IN the first of our new series, Draft Central will compose two Teams of the Week with one side each hailing from the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) and the other from the ANZ Premiership.

VNSL

GS: Donnell Wallam (Leeds Rhinos)
GA: Sophie Drakeford- Lewis (Team Bath)
WA: Iona Christian (Wasps Netball)
C: Nat Panagarry (Loughborough Lightning)
WD: Imogen Allison (Team Bath)
GD: Layla Guscoth (Team Bath)
GK: Tuaine Keenan (Leeds Rhinos)

BENCH: Mary Cholhok (Loughborough Lightning), Beth Cobden (Loughborough Lightning) Vicki Oyesola (Leeds Rhinos)

Australian and now Leeds Rhinos fan favourite, Donnell Wallam impressed under the post with her strong holds, crafty footwork and long limbs enabling her to claim prime position in the goal circle. Wallam finished with 54 goals from 55 attempts at 98 per cent. Her partner in crime for Round 12 is the ever-reliable Sophie Drakeford-Lewis who continues to shine each time she is out on court with her dazzling display of composure and class to think her way through the defensive pressure and deliver.

Iona Christian spent time both in wing attack and centre but got the nod in WA credit to her classy movement around circle edge and attacking forays. In her first game she managed to pick up two intercepts and a deflection highlighting her capacity to get hands to ball and then switch it into an attacking play for the side. The centre bib falls to Loughborough Lightning captain, Nat Panagarry with the hard-working midcourter using her netball nous to shut down her opponent and perform in attack. Her ability to read the play and control the tempo of the game was imperative as she racked up an intercept and a deflection. Imogen Allison was a strong force for Team Bath through the midcourt using her drive and defensive skill to limit the opposition and repel the ball back down court picking up three intercepts and two deflections.

The defence end has a Team Bath and Leeds Rhino theme given their big wins across the round. Layla Guscoth worked tirelessly in goal defence to win ball back for her side, taking advantage of her closing speed and registering two intercept, four deflections and a rebound. In at goal keeper is Tuiane Keenan who took ownership of the defensive third with her tenacity and read of the play to cherry pick passes and earn herself a spot in the Team of the Week. She finished with a whopping six intercepts and four deflections.

On the bench is Leeds Rhinos defender Vicki Oyesola who was a real workhorse across the court with her hands over pressure while up the other end the shooting position went to Mary Cholhok who was once again a rock for Loughborough thanks to her 43 goals. It was another solid outing for Beth Cobden with the tenacious midcourter plying her trade through the centre third and getting her hands dirty in defence.

ANZ Premiership

GS: Grace Nweke (Northern Mystics)
GA: Te Amo Amaru-Tibble (Central Pulse)
WA: Peta Toeava (Northern Stars)
C: Mila Reuelu-Buchanan (Northern Stars)
WD: Georgie Edgecombe (Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic)
GD: Kelly Jury (Central Pulse)
GK: Elle Temu (Northern Stars)

BENCH: George Fisher (Southern Steel), Gina Crampton (Northern Stars), Karin Burger (Mainland Tactix)

The starting goal shooter position goes to Grace Nweke with the talented goaler making her presence felt in Round 2 of the ANZ Premiership. Her increased strength on the take and confidence under the post enabled her to withstand the physical barrage from her opponents and notch up a competition high 56 goals from 60 attempts at 93 per cent. Joining Nweke in the goal circle is Central Pulse goal attack Te Amo Amaru-Tibble. The quick thinking goaler managed to have a profound impact in her sides win with her ability not only to hit the scoreboard with 16 goals from 19 attempts but also her clever feeds racking up 12 along with 20 centre pass receives.

Through the midcourt and it was hard to go past the services of Mystics livewire Peta Toeava who seemed to have the ball on a string with her ability to carve up the court with her nifty and well-weighted passes. Toeava amassed a whopping 31 goal assists and 20 centre pass receives. Northern Stars centre, Mila Reuelu-Buchanan impressed in her outing showcasing both her defensive and offensive tendencies and earning a spot in the starting seven credit to her 22 goal assists, three gains one of which was an intercept. The wing defence position falls to youngster Georgie Edgecombe who played an integral role for the Magic as she managed to get hands to ball registering three gains and two intercepts while also be a driving force through the centre to punch through the opposition’s defence.

The goal defence bib falls to Kelly Jury with the Central Pulse defender making that position her own. A typical goal keeper, Jury impressed in Round 2 relishing the extra court space and using her long arms to swat away passes collecting four intercepts and six gains in an all-round impressive performance. Helping her out in defence is former teammate and now contracted Northern Stars defender Elle Temu. The goal keeper showcased her array of skills to compete both in the air and at ground level racking up five gains, two intercepts and most importantly nullified the impact of her opposition goaler.

Unlucky not to get the start in goal shooter given her 100 per cent accuracy is George Fisher with the Southern Steel goaler taking like a duck to water since joining the ANZ Premiership. Gina Crampton also impressed across the round with her timing around circle edge and read of the play to deliver the ball on a silver platter while the final bench position goes to Karin Burger who shone in the loss picking up six gains, two intercepts, two rebounds and nine centre pass receives.

Who will win?

Both sides are littered with a-plus talent across the court however it is the midcourt depth and star power that is the real difference between the two sides along with the high calibre bench players. One could argue that the ANZ Premiership side have a couple more stars through the midcourt with Toeava able to thread the needle with great ease and a specialist wing attack while the Reuelu-Buchanan is in red-hot form. Conversely the VNSL side has a lot more experienced heads across the court that are able to steer the ship with Guscoth, Panagarry and Christian seasoned campaigners.