ROUND 13 of the ANZ Premiership is done and dusted and with that came some scintillating performances from the next generation of players. This series will cast an eye over a host of under 21s players that made their way out on court and the impact they had for their respective sides.

Northern Mystics:

Grace Nweke
It was a less than accurate performance from Nweke this round with the goal shooter missing a couple of uncharacteristic goals from directly under the post. She still found plenty of room inside the ring and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over but was down on her lofty standards. The feeders around her were somewhat scared to release the ball into her which stopped Nweke from having her usual dominance despite putting up some strong holds and utilising her clever footwork to keep the defenders at bay. Nweke was still a constant threat in the circle though, and did the heavy lifting with her high volume to post keeping the Mystics in the hunt. She showcased her ability to score quickly putting up consecutive goals while her overall capacity to absorb the physicality and repeatedly take the hits was on full show as she stood up under the pressure.

Tayla Earle
The dynamic midcourter had her work cut out for her up against Kate Heffernan but held her own with her use of speed and spatial awareness allowing her to pave her way forward. Earle lifted the load in attack when Peta Toeava was covered showcasing her ability to switch into a more attacking mode when needed. She was a consistent figure through the midcourt, cutting and driving her way to circle edge while she also helped out in defence to create hands over pressure. Her constant niggle and tight one-on-one marking enabled her to shut down the space and force the opposition to reset and reposition in attack.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic:

Khiarna Williams
The goal attack continued to impress with her varied entry into the circle showcasing just how explosive she can be when given space in attack. She was not afraid to take the game on and while she got caught out in passages by the more experienced players out on court, Williams still backed herself in. The goal attack impressed with her composure to step back on the shot when Kelly Jury was marking her while her overall smarts to draw the attention of the defenders allowed Caitlin Bassett to star. Her aerial presence was something to behold as the goal attack commanded the ball and most importantly reeled in the high looping passes time and time again. She used her body very well to keep the defenders on her back and protect the ball while her constant movement and confidence to go from the long bombs was impressive. Despite being one of the shortest players in the circle, Williams impressed with her ability to follow in her shots and gobble up the rebounds, although she did not need to do that too many times given her high accuracy.

Central Pulse:

Maddy Gordon
Gordon got the start out in wing defence and was immediately in the thick of things with her attacking mindset coming to the fore. The speedy midcourter showcased her smarts to sit up on the transverse line and provide that outlet pass for the Pulse attackers when things got stagnant in the forward half. Gordon was constantly on the move throughout the game with her quick footwork and energiser bunny mentality allowing her to cover every single move that Grace Kara made. She was not afraid to throw her body on the line to contest each and every ball that came her way. Although on the smaller side, Gordon used her three-foot marking to try and block the vision of the Magic midcourters while she also took advantage of her closing speed to create deflections. Her versatility was once again on show as she swung into the centre and did not skip a beat hitting circle edge with ease and pace to open up the circle for the Pulse.

Southern Steel:

Tiana Metuarau
It was another strong performance by Metuarau with the goal attack possessing an aura of wisdom and smarts beyond her years. She consistently found a way to step up to the plate when her side commanded her to make something out of nothing. Metuarau showcased her balance to set plays up one foot while she also impressed with her speed along the baseline. The goal attack was not afraid to work the ball around and play a patient brand of netball to wait for the game to open up rather that bomb the ball in and force something to come. Her combination with George Fisher continues to develop at a rate of knots with Metuarau able to dish off precise passes and dictate the space with her movement. The goal attack once again proved her leadership and development to be involved in just about every single attack foray and seemed to have the ball on a string in large passages of play.

Taneisha Fifita
Although statistically speaking Fifita did not have the most impressive performance it was her work off the ball that gave her the upper hand. Her ability to cleanly contest the ball and then just create a wealth of doubt around the ball coming in allowed the goal keeper to wreak havoc. Her closing speed was on full display as she would look to go out hunting and then quickly double-back to attend to Nweke under the post.

Kate Heffernan
The highly athletic centre was at her damaging best finding a wealth of space especially when it came to second phase depth. Her sheer height and long wingspan enabled her to employ some strong hands over pressure through transition which in turn allowed her to pick-up loose ball and create deflections time and time again. Heffernan was able to swing from defence to attack within a heartbeat such is her netball nous and composure. She was a cool, calm and collected customer for the Steel and although she did not rack up a wealth of goal assists her work around circle edge allowed teammate Shannon Saunders to get into commanding positions credit to her smart drives and ability to draw the attention of the defence. She showcased her endurance to go toe-to-toe with Earle for the entire game as the two engaged in a physical battle especially around circle edge to tussle for prime spot.

Renee Savai’inaea
It was by far one of the best games Savai’inaea has played to-date with the wing defence the first wing defence in a while who has been able to effectively shut down Toeava. Her dogged style of defence enabled her to wear down her opponent and steadily grind her out of the game. Savai’inaea was relentless in defence, going toe-to-toe with Toeava for the full 60 minutes and most importantly did not afford her an inch of space. Every time Toeava turned around, Savai’inaea was there with her hands up and blocking her opponents vision. The wing defence played an integral down in defence for the Steel taking away the usual influence of Toeava with her persistent hustle and never say die attitude. Not only was the wing defence impressive down back but also helped out on transition with her turn of speed allowing her to slice through the oppositions zone. Savai’inaea also got plenty of hands to ball proving she can play both a lockdown and hunting role for the Steel.