IN a new series, Draft Central casts an eye over the top performer from the round taking into account not only their individual stats, but their overall impact on the game. Round 13 of the ANZ Premiership saw a number of key players lead the way for their respective teams and put their best foot forward.  The next player to receive the Player of the Week is Whitney Souness.

The Central Pulse snapped a five-game losing streak with their win over Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, and that was largely in part due to the influence of Souness in attack. The wing attack was a real livewire with her speed and change of direction allowing her to hit circle edge time and time again. She was a real bundle of energy in attack, darting into the pocket to receive ball and then dishing off with pin point precision accuracy. She was unfazed by the hands over pressure she received instead backing herself to time her drives perfectly and craft her way down the court.

Souness increased her work rate throughout this performance constantly getting on the move and showcased a willingness to re-set the play when things were not working in favour of the Pulse. Meanwhile her balance and composure to assess all options even while standing on one foot was something special to watch as she did not seem overcome by the moment but instead used her instincts and skills to pull off clever passes.

Souness did a wealth of work at the centre pass, sprinting over the line to alleviate the pressure and create some attacking momentum. She was a constant threat in the attacking third with her netball nous and overall confidence to deliver ball into both Aliyah Dunn and Te Amo Amaru-Tibble with great ease. It did not matter if Souness was right on circle edge or patrolling around in the attacking third, if she was able to sight the goalers she dished off the ball such was her accuracy. Every time Souness got anywhere near the ball something exciting happened as she combined her speed and strong hands to reel in passes despite being put under a wealth of pressure. The wing attack was really crafty and linked up nicely with both Claire Kersten and Maddy Gordon to balance out the circle and provide a back-up for the shooters. Souness impressed with her fancy footwork around the perimeter to be a constant option to help re-set the play for the Pulse shooters.

She possessed the right amount of patience to work the ball into the circle while she also used her speed and dare to fire off passes that no one else would consider. Souness received just about every second pass inside attack, highlighting just how influential she was in setting up the goals for the Pulse. The wing attack was more than happy to engage the physicality and attention of her opposition whether it be Sam Winders or Holly Fowler. In fact she thrived on it as it gave her an extra edge to go out and attack the ball. She finished with 23 goal assists, 26 centre pass receives and three pickups to her name in what was a standout performance by the zippy midcourter.