Sapphire vs Pulse and Wildcats
We had two matches in four days against the Wildcats and Pulse and managed two important wins - 66–56 and 65–59 respectively.
I wasn't happy with our performance against the Wildcats. While we secured the win, we didn't play to the standard we've set for ourselves this season. We lacked consistency in our execution and never really found our rhythm. Credit to the Wildcats though—they were physical, contested everything and made us work for the result.
The Pulse match was a completely different challenge. They brought a wealth of experience with three former Silver Ferns in Katrina Rore, Laura Langman and Temalisi Fakahokotau. Their leadership and composure were evident throughout the contest, and they really tested us, particularly in the early stages.
How do you manage the short turnaround?
Fortunately, our squad has built good depth, which allows us to manage player loads across double-header weekends. Recovery is a big focus between matches, but just as importantly we spend time reviewing the previous game and make sure everyone is clear on the adjustments needed. It's about resetting mentally, learning quickly and making sure we're ready to perform again a few hours later.
How did the games play out?
Against the Wildcats, we weren't at our best. We won the game, but we didn't execute our game plan consistently and probably relied too much on moments of individual brilliance rather than playing our brand of netball.
The Pulse game was much tougher. Early on we didn't take ownership of our roles and drifted away from our game plan, which allowed Pulse to dictate the tempo. At half time we had a really honest conversation as a group and agreed we needed to take control of the game, trust the structures we'd prepared all week and hold each other accountable. From there, I thought our response was outstanding. We settled into our roles, lifted our defensive pressure and played with much greater composure to finish strongly and secure another valuable win.
Who looked good?
Teyha Hysett was exceptional against the Wildcats. She was deservedly named our MVP and was also awarded MVP for the Hart Premier entire round. She had a huge impact with her work rate, composure and ability to influence the game.
Against Pulse, Kirra Tappenden was outstanding. She produced great volume in attack, demanded the ball and showed tremendous confidence playing against Katrina Rore, who has just returned from a replacement player stint with the NSW Swifts. Kirra didn't take a step backwards and embraced the challenge against one of the game's most experienced defenders. It was a fantastic opportunity for her to test herself against that calibre of opposition, and she certainly came out on top.
What improvements can be made ahead of next round?
There are still a few areas we need to tighten up if we want to keep building towards finals. We need to value possession better, convert our centre passes more consistently and make sure we capitalise on every defensive gain by turning them into scoreboard pressure. Our discipline is another area for improvement—we've had some uncharacteristically high penalty counts over the past couple of games, and that's something we need to address.
The girls now have five days to recover before we turn our attention to another double-header against Tigers and Titans next weekend. We're getting to the business end of the season now, and every game is crucial. Our focus is on continuing to improve each week and putting ourselves in the best possible position to secure a top two finish heading into finals.
with Bec Stower
Ruby vs Redlands
Who did you play?
Wednesday night mid-week games at 6pm are always a challenge and even more so when you're off a tough weekend game against the Wildcats and you have two key players ruled out in the 24 hours leading up to this important game against the Redland Eagles. Nonetheless the players who joined the team and the team as a whole stepped up to accept the challenge and produce some quality entertaining netball. Redlands are a team with robust defence and accurate shooters.
How do you manage the short match turnaround?
Our Tuesday night session saw us address some court structures that we needed to improve on after our weekend game against Wildcats. Defensively we had a lot of gains and just couldn’t effectively make consistent connections in our through-court attack to really capitalise on those opportunities. We broke things back down to some skills and built from there. It was really pleasing to see this work materialise on court in the game against the Eagles.
How did the game play out?
“So close yet so far”.
Full credit to the team for a gutsy effort with us falling one point short. We started strongly in the first quarter taking a slender lead into the first quarter break. Unfortunately, we failed to extend our lead in the second and third quarters and had to chase hard in the last quarter. Going into the final minutes of the game we had our chances and we are proud of the way we fought back and applied ourselves to the challenge. Yes, wins matter, but how we play matters more and the girls showed plenty of character and intent.
Who looked the goods for Bond?
Late changes due to injury meant mid courter Matilda Kaye had her first game in a Bond dress and it was great to see Mahalia Henare back on court after an extended injury layoff.
What improvements can be made ahead of next round?
It’s been a challenging time for the team as we have played some excellent netball and been unable to convert it into wins. Every team of late that we have played we have been in the game we just need to apply ourselves with even greater diligence and focus in the key moments. Consistency and execution under pressure is the key and we are getting more proficient every week. We look forward to a break this weekend, a freshen up and then the game against the Tigers.
with Gavin Clarke.
M-League vs Wildcats
Our round 7 match was against the Brisbane South Wildcats. This matchup has not been favourable all season. They are a well drilled team who punish any opponent's errors. Last night was no exception. They are led amiably by Zac Dunfee, a 95% shooter who has a wealth of talent and experience feeding him the ball.
This midweek gamed posed a tight turnaround between games, and I thought we handled that really well.
We were missing a couple of players, but from a coaching perspective that slightly helped our rotations, and everyone took the court in some capacity.
The match scoreline was fairly predictable and showed the class difference between the teams. We have some very talented players but are young and inexperienced and are still learning our craft. We show glimpses of brilliance mixed with long patches of play that doesn't cut it at this elite level of men's netball. We currently can't string together a full 60-minute game of sustained effort and execution.
Last night Brock Stokes was very good nailing some great 2-point shots which was great for his confidence.
Defensively I thought we were solid and once again we created multiple opportunities for the team, with Jaz Simpson having a great game.
I am measuring our improvements incrementally. I am looking to see small advances in our pass selection and decision making. We make it hard on ourselves when we gift the opposition easy ball. Our training sessions continue to provide the necessary repetition needed to perform consistently at this level.
with Davin Hunt