WITH the ANZ Premiership season done and dusted we take a look back at each club and analyse their season. In this edition we look at Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic who narrowly missed out on finals due to a relatively inconsistent season.

Ladder: 4th
Win-loss: 5-10
Percentage: 89.9%

It was an up and down season for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, claiming some upset wins against the Northern Stars and suffering some unexpected losses to teams below them on the ladder. They had a relatively inexperienced frontline while defensively they oozed class and experience. However, the Magic have plenty to build on for next season if they are able to keep a similar line-up.

At times the Magic struggled to find that connection through attack, in particular in the goal circle – constantly rotating shooters through in the hope to find a winning combination. Former Adelaide Thunderbirds and Queensland Firebirds shooter, Abigail Latu-Meafou made a lasting impact with her attack and scoring ability. Though at times she struggled to combat the defensive pressure applied, the young goaler showed plenty of promise with her clever movement, swift passing and good vision. Her combination with the likes of fellow shooters Kelsey McPhee and Monica Falkner started to grow throughout the season with their links solidifying, gaining an ability to find one another on the drive or read play to hold. Both Falkner and McPhee featured in the top 10 goal scorers for the season with McPhee finishing with 319 from 395 at 81 per cent while Falkner nailed 246 goals from her 310 attempts.

Through the midcourt, Simmon Howe and Ariana Cable-Dixon were the real play makers feeding the ball into the constantly changing goal circle. Their ability to adapt their play to accommodate the changes was important with both Howe and Cable-Dixon finding good space to hit the top of the goal circle. Cable-Dixon often led the way in attack, setting up clever attacking forays and dictating space in the goal circle through her ball delivery with 274 feeds for the season. Both midcourt players did a wealth of work through transition to bring the ball down with Howe receiving 220 centre passes and Cable-Dixon 175. Former Silver Fern, Sam Sinclair was a key cog both in attack and defence for the Magic with her ability to swing between centre and wing defence. She utilised her defensive style through the midcourt to apply pressure over the ball carrier and showcased her endurance capabilities to run with her opponent. Lisa Mather also showed that she has what it takes to come on and do her role in wing defence to nullify the influence of her direct opponent and create some turnovers.

In defence the Magic have plenty of star power with young gun Kelly Jury dominating a lot of the stats. Though she was the leading player for penalties with 187, it was her ability to win ball back that made a huge difference. Her hunt and endeavour for the ball was second to none and really sparked the Magic at times throughout the season. Jury used her height to advantage, amassing 36 intercepts, 27 rebounds and 79 deflections. She is deceptively quick and a good mover given her height, while her partnership with Casey Kopua enabled her to hunt for intercepts. Veteran defender, Kopua showed that age is just a number with the goal defence using her netball knowledge and skill to collect her fair share of loose ball with 64 deflections, 30 intercepts and 26 rebounds. Jenna O’Sullivan was also a great addition when on court, offering good defensive intensity, getting hands to ball and positioning well. She also offered an element of versatility, able to switch between circle defence and wing defence based on the side’s needs.