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 9 of the ANZ Premiership saw a number of key players, lead the way for their respective teams and put their best foot forward. Oceane Maihi secured bragging rights last week but this week teammate Anna Harrison gets the chocolates for her efforts.

Coming out of retirement this season the long-limbed defender has not skipped a beat and this game was testament to that. Able to seamlessly transition between goal defence or goal keeper, Harrison showcased her explosiveness to get hands to ball and create turnovers aplenty. One thing that is notable with the way Harrison plays is her ability to contest for the ball whether she is in front or behind. With an exceptional leap and impressive read of the play the defender is a real menace and is never out of the match able to bob up at any time.

She combined exceptionally well with up and coming defender Elle Temu as the two shut down the space inside the circle for the Central Pulse and caused confusion. Her constant movement and work around the body to confuse the feeders allowed her to slow down the attacking forays and subsequently create opportunities to win ball back. Not only did she combine well with Temu but so too with Maihi when she was injected into the game. an experienced head down in defence, Harrison was able to dictate the terms and bark orders to ensure the defensive structure was sound. She gave direction not only to the circle defenders but so too the midcourters in Lisa Mather out in wing defence and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan in centre to help enforce a strong defensive unit.

The 37-year-old proved that she can play both a lockdown role or a hunting role depending on what the Stars required. when back in goal keeper she kept tight on Aliyah Dunn forcing her high up in the circle and to shoot from ranges she was uncomfortable with. Her physical one-on-one style enabled her to niggle at Dunn to put the goal shooter under all sorts of pressure. Conversely when out in goal defence she put her hunting skills to full use, relishing the extra space to contest each and every pass. Not only did she put work into Te Amo Amaru-Tibble but her lanky limbs and closing speed sent a real warning signal to both Maddy Gordon and Whitney Souness out the front for the Pulse.

It was a good day at the office for Harrison as the veteran defender finished with three intercepts and five gains with two of those gains in the final quarter acting as a catalyst for the Stars’ comeback. Her ability to sense the moment and deliver for her side was second to none using her fancy footwork to cleanly pick-up ball and send it rocketing down the other end of the court.