ROUND 9 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 in which they had for their respective sides.

Northern Mystics:

Grace Nweke

The goal shooter was well held in the first few minutes of the game double-teamed by Temalisi Fakahokotau and Erena Mikaere. But once she adjusted to the physicality and the tight marking, Nweke was able to dictate the terms. Her ability to leap directly up and grab the ball strongly with two hands is second to none. She steadily built into the game using her split to edge closer to the post. As her confidence grew so did the speed in which she scored which enabled the Mystics to slowly pull ahead. Her ability to clearly hold space and use her body positioning to drop into the backspace was crucial to keep the defenders hands away from the drop of the ball. Nweke was not afraid to shake things up sometimes popping out at the top of the circle to receive the ball or using the baseline to hold ground and score. The combination between Peta Toeava and Nweke was almost impossible to stop with the wing attack threading the needle to Nweke time after time.

Tayla Earle

In her return game after a head knock, Earle was in the thick of things. Playing in centre the dynamic midcourter wasted no time getting play underway with her quick thinking and hands allowing her to fire off passes. She competed hard around circle edge to create tips aplenty and used her drive in attack to complement Toeava. Earle was confident to release the ball from distance executing her passes with great ease and had great awareness to balance the circle. She impressed with a creative intercept around circle edge, managing to stay onside in the third quarter and then sprinting down the other end to push the Mystics into attack. She was a real menace in defence, constantly niggling away to win ball back. Her leap and strength on the take also shone through as Earle made a lasting imprint on the game.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic:

Khiarna Williams

After missing the past couple of weeks, Williams had a solid return out in goal attack. Coming on at half-time she used her smooth movement and clever footwork to inch closer to the post and keep the Magic in it. Williams played an excellent feeding role with her second phase work allowing her to deliver the ball with great precision into Caitlin Bassett. She was not afraid to play the ball around and most importantly was incredibly confident to post, backing herself from either under the post or from range. She brought a very different look to the Magic frontend with Williams able to use her turn of speed and aerial presence to have a profound impact. She was composed with ball in hand and did not look to panic, instead assessed the options and dished off clever passes accordingly. Her skill to execute the front-cut and use her patience was also prominent as Williams ticked away accurately on the scoreboard.

Central Pulse:

Maddy Gordon

Gordon does some of her best work when she is able to run freely and play a role in attack and that is what she got the opportunity to do this round. Playing through the centre Gordon combined her speed and attacking nous to hit circle edge and deliver clever passes into both Aliyah Dunn and Te Amo Amaru-Tibble. Her vision was highly impressive as she crafted her way down the court and showcased her versatility to either release bullet like passes or high floating ones depending on the attacking structure. Gordon displayed her two-way running ability to impact the play both in attack and defence. Her energy lifted in the second and that was when the Pulse became resurgent as she got hands to ball with a couple of impressive intercepts to get up nice and high and snatch the ball out of opposition hands.

Mainland Tactix:

Amelia Walmsley

In her debut game, the 17-year-old made no mistake stepping onto the court in the second quarter and having an impact with an immediate goal. Walmsley had great elevation and while it took a while for the Tactix to confidently deliver into the circle once they did she started to build. Her strong front holds made it obvious where she wanted the ball to be placed but her soft hands cost her the ball sometimes. Impressed with her classy footwork and ability to absorb the physicality piled onto her by Fifita. Not always confident to attack the ball, Walmsley steadily worked her way into the game especially when afforded a one-on-one directly under the post.

Southern Steel:

Tiana Metuarau

It was another consistent performance from Metuarau as the goal attack imposed her crafty court play to steer the ship in attack. quiet in patches, Metuarau used her smarts to weave the ball through the defence and deliver ball into George Fisher time and time again. Her footspeed paired with her quick hands was hard to stop and although she only managed nine goals albeit at 100 per cent her work out the front was imperative. The shooter to shooter interplay could not be stopped and that was because Metuarau continued to shake things up on the pass. Her second phase play was strong and received just about every second pass to really generate that attacking momentum.

Taneisha Fifita

The goal keeper took a while to build into the game but her mobility and agility enabled her to have an impact. Fifita never stopped trying, consistently using her change of direction and hands over pressure to get in the head of her opposition shooters. she was strong in transition moving the ball from down back with great haste despite being confined to one third of the court. Her back-up support also enabled her to be an outlet pass when the Steel were stuck. Fifita adjusted quickly to her different goal shooters but one thing that remained the same was her hunt and intensity to win ball. Her closing speed in the dying seconds and springy style of play created doubt in the feeders mind while her smarts to use the outside arm enabled her to win back a wealth of ball.

Kate Heffernan

Heffernan continues to impress with the centre imposing herself from the opening minutes. her three-foot marking allowed her to swat the ball out of the air and then transition it down court before doing it all again only moments later. Heffernan’s drive through the midcourt and to circle edge enabled her to slice through the Tactix defence time and time again. She was a real driving force with her strong movement and vision in attack while also showcased her defensive craft to combine with Savai’inaea. Her sheer athleticism was on display throughout the entire game, turning herself inside out and then steadying to release pinpoint passes.

Renee Savai’inaea

Although she did not feature highly on the stats sheet, Savai’inaea showed her class off the ball to cover the space and clog the opposition together. Her fast footwork and read of the play constantly enabled her to drop into the space and block the move of Samon Nathan especially around circle edge. The wing defence worked hard in transition to bring the ball through the centre third and split the Tactix defence.