Flames look for bullet-proof performance v Magic

Flames look for bullet-proof performance against Magic

The Ballantynes Canterbury Flames have already caused a rethink to the form guide of the National Bank Cup netball competition and are confident of further amendments when they meet Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic supported by Sleepyhead in Christchurch on Friday night.

Against pre-season predictions, the Flames have taken sizeable steps towards securing a top-four spot after beating the Trusts Diamonds in the first round and snaring a valuable bonus point from their two-goal loss to the talent-laden Fujifilm Force last week.

It says a lot about the gritty nature of the Flames, with coach Marg Foster believing the points had been achieved through far from perfect netball and the team had yet to hit their straps.

Despite the blow of losing well-performed defender Kate Dowling to injury for the third-round match and the Magic welcoming back kingpin Casey Williams from the injured list, Foster is confident of causing an upset over the unbeaten defending champions.

``This game is absolutely winnable,’’ Foster said. ``I am really excited and so looking forward to us playing a team of that calibre.

``Up to now we haven’t played all that well as a team but our defensive quartet has done extremely well. They are really making great connections and now if we can marry that in with our attacking end we’ll be away.

``We have played quite poorly to still be up there and I know there is a lot more to come from this team yet.’’

Against the Magic, the Flames overall game plan would have to be ``bullet-proof.’’
``Our focus is really on ensuring we have got our attacking end fully functional,’’ Foster said.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua was wary of the Flames capabilities.
``Throughout the whole court they’re really stable and have that Canterbury trademark of doing the simple things well,’’ she said. ``We will need to be on our game and we need to ensure that all the ball we secure in our attacking end, we put through the hoop.’’

Taurua said she would be looking for better mental preparation from her players and a better start, two areas she was disappointed with from last week’s match.

Old friends off the court, Waimarama Taumaunu and Tanya Dearns will become adversaries for a short time in Palmerston North on Friday when their respective teams, the Genesis Energy Shakers and More FM Flyers, square off in what both coaches have targeted as a must-win match.
Both teams are winless going into the match although Taumaunu was heartened by the Shakers improved showing against the Magic last week.

``The disappointing thing from that match was the second half with our lack of focus and inability to stay on task for the last 15 minutes,’’Taumaunu said. ``If we do that against the Flyers there’s every chance we won’t come out on top.

``We have the ability to win this game, it remains to be seen whether we’ve made the progress that we need to make to do that. It will be a real indicator of how far we have come.’’

The loss of the consistent Rebecca Kupa, to injury, for the match is a blow for the inexperienced Flyers and will mean a reshuffle.

``This team is improving every time they get out on court. People forget about the experience factor and we just have to be realistic about where the team’s at and the personnel within that team,’’ Dearns said. ``At this stage we have a team of potential.’’

They do have targets though and the Shakers is one of them. The teams had a couple of tight pre-season tussles and Friday’s match-up could be heading the same way.

On Saturday, the Southern Victorian Rebels will need to lift several notches to subdue the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Sting in the southern derby in Invercargill. The Sting were rampant winners last week while the Rebels had a disappointing outing against the Diamonds.

Across-town rivals, the Force and Diamonds do battle on Sunday with the North Shore based franchise favoured to continue their winning ways.

Round Three Draw

Team 1 Team 2 Venue Date Time
Ballantynes Canterbury Flames Waikato/BOP Magic supported by Sleepyhead Christchurch - Westpac Centre Fri 12 May 7:30pm
More FM Flyers Genesis Energy Shakers Palmerston North – Arena Manuwatu Fri 12 May 7:30pm #
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Sting Southern Victorian Otago Rebels Invercargill – Stadium Southland Sat 13 May 4:00pm
Fujifilm Force The Trusts Diamonds Auckland North Shore Events Centre Sun 4 May 1:00pm
* LS
* Televised LIVE on ONESport LS Live Scoring at www.netballnz.co.nz
# Delayed coverage on ONESport Saturday 4:00pm

Confirmed Shooting Stats After Round Two

Round 2 Total
Name: Team: Goals Attempts % Goals Attempts %
Brigette Tapene Force 3 3 100%
Tania Dalton Sting 33 33 100% 33 33 100%
Irene van Dyk Magic 55 56 98% 99 103 96%
Te Huinga Reo Selby Rickit Sting 9 10 90% 9 10 90%
Catherine Latu Force 13 16 81% 41 48 85%
Lovila Paki Shakers 26 30 86% 32 38 84%
Natalie Avellino Sting 24 26 92% 50 60 83%
Maria Tutaia Diamonds 35 43 81% 56 70 80%
Sonia Butler Flames 12 15 80% 12 15 80%
Megan Dehn Force 15 23 65% 41 52 79%
Jo Morrison Diamonds 11 14 79%
Belinda Colling Sting 12 15 80% 44 56 79%
Hayley Stockman Flyers 24 34 71% 58 72 81%
Shelley Norris Flames 2 3 67% 27 35 77%
Tanya Lund Magic 4 7 57% 19 25 76%
Angela Mitchell Rebels 19 30 63% 59 80 74%
Jamilah Gupwell Shakers 17 25 68% 35 49 71%
Grace Rasmussen Diamonds 11 17 65% 19 28 68%
Jade Topia Flames 16 23 70% 32 48 67%
Malu Fa'asavalu Flyers 4 8 50% 7 14 50%
Katarina Cooper Shakers 5 8 63%
Daneka Wipiiti Force 6 14 43% 20 33 61%
Kiri Adams Magic 3 5 60% 3 5 60%
Jessica Tuki Rebels 8 19 42% 30 53 57%
Kiley Hikawai Flyers 5 15 33% 14 25 56%
Anna Moleneaux Rebels 6 11 55% 6 11 55%
Anna Thompson Flames 2 3 67% 3 6 50%

ENDS

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