Latest news with #RobynBroughtonLegacyTrophy
Scoop
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Pulse Rock Steel With Big Win In Invercargill
Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse finished with a flourish to retain the Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy after posting an impressive 70-45 win over the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in Invercargill on Sunday. Honouring the legacy of the late Robyn Broughton, who coached both teams during her long career, the Pulse defused a resurgent third quarter revival from the Steel to stamp their overall dominance with a withering 18-5 fourth quarter burst. Playing at their spiritual home of Invercargill for the first time this season, the Steel have shown promising signs in returning to their form of old but apart from winning the third quarter 21-14 were largely outclassed by a slick Pulse team. In registering their highest winning score since 2018, the Pulse dominated across the court, with all in yellow-and-black executing their roles with authority and efficiency. In a consummate team performance, shooter Amelia Walmsley was the key target and rock under the Pulse hoop when converting 50 goals from 51 attempts, to crack her second half-century of the season. The Steel welcomed Abby Lawson back from injury and into the starter's bib at goal defence while on-going injury ruled midcourter Kate Heffernan out for a fourth straight week. The Pulse called on a growing settled line-up with midcourters Whitney Souness and Maddy Gordon gathering increased playing minutes in the lead-up. With enticing match-ups littered across the court, it was the Pulse who settled quickest, seamlessly finding their attacking flow and defensive prowess in the opening minutes to rock the Steel. The visitors' back four of Kelly Jackson, Parris Mason, Fa'amu Ioane and Gordon produced an effective wall to cause disconnect and turnover opportunities in the Steel attack line. Dominating the midcourt, Gordon and Souness found perfect positioning for the feed while play-making goal attack Tiana Metuarau's vision provided on-point long-range ball into the accurate shooting hands of Walmsley. A ballooning scoreline prompted a tactical timeout and rearranged midcourt for the home side who had plenty of work in front of them when trailing 19-7 at the first break. Another quick start when scoring the first three goals on the resumption, the Pulse were briefly stalled by a more determined defensive effort from the home side. Rangy defenders Lawson and Kate Lloyd made the Pulse shooters work harder for their keep while on attack the Steel were able to get more ball into the hands of key strike weapon Aliyah Dunn under the hoop. But the Pulse responded with a five-goal unanswered run to double their first quarter lead when bolting into the main break with a 38-19 advantage, spearheaded by a faultless 27 from 27 return from Walmsley. The only option for the Steel was to keep plugging away and that's exactly what they did during a heartening third stanza response which got the crowd on its feet. Finding better flow on attack through Kimiora Poi and Serina Daunakamakama, effective ball placement and positioning provided more opportunities for Dunn while the defensive efforts of Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa and Carys Stythe handed vital turnover ball into the home team's hands. Two super shots by Georgia Heffernan and one to Dunn galvanised the Steel's efforts while their lift rattled the Pulse enough to cause several turnovers. Metuarau settled the visitors with her fourth super shot of the match on the buzzer to help the Pulse retain their edge when heading into the last break with a handy 52-40 lead.
Otago Daily Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Steel crumble in bitter 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.
Otago Daily Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Positive vibes for Steel: Heffernan
It feels like Georgia Heffernan has a rejuvenated energy this season. The Southern Steel goal attack has carried a heavy workload through a couple of tough seasons for the franchise, but this year things are looking up. The Steel have two losses — the latest by one point against the Northern Mystics in Dunedin on Monday — and one win, but are playing some great netball. That joy is evident from the beaming smile on Heffernan's face, even after a loss. "We're absolutely loving this year," Heffernan said. "We're all really happy, and we're all having a lot of fun in this environment, learning a lot. "We just clicked straight away ... I think it's showing on the court that we're a really happy, connected team." Heffernan was relishing the chance to play alongside Aliyah Dunn — "she can take such a huge load and she's so supportive" — and the depth in their midcourt courtesy of Kimiora Poi. Seeing Poi and Serina Daunakamakama take the reins when Heffernan's sister, Kate, was ruled out with injury had been pleasing. "It was great that they've stepped up when Kate went down," Heffernan said. "Having Kimi's been amazing. She's just come in, and been such a leader, and we absolutely love having her down here." Knowing others could carry the load through the middle helped take some of the pressure off Heffernan. "Last year at times I got into help-out mode, and I was just trying to help everyone and I was sometimes making it worse. "But I think now I can just focus on my role and just try to nail that. "There's been moments where I'm doing that in the first games, but it's just consistency that I want to work towards." Heffernan has always had a silky smooth shot from out wide, but that has been taken to another level with the introduction of the two-point shot. "I'm stoked about how it's bringing the long shot back into the game. It's such a tactical game. "I love it on our team because Summer [Temu], Aliyah and me, we can all take it — so it's not just on me." The Steel had a 55-54 loss to the Mystics in round three, a game that Heffernan was "absolutely gutted" to lose. "We showed that we could've won that ... but we kind of did it to ourselves." But she vowed the Steel would be keyed up for their first Invercargill home game against the Central Pulse tomorrow afternoon. The Mystics had been a good test ahead of the Pulse, and there was plenty the Steel could improve on from Monday's game, she said. "At times we kind of lost trust in each other and that's exactly what the Pulse will try do. "They'll try man-on defence ... and ride us for the whole 60 minutes. "We have to be prepared for that, but know that we have to trust each other and just do our own jobs." The Robyn Broughton Legacy Trophy will be on the line when the Steel meet the Pulse in tomorrow's game. ANZ Premiership Tomorrow, Invercargill, 4pm Southern Steel: Aliyah Dunn, Georgia Heffernan, Summer Temu, Serina Daunakamakama, Kimiora Poi, Renee Savai'inaea, Carys Stythe, Abby Lawson, Khayne-Lii Munro-Nonoa. Central Pulse: Amelia Walmsley, Amorangi Malesala, Tiana Metuarau, Gabi Simpson, Whitney Souness, Maddy Gordon, Ainsleyana Puleiata, Fa'amu Ioane, Parris Mason, Laura Balmer, Kelly Jackson.
Otago Daily Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
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.
