a minimum, we know that she can really put away some big numbers so really happy with that," Jackson said. For the Pulse, Amelia Walmsley converted 50 goals from 51 attempts, to crack her second half-century of the season. Tiana Metuarau. Photo: Photosport Gordon and Whitney Souness dominated the midcourt, while play-making goal attack Tiana Metuarau's vision provided on-point long-range ball into the hands of Walmsley. Metuarau shot 15 goals, including five super shots. A third quarter revival from the Steel made things interesting with the home side winning the period 21-14. Two super shots by Georgia Heffernan and one to Dunn galvanised the Steel but Metuarau settled the visitors with a two-pointer on the buzzer. The Pulse headed into the last break with a handy 52-40 lead and then went on a 18-5 fourth quarter blitz. Jackson was pleased with every part of the court. "Everyone went out there and really nailed their own jobs and it makes it easier for everyone across the court when our roles are clear and we're executing them. When we had ball in hand we were in control and we were able to suffocate them defensively. "I think Amelia had a great game she was a great target and Tiana, and the midcourt fed them really well," Jackson said. An on-going injury ruled Steel midcourter Kate Heffernan out for a fourth straight week. The Pulse now sit second on the ladder, just behind the Tactix who have a bonus point. The Magic and Stars meet tonight in the final game of the fourth round.
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.
Scoop
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Keeping It Simple In Changing Landscape Key For Pulse
New rules aside, playing smart remains top of the list for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse when they kick-start this year's ANZ Premiership netball league against the Magic in Palmerston North on Saturday. With the introduction of the two-point shot, from 3.5m range, which will come into play for the last five minutes of each quarter, a coach's box, team timeouts and live umpire audio, the new dynamics have presented plenty of chatter in the lead-up. With the two-point shot being the major talking point, the spotlight has naturally fallen on the shooters but in essence, there is much that will also be different in the defensive ranks. For Kelly Jackson, Pulse captain and last line of defence, it's a welcome innovation. ``Defensively, I've been really enjoying the change,'' she said. ``It's added a bit of a problem-solving element to the game, trying to work out whether the shooters are going to want to go for the two points or the one point. ``It all depends on the time, the scoreboard and the personnel on court, so trying to think one step ahead of the shooters is important. ``Normally, our game plan has been to keep the shooters as far away from the post as possible. Now they want to be out wide, so it's about switching that thinking up. Shooting-wise, I think we've got some awesome long-range talent within the Pulse with Amorangi (Malesala) and Tiana (Metuarau) more than capable of sinking those twos, so I'm really excited to see them out there and see what we can do.'' While teams have had the pre-season to work on their strategies and the allure of going for the maximum shooting reward, there is an air of caution on the Pulse's approach. ``It's something we can't get over-excited about, we've still got to play some smart netball,'' Jackson said. ``It remains really important that we keep the scoreboard ticking over. What we've seen in the Australian league is that they're not always going for the two-point shot, they're being really smart about it and on average are only taking 10 long attempts a game and they're half a metre closer, so we can learn something from that and that's to keep the scoreboard ticking over.'' The Australian rule for the two-point shot is from 3m while in New Zealand it is from 3.5m range. With the league being scaled down from three rounds to two this year, there is little wriggle for early season lapses, the Pulse having extra incentive to add some gloss with play-making goal attack Metuarau set to celebrate her 100th match in yellow and black. Metuarau, 24, has played a total of 115 national League matches, reaching the century mark two years ago when becoming the youngest player to notch 100 games and first to reach the milestone across just one league. That tally includes 16 for the Steel after she ventured south in search of more game time in 2021 but the powerful and vibrant shooter will reach a special milestone in her home colours when running out in front of a sold-out Fly Palmy Arena on Saturday. ``It's a huge achievement,'' Jackson said. ``Many people forget how young she is, so to achieve it at such a young age is pretty incredible. She's been around a long time, got a huge amount of experience and with ball in hand, she's beautiful to watch.'' The Magic have consistency in their playing personnel which has continued to build in the last couple of years while growing in confidence as a group. ``We know we've got some really good match-ups across the court with them but we're also confident in our ability and what we can do,'' Jackson said. ``We've had a bit of disruption through the pre-season with illness and injury but we're very ready to go. The games are the fun part, and we're ready to rip. It's exciting and we just want to kick off the season on a really good foot.'' The match will be screened live and free on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
