EACH week Draft Central will analyse player performances from across the round in the ANZ Premiership and determine a “Player of the Week” based on game day performances. A player can be nominated as many times as deemed necessary given their individual performance across the round.

In their only game of the round, Mainland Tactix goal shooter Ellie Bird starred from start to finish. It was a shooting masterclass from Bird with the shooter going on a tear and owning the goal circle with her improved movement and stunning accuracy. The 196cm goaler continued her hot form from last week, up on both her volume and accuracy against the Northern Stars, slotting a whopping 37 goals at 100 per cent showcasing her talent and potential. Bird announced herself as a serious threat for opposition teams, making it look easy in the goal circle reeling in every pass that came her way and backed herself to post.

Bird came out firing in the opening term, ultimately setting the tone for the Tactix nailing 11 goals straight while her third quarter performance was equally as impressive downing 10 goals. Her dominance under the post caused all sorts of headaches for the Stars with both Storm Purvis and Kate Burley struggling to get hands to ball thanks to her strong holds, quick footwork and accuracy to post. Bird had a clear game plan, holding the front space well and popping out when need be but was not afraid to shake things up when the connections were not working able to use her body to drop into the back space. The goal shooter showcased her spatial awareness to balance along the baseline time and time again and also displayed her ability to read the play often coming out of the circle to alleviate the pressure.

Although her partner in crime, Te Paea Selby-Rickit did not put up a wealth of shots it was their combination both inside and outside of the circle that did damage with the two seamlessly syncing up. Selby-Rickit seemed to have a ball on a string feeding into Bird, with the towering goal shooter relishing the pinpoint ball placement and room in the circle to move freely. With Bird holding strong and growing with stature as the game went on Selby-Rickit was able to turn and release in an instant to catch the defenders off guard and gift Bird easier passage to goal.

The dominant Tactix midcourt also paid dividends for Bird in particular, with Kimiora Poi and Erikana Pedersen finding Bird with ease under the post and using their respective speed to Bird’s advantage. Their ability to dart around the court enabled Bird to get easy looks to the post with the two consistently looking into the circle to see if she was free.

Receiving a lot of physical attention, Bird rose to the occasion and absorbed the pressure to lead her side to victory and control the tempo in the goal circle. She was not afraid to share the ball around and reposition to edge herself closer to the post with her fancy footwork enabling that process to happen. Her confidence in the goal circle was infectious with the midcourters surrounding her, feeding off her intensity and happy to deliver the ball from distance.