We Have to Keep Improving Insists Haier Pulse Coach

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Media Release
25 April 2012

We Have to Keep Improving Insists Haier Pulse Coach

Haier Pulse Head Coach Robyn Broughton was delighted with the resolve her team displayed during Monday night’s 50-45 victory over the EasiYo Tactix, but insists there is plenty to work on as she looks forward to taking on the LG Mystics at Arena Manawatu this Sunday.

The win takes the Haier Pulse to fourth equal on the ANZ Championship ladder with two wins in the first four rounds, and Broughton puts that down to gradual improvement in a number of key areas. “I really pleased that we managed to hold on to the ball more on Monday,” she explained. “We are still losing some ball, but we certainly had improved in that area and we played with a lot of resolve. When we went down, we workedhard to get back. Over the first few weeks of the competition we’ve learnt that it’s not a nice feeling to go down, and you have to keep working hard to keep yourself in a good position.

“Actually a lot of that performance could be put down to attitude, especially as there’s a lot of history between the two teams that I probably don’t recognise much, having not been part of that culture. I also thought the atmosphere at Te Rauparaha was great. I’ve played against the Pulse as the opposing coach and I’ve always said that there’s been a lot of spirit in the team and they are certainly supported well. You’ve always got the critics and you can hear people saying ‘why’s she done that’ and ‘why she’s taken that one off’, but you’re always going to get that – that’s netball.”

Broughton was particularly impressed with the way in which her defensive unit operated, as they managed to build more and more pressure on their opponents as the game wore on.

“Katrina and Hu took a while to get going and to read what they should be doing. I thought the shooters from the Tactix played quite well and that our girls took a while to adapt, but once they did theyreally took it to them. Katrina, Hu and Joline have each got really high stats in the overall ratings for the ANZ Championship and that is down to how they are working together. I hear them talking the same language as they discusswhat they should be doing and they understand what they are demanding of each other. They’re becoming quite clever in the way they combine.”

After a solid start to the campaign, Broughton knows another tough test awaits the Haier Pulse in Palmerston North with the visit of the high-flying Mystics, the team they narrowly lost out to in thefirst round. “This week we’ll be focussing on making sure that we protect our lead and being just a bit more clinical about the way we go about things,” she said. “We’ll be making sure that we’re not breaking rules and we’re not involving umpires – there’s lots of little things like that which make winning easier. A lot of them are things you can’t see, but if you do them properly they certainly pay off for you.

“One of the strengths of the Mystics is that they are very familiar with one another as players. Players like Cathrine Latu, Maria Tutaia, Grace Rasmussen and Temepara George have played a lot together. They are very familiar with one another’s game which always helps and hopefully that is what we are starting to see from the Haier Pulse.”

The Haier Pulse take on the LG Mystics at Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North on Sunday at 7.20pm. The match will be shown live on Sky Sport 3 and don’t forget you can keep up to date with all the latest news from the Haier Pulse on facebook.com/Haier.Pulse or twitter @HaierPulse.

Match reports and statistics are also availablefrom www.anz-championship.com

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