ROUND 6 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

The talented goal shooter took a while to insert herself into the contest, but once she did there was next to no stopping her. Nweke rose to the occasion and was unfazed by the changes around her, gelling well with both Bailey Mes and Filda Vui out the front. Her ability to strongly contest in the air was evident as she withstood the defensive pressure coming from left, right and centre to cherry-pick the ball. Nweke was her consistent best and although she was somewhat inaccurate by her lofty standards, she still managed to cause headaches.

Tayla Earle

It was a relatively quiet performance by Earle as she struggled to have her usual output. But that is not to say that did not have moments of magic as her athleticism and balance to came to the fore, and at one stage reeled in an errant pass and turned herself inside out to keep the ball in play and loop the ball into Nweke. She impressed with her twinkle toes and closing speed to dance around circle edge while her defensive pressure was also evident throughout the game. One thing that does not get mentioned enough is Earle’s workrate constantly darting up and down the court to provide that link for the Mystics.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic:

Khiarna Williams

From the opening centre pass it was clear that Williams was on as she nailed the first goal of the game. playing the entire game – bar five minutes – the youngster was impressive, able to control the flow of play in attack and use her hot hand to do damage at the post. She was not overawed by the constant physical niggle, utilising her smarts and composure to think her way through the pressure and prevail. Williams was not only willing to go to post from directly under it but so too backed herself from range to wow fans. Able to play both goal attack and goal shooter it was great to see Williams’ high level of endurance to run out majority of the game in attack and not falter. She only missed six goals for the entire game but it was her rhythm to setup the attacking forays and delivery into Caitlin Bassett that really caught the eye. Her strength at the contest whether it be the high ball or a bounce pass was second to none while her inventiveness to use the post at the throw-in showed wisdom beyond her years and a willingness to test her luck.

Georgie Edgecombe

In a testing game for the youngster, Edgecombe proved that she was more than capable of stepping up to the task. Up against Peta Toeava, Edgecombe had her hands full to not only keep her away from circle edge but so too limit her drive at the centre pass, which she did for large patches of the game. Edgecombe lent her hand in attack as well, sitting on the transverse line to provide that outlet pass for the Magic frontend and look long into the circle. Her ability to contest in the air was critical as her aerial leap enabled her to wreak havoc in the midcourt to not only create deflections but so too take intercepts and earn penalties in her favour. Her footwork around circle edge was strong, as was her hands over pressure to try and get in the head of Toeava and the Mystics attackers.

Central Pulse:

Maddy Gordon:

There are not enough superlatives for the performance Gordon put out on Sunday afternoon with the highly talented wing defence plying her craft in both attack and defence. An incredibly mobile and quick player, Gordon glided across the court especially in transition to open up the Pulse attacking unit. Her attacking tendencies came to the fore multiple times throughout the game with her vision and confidence to release bullet-like passes into the circle a couple of key components in her play. Still adapting to her defensive role, Gordon took like a duck to water cherry-picking passes around circle edge with her evasive footwork on full display. Not to mention her aerial abilities to contest the high ball into the pocket with teammate Kelly Jury lending a helping hand on the pick-up to help the side regain possession. Gordon was involved in just about everything, sticking a hand in every pass through the midcourt while her closing speed kept the opposition on their toes.

Southern Steel:

Tiana Metuarau

Metuarau had her work cut out for her against Karin Burger as the goal defence refused to give Metuarau any space, wearing her like a glove. But the goal attack dug deep, using her speed and timing to full effect. The confidence to connect with George Fisher enabled her to play her own game, while her workload at the centre pass was impressive. Even when Metuarau was not scoring, her ability to control the attacking momentum with her pinpoint precision passes and vision was second to none. A real workhorse in all areas of her game, Metuarau played that real connecting role from the midcourt to Fisher given her deft touch. She was a constant issue, popping up every time her side needed her while she also tried hard in defence with her three-foot marking.

Taneisha Fifita

After a send-off last week Fifita was keen to make amends and settle into this game, which she did with a deflection in the opening minutes of the term. Her footwork was on song throughout the game consistently repositioning to clog up the space and mount pressure against Ellie Bird. Her ability to box out her opponent was also key while her confidence to read the play and back herself in enabled Fifita to win ball back time and time again. It was a relatively tough day at the office for the goal keeper who had to keep competing for the high ball and use her leap to get in the head of Bird and attack her hands.

Kate Heffernan

The young midcourter used her tank to have an influence throughout the entire match. Running hard both ways, Heffernan showcased her impressive ability to compete hard with her opposition and took full advantage of her long arms to block any clear vision. Her athleticism was evident, with her drive to the top of the circle key to the Steel’s attacking forays. She also showcased her versatility returning to her natural habitat of wing defence in an attempt to shut down her opponent and quell the speed in which the ball was rocketing down the court, able to position herself effectively to niggle on her opposition and force errors.

Renee Savai’inaea

Playing the entire 60 minutes, Savai’inaea just ground her player down and although she did not feature heavily on the stats sheet she managed to have a presence off the ball. She played a real niggly role off the centre pass credit to her fancy footwork and ability to shadow her opponent every step of the way. Savai’inaea never gave an inch, constantly pestering the Tactix midcourters and putting in the hard yards to lull the opposition into passing into dangerous areas.

Sarahpheinna Woulf

The goal defence made a difference when she came onto the court with her strong defensive prowess and drive through the midcourt. Plying her trade down back, Woulf worked tirelessly to confuse the space and push her opponent out of the circle. She did not take long to immerse herself into the thick of things coming through with a deflection and using her speed to burst away from defence into attack.