Pulse Shooter Primed For Challenging Road Ahead

July 4, 2024

Daunting for some, rejuvenated shooter Tiana Metuarau is welcoming the challenge of a tough run home for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse to complete the regular season of the ANZ Premiership netball league.

Sitting at the top of the table and having confirmed their spot for the Finals Series after their latest win, the Pulse meet fellow contenders the Magic, Mystics and Tactix in their remaining three games.

Fending off a high injury toll, the Pulse have scrapped gallantly all season, rebounding strongly for an impressive return and now want to build on that momentum.

``These intense crunch matches are the most memorable, what you play for and at the business end of the season you just want to win,’’ Metuarau said.

The Pulse co-captain has slowly been building her minutes of court time in the last four rounds after missing the first eight and a lot of the pre-season with a foot injury.

With the injury crisis wiping out their first-choice shooting end, the experienced and explosive Metuara, 23, has found herself partnering Martina Salmon on her return.

Since coming on board fulltime with the Pulse in Round 6, after being elevated from the National League ranks, Salmon, 20, has excelled, the willowy shooter notching 50-plus goals in a match three times during her short tenure, Metuarau unfazed that the pair has spent just 90 minutes together as a shooting duo.

``She’s taught me a lot and I think she’s learning a few things off me, as well,’’ Metuaru said.

``I think we’ve got two confident players in that shooting circle with her and I, so if one’s slightly down, the other’s there to pick up the pieces at any given moment, but the great thing is that they don’t last very long, those lapses.

``It’s a really good challenge for me and she’s helping me to become a better player and I’d like to think I’m doing the same for her. She’s just improving all the time with the amount of minutes she’s getting and to see the growth from her in such a short time and how much pressure she’s taken, is really impressive for somebody so young.’’

After a three-month diet of biking, boxing and swimming, Metuarau is happy with how her on-court play is progressing. A powerful athlete, Metuarau’s trademark vision and quick ball release were a feature in the Pulse’s latest outing against the Steel.

Re-integrating back into high-level match-play after a lengthy spell on the sidelines is not always easy and Metuarau is happy with her progress while building on her loading.

``I do have really high expectations of myself, so I’m probably a bit more critical of my performances and my progress but in the weekend just gone (vs Steel), I think I did quite well,’’ she said.

``I was a little bit anxious before the game, so to come on and help our team lift just however I could and give good service, it was probably a good gauge for me to see where I was at in terms of my readiness and confidence.’’

There’s still plenty to play out between the top four sides over the coming weeks as the race to confirm the top three intensifies, Metuarau exemplifying the great spirit in the Pulse group, from injecting her off-court coaching skills to now adding her expertise to the on-court platform that has been set.

``It shows how connected we are, how intentional we are and how much care we have for one another to put out the good performances that we have,’’ she said. ``And now, it feels like we’re slowly learning how to win those really critical matches.’’

With the Magic having a strong late season resurgence, and after enjoying a hefty 17-goal win over the Pulse the last time the pair met in Round 7, it’s likely there will be some added spice in the Round 13 re-match in Hamilton on Monday in a match where there’s everything to play for.

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