New-Look Mojo Pulse Ready for 2015 ANZ Champs

New-Look Mojo Pulse Ready for 2015 ANZ Championship Campaign

Media Release
27 February 2015

The Mojo Pulse embark on their 2015 ANZ Championship campaign with a new-look squad and high hopes as they begin their bid to secure a play-off spot for the first time.

There will be some exciting new faces on show in the yellow dress this season, with Silver Ferns shooters Jodi Brown and Ameliaranne Wells joining a squad which already boasts a core of players with vast international experience. Brown was last year’s Southern Steel captain and links up once again with her former shooting partner Irene van Dyk, who has amassed 105 ANZ Championship games over seven seasons. Van Dyk recently retired from the international scene having accumulated an unprecedented total of 145 caps for New Zealand and a further 72 for South Africa.

It’s been a busy few months for Brown, who had a heavy workload at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games where her experience was crucial as the squad suffered a number of untimely injuries. She was her country’s top scorer in the narrow 35-34 semi-final victory over England, which ultimately secured them the silver medal.

The 24-year-old Wells has also enjoyed a whirlwind journey since making the switch across the ditch after four seasons with the Queensland Firebirds. With a Kiwi father and Ngāpuhi heritage, she was fast-tracked into the Silver Ferns training squad shortly after touching down on New Zealand soil and fittingly made her debut against Australia in the Constellation Cup. She will certainly be one to watch this year.

Head Coach Robyn Broughton has also secured the services of a handful of exciting youngsters, one of the most notable being local girl Whitney Souness, a former stand-out in the New Zealand Secondary Schools team and Pulse training player last year. She will join fellow newbies Jessica Bourke, who last played for the Northern Mystics back in 2013, and Hannah Poff who was part of the Mainland Tactix squad during 2010-2011. The side will once again be led by inspirational captain Katrina Grant.

The international defender will begin her sixth season in Pulse colours with 87 ANZ Championship appearances to her name and, along with team-mate Joline Henry (89 caps), could join van Dyk in the Trans-Tasman ‘one hundred club’ if she plays throughout the competition.

Further experience is provided by English international defender Ama Agbeze, 2010 ANZ Championship MVP Liana Leota, Silver Fern Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit and 2012 ANZ Championship winner Elias Shadrock.

Mojo Pulse Head Coach Broughton is looking forward to an exciting few months ahead, with the competition format incorporating Australian and New Zealand conferences for the first time. “We’re all looking forward to the 2015 season and I think that every year it gets more exciting, more competitive and scores are closer so we’ve got to have a big edge on everybody to get there,” she explains.

A focus on gaining the winning edge has been the theme during the recent ANZ Championship Pre-season Summer Shootout in Sydney, and the four pre-season games played at home. The four games included a double-header against last season’s champions, the Melbourne Vixens, as well as matches against the Southern Steel and Mainland Tactix.

The Pulse clearly demonstrated their winning capability by defeating the Vixens twice (42-41 and 52-45) and posting large wins over both the Steel (71-52) and the Tactix (63-48). The question people will no doubt ask is whether they can win on Australian soil this season.

The opening game of the 2015 ANZ Championship takes place against the Vixens at Margaret Court Arena, a venue new to the championship circuit. The Pulse have never won a competition game against the Melbourne team and to date have never won in Australia. The Vixens have also never lost a game in the opening round, whereas the Pulse have yet to win a Round 1 match. This weekend will hopefully herald a significant change for the team in yellow.

“We need to hold our heads up against the Australian teams. We're fit enough and strong enough and we know how to play the game,” said Broughton.

The Mojo Pulse begin their season away against the Melbourne Vixens on Sunday 1st March at the Margaret Court Arena, centre pass 2.18pm (4.18pm NZ time). Watch the game live on Sky Sports 2.
Their first home game is the following week (Sunday 8th March, centre pass 7.10pm) at Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena, when the visitors will be the competition runners-up for the last two years, the Queensland Firebirds.

Tickets for this game can be purchased from Ticketdirect at www.ticketdirect.co.nz or by calling 0800 224 224.

Follow @PulseNetball on twitter and Instagram for regular score updates and ‘like’facebook/NetballPulse to keep up to date with all things Mojo Pulse.

2015 Mojo Pulse Squad

Head Coach: Robyn Broughton
Assistant Coach: Frances Solia

Ama Agbeze
Jessica Bourke
Jodi Brown
Katrina Grant (Captain)
Joline Henry
Liana Leota
Hannah Poff
Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit
Elias Shadrock
Whitney Souness
Irene van Dyk
Ameliaranne Wells

Mojo Pulse Home Games 2015
2015 ANZ Championship

Sunday 8 March Pulse v Firebirds Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua 7.10pm
Monday 30 March Pulse v Magic TSB Arena, Wellington 7.40pm
Monday 13 April Pulse v Mystics TSB Arena, Wellington 7.40pm
Sunday 19 April Pulse v Fever TSB Arena, Wellington 7.10pm
Saturday 25 April Pulse v Swifts TSB Arena, Wellington 4.10pm
Monday 11 May Pulse v Tactix Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua 7.40pm
Sunday 17 May Pulse v Steel Arena Manawatu, P. North 7.10pm

For more information on the new ANZ Championship conference model click here:

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