Latest news with #TeWānangaoRaukawaPulse
Scoop
2 days ago
- 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.
Scoop
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scoop
Young Pulse Defender Ready To Crack On
From prominent schoolgirl talent, Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse defender Parris Mason has successfully come out the other side to present as a top-notch performer at the elite level in the ANZ Premiership netball league. In the Pulse system for five years, including going back to the National League for a season to hone her skills at goal defence after predominantly being a goalkeeper, the energetic Mason has unequivocally found her feet. Whether hustling, intercepting, deflecting, rebounding or carting the ball up-court, Mason is ever-present as she continues to highlight the emergence of the next generation of talented young defenders. Handed the starter's goal defence bib last season in her first year of getting solid minutes, the 22-year-old hasn't looked back, duly rewarded with a spot in the Silver Ferns, while also notching 50 games for the Pulse this season. "I was so young when I played my first game," she said. "I was 18, fresh out of high school and my body was definitely not developed to be an ANZ level player at that point. There's been huge growth in both physical and mental aspects of my life and the journey's been incredible. "I wouldn't change it for the world and I'm just stoked that I am at a place where I can compete at this level but also at the age of 18 to get that opportunity, I'll always be grateful for that as well." The Taranaki sisterhood has played its part with Mason thriving in the presence of having indomitable captain Kelly Jackson at her side in the defensive circle. "I always knew we were going to be able to get that connection going," Mason said. "There is something special between us, we're so much more connected than just netball….we're very grateful of our homes and appreciate our Taranaki upbringing so much, so I think that creates another bond off the court which just allows us to grow when we're on the court." The pair work seamlessly off each other as part of an effective and smothering Pulse defensive wall. Historically, the team have employed a more Australian one-on-one style of defence which has served them well but often draws on-going comment of their physicality from some observers. On that front, the statistics shed a lot of positive light. Currently, the Pulse sit in the bottom three teams for total number of penalties incurred, have just one player in the top 10 of the most penalised and are the best defensive team in the league. "It's a hard stigma to go through when we're described as a very physical team," Mason said. "I think every team throughout this level is actually very physical…... the game has become very physical. Over the years we have played a different style of netball compared to the other teams and from that respect we can be perceived as more physical because we are a lot more on the body. "We are that `man-on' kind of grind team but it is unfair sometimes being labelled as the physical team when everyone out there is so physically capable to deal with the physicality. "Every team is bringing that physicality at the moment and umpires are letting it go at the moment, so we'll just continue on. If that's how others perceive us, then that's not really going to faze us. "We know our values as a team and we don't instinctively go out to be like that, we go out there to play our game-play and whether-or-not, that is deemed physical by others, that's not really our problem." Bouncing back last week with an impressive win against the Stars, the Pulse have a difficult assignment when taking on the ever-improving Steel in Invercargill on Sunday. "You're always going to play an eighth player on the court when you've got an Invercargill crowd behind them, so it's going to be a really hard time down there," Mason said. "They've been producing some really good performances and building their connections. "We've just got to back ourselves when we go down there. We've got to be very internalised with how we stay connected as a team and make sure nothing is going to affect us once we get down there." With her prospects continuing to soar, Mason's is firmly focused on putting her best foot forward while striving for more. "Backing up your breakout year is always hard, so I just want to be able to produce a good 60 minutes week-in week-out and keep improving in all my basic foundations," she said. "My main goal is to make sure I can retain my spot in the Silver Ferns squad which is going to come off working really hard this season and putting out performances that are being noticed."
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Pulse Boosted By Return Of Souness
Press Release – Netball Central Zone Against the backdrop of a shortened season, players trickling back from injury has been a welcome boost for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and their expectations of a successful ANZ Premiership netball campaign. Refreshed and repaired after a lengthy lay-off following ankle surgery, sparkling midcourter Whitney Souness made a successful return when going on to play three quarters of last week's opening round match while adding to the Pulse's playing stocks for their clash against the Mystics in Auckland on Saturday. Speed, agility, deft footwork and pin-point feeds are all part of the pivot's trademark skills and after several months of inactivity, she was quickly back into her work, defying her time away but conscious of needing to raise the bar against a well-credentialled Mystics. Both teams had opening round wins. 'After their first game, they'll be on a high and seeing them play, they've got flair, speed and experience, so they'll be ready to play hard,'' Souness said of the impending clash. 'We've just got to stop them early, bring the intensity from the first whistle and really take off from the outset. 'It's going to be tough, it's going to be fast, it's going to be physical and they'll bring it but we'll bring it too.'' Injured when playing for the Silver Ferns in the second test of the Taini Jamison Trophy series against England last September, Souness eventually underwent a total ankle reconstruction to repair the two ligaments, one of which was hanging upside down. The mercurial little midcourter mirrored her on-court presence with immaculate timing through her five months of rehabbing. Having just two pre-season hit-outs for limited minutes in the two weeks preceding the opening round of the ANZ Premiership, the plan of being ready for Round 1 couldn't have worked out any better. 'I'm really grateful for all the support from our physios, coaches, trainers and team-mates to get me there,'' she said. 'I probably just started doing court stuff about five weeks ago and up until then had not done any. 'Getting rid of a few cobwebs was important in that first game and just getting used to playing netball at that intensity and that level again. It wasn't just about me having to find my feet back on the court but also finding my netball mind, that took a bit of adjusting. 'Because I've been loaded and managed for a bit on the court, I haven't been able to train fully some days but I'm back to normal now, so hopefully from here, with more game time and more full trainings, I'll find my full confidence and be able to just keep pushing.'' The down time has given Souness a complete mental and physical break from netball, from which she has returned refreshed and invigorated. Having started a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Samoan Studies, some years ago, she has returned to the books with relish, completing four elective papers during summer school. Souness has welcomed the injection of former Australian Diamond midcourter Gabi Simpson and shooter Amorangi Malesala, as temporary injury cover, both adding to a vibrant Pulse mix. 'Gabi just brings a different intensity that we're not used to, so it's really cool having her in the group, her experience, her speed and her netball head,'' Souness said. 'There's lots to learn from her and she's always got some good feedback that we can take in and improve from. She's bringing real of value to this group. 'Having Amorangi come in and have an opportunity to play is great for her and both she and Gabi did really well in our first game. They've been training hard, they really want to be here and they're making their mark.'' Souness was happy with how the Pulse adjusted to the new rules in the first round, particularly the two-point shot, expecting as time goes on with more practical game-time experience, there will be refinement according to what works best and what doesn't. The match will be screened live and free to air on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ at 4pm on Saturday.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scoop
Pulse Boosted By Return Of Souness
Against the backdrop of a shortened season, players trickling back from injury has been a welcome boost for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and their expectations of a successful ANZ Premiership netball campaign. Refreshed and repaired after a lengthy lay-off following ankle surgery, sparkling midcourter Whitney Souness made a successful return when going on to play three quarters of last week's opening round match while adding to the Pulse's playing stocks for their clash against the Mystics in Auckland on Saturday. Speed, agility, deft footwork and pin-point feeds are all part of the pivot's trademark skills and after several months of inactivity, she was quickly back into her work, defying her time away but conscious of needing to raise the bar against a well-credentialled Mystics. Both teams had opening round wins. ``After their first game, they'll be on a high and seeing them play, they've got flair, speed and experience, so they'll be ready to play hard,'' Souness said of the impending clash. ``We've just got to stop them early, bring the intensity from the first whistle and really take off from the outset. ``It's going to be tough, it's going to be fast, it's going to be physical and they'll bring it but we'll bring it too.'' Injured when playing for the Silver Ferns in the second test of the Taini Jamison Trophy series against England last September, Souness eventually underwent a total ankle reconstruction to repair the two ligaments, one of which was hanging upside down. The mercurial little midcourter mirrored her on-court presence with immaculate timing through her five months of rehabbing. Having just two pre-season hit-outs for limited minutes in the two weeks preceding the opening round of the ANZ Premiership, the plan of being ready for Round 1 couldn't have worked out any better. ``I'm really grateful for all the support from our physios, coaches, trainers and team-mates to get me there,'' she said. ``I probably just started doing court stuff about five weeks ago and up until then had not done any. ``Getting rid of a few cobwebs was important in that first game and just getting used to playing netball at that intensity and that level again. It wasn't just about me having to find my feet back on the court but also finding my netball mind, that took a bit of adjusting. ``Because I've been loaded and managed for a bit on the court, I haven't been able to train fully some days but I'm back to normal now, so hopefully from here, with more game time and more full trainings, I'll find my full confidence and be able to just keep pushing.'' The down time has given Souness a complete mental and physical break from netball, from which she has returned refreshed and invigorated. Having started a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Samoan Studies, some years ago, she has returned to the books with relish, completing four elective papers during summer school. Souness has welcomed the injection of former Australian Diamond midcourter Gabi Simpson and shooter Amorangi Malesala, as temporary injury cover, both adding to a vibrant Pulse mix. ``Gabi just brings a different intensity that we're not used to, so it's really cool having her in the group, her experience, her speed and her netball head,'' Souness said. ``There's lots to learn from her and she's always got some good feedback that we can take in and improve from. She's bringing real of value to this group. ``Having Amorangi come in and have an opportunity to play is great for her and both she and Gabi did really well in our first game. They've been training hard, they really want to be here and they're making their mark.'' Souness was happy with how the Pulse adjusted to the new rules in the first round, particularly the two-point shot, expecting as time goes on with more practical game-time experience, there will be refinement according to what works best and what doesn't. The match will be screened live and free to air on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ at 4pm on Saturday.
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
