ROUND 3 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

There is not enough superlatives to describe with the goal shooter not only growing in confidence but so too stature. Although she had a shaky start to the match up against a couple of Silver Ferns defenders in Jane Watson and Karin Burger the goaler worked her magic. Her strength in the air was unquestionable, consistently plucking the ball out of midair with great ease while her twinkle toes along the baseline was also evident throughout the game. Nweke showcased her versatility able to adapt quickly from the high ball to a chest level pass and used her spatial awareness to edge closer to the post when necessary. But the most memorable and important moment of the night did not come until the final second with Nweke slotting the match-winning goal.

Tayla Earle

Earle was once again the unsung hero through the midcourt for the Mystics with her endurance and netball smarts taking centre stage. Her composure throughout the game was impressive able to grind out the match and hit circle edge with great pace and precision. Her smarts to drive away and then dart back to the pocket was second to none as it allowed her teammates around her to find space. Earle was not afraid to deliver bullet like passes into the circle and was strong through the midcourt to hold up play and contest passes. She was a real pillar of consistency, not fazed by the momentum shifts instead just digging deep to find that winning edge and to leap up and take game changing intercepts as shown through the second half.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic:

Khiarna Williams

The up and coming goaler only continues to get better and this game was no different. Spending majority of the game out in goal attack Williams showcased her array of talent ranging from her aerial presence to her class in close to receive the ball downlow. She was able to adapt on the fly and most importantly starred with her accuracy to post. Williams was a real commanding presence and backed herself on the take such was her confidence and awareness to slot into the vacant spaces on court. Her fancy footwork in particular along the baseline was second to none as she opened up the court and drove into the circle with her unassuming turn of speed catching the defenders somewhat off guard. However her lack of experience did show at times up against seasoned campaigner Anna Harrison.

Georgie Edgecombe

It was somewhat of a quiet game by Edgecombe who despite getting the job done for patches of the game struggled to find that level of consistency. She chopped and changed around the court moving from wing defence to centre but did some of her best work in that lockdown position in wing defence to quell the speed of ball coming into their defensive end. Her clever footwork around circle edge enabled her to contest while her three-foot marking was also imperative. She worked hard across the court to help in transition thanks to her strong hands and cleverly placed leads.

Central Pulse:

Paris Lokotui

Brought on for Maddy Gordon who went down with a suspected ankle injury, Lokotui worked tirelessly in defence to nullify the influence of her opposition. Her three-foot marking and clever footwork enabled her to keep Shannon Saunders away from the circle edge for large chunks of time. She was a consistent figure through the midcourt providing some strong drives through the centre third to alleviate the pressure in attack. Her strong hands were also imperative with Lokotui more than happy to contest in the air and wrestle for the ball. Lokotui also made use of her deceptive closing speed to shut down the space.

Southern Steel:

Tiana Metuarau

The exciting goal attack continued her merry way with her change of pace and smooth movement in attack allowing her to set the tempo. She was cool, calm and collected able to thread the needle into teammate George Fisher under the post and used her smarts to negate the influence of her defender. Her ability to pop out on the goal line was impressive as was her accuracy to post as she boasted a 100 per cent shooting accuracy. Metuarau was a real playmaker out the front, seeming to have the ball on a string at times and using her change of direction to catch opposition defenders off-guard.

Taneisha Fifita

It was an impressive performance from Fifita with the goal keeper dominating under the post and using her leap to inflict plenty of her pain. She inserted herself into the thick of things from the opening minutes of the game and did not look back contesting everything that came her way. Fifita showcased her netball nous to dance around her opponent in Aliyah Dunn to get ballside and create a wealth of tips and turnovers. Her overall read of the play was second to none consistently manoeuvring around the defensive third to cherry pick passes and apply strong hands over pressure.

Kate Heffernan

Heffernan continues to get better and develop each and every game with the revitalised centre highlighting her high level of endurance to get busy both in attack and defence. Her two way running was crucial for the Steel’s win as was her tenacity and high IQ to drop back into damaging positions. Heffernan put together some nice passages of play credit to her hands up and three-foot marking along with her transitional speed through the midcourt. her court craft was also impressive as she sliced through the defenders to deliver the ball on a silver platter to her goalers.

Renee Savai’inaea

Although it was not a stats stuffing performance Savai’inaea was a real trojan for the Steel working in overdrive to shut down her opponents every move. Her capacity to go toe-to-toe with Whitney Souness throughout the battle was impressive as she grinded her down to reduce her impact in attack. Savai’inaea proved her strength in the air as well to cleanly compete for the aerial pass while her drive through the centre enabled her side to reset when need be.