A HEARTBREAKINGLY close loss opened up proceedings on a big evening of ANZ Premiership netball action on Sunday, with the Central Pulse staying true to form once more with a sixth straight win and unbeaten record intact, defeating the Mainland Tactix by just one goal after Te Paea Selby-Rickit’s goal to level was denied. While the Tactix led all comers at the final change, Pulse would not go down so easily, running out 33-32 victors in a low-scoring affair.

A quick start from the Pulse saw the side hold up the Tactix well early, racking up a couple easy turnovers in the opening five to really assert themselves in the game and force errors. Kelly Jury and Katrina Rore well and truly had the number on Ellie Bird early, though the Tactix were on the hunt too making the Pulse work hard to send ball into the circle. The battle between Claire Kersten and Kimiora Poi was fascinating with both players key cogs through the midcourt, though Kersten seemed to have the upper hand early and working in tandem with Maddy Gordon the pair seemed unstoppable. With high pressure down the court from both teams, relentless in their pursuit for possession, there were no easy feeds into the circle making for a constant contest to get to post. Karin Burger was all over Erikana Pedersen in the first, seeing the Pulse lead the Tactix 10-8 at the first change. 

Plenty of argy bargy at both ends kept all 14 players on their toes, but while the Tactix led the shot tally to post, inaccuracy was their own worst enemy with both Bird and Selby-Rickit missing easy attempts credit to Rore and Jury’s impeccable hands over pressure. It was credit to the Pulse defence and accuracy that kept the ladder leading side ahead despite their lesser attempts, with Aliyah Dunn and Ameliaranne Ekenasio shooting at 100 per cent. Both sides did a wealth of work to confuse the space, though neither team was really able to convincingly take a lead and stay ahead of the other. Where Ekenasio is usually the focal point of the Pulse attack, she was kept relatively quiet by an unrelenting Jane Watson who, true to form, was consistent as ever and did not let a single easy pass get by her. Temalisi Fakahokotau was similarly as dominant, owning plenty of turnover ball herself and putting doubt in the minds of the feeders.

While Jury had dominated Bird earlier, the tall Tactix timber found her form in the second quarter, creating better options at the post. While she wasn’t at her most accurate credit to Pulse’s hands over pressure, the Tactix had more chances to ply their trade at the post and certainly made use of it. The seesawing matchup kept on going, with little patches of momentum going both teams’ way and seeing Pulse only lead by one goal at half time, 19-18. 100 per cent accuracy from the Pulse paid dividends, with the Tactix only at 75 per cent but with five more shots at goal by half time proving that the Tactix were just not making the most of their chances at the post.

A great intercept from Watson to start the third quarter set the tone, with the Tactix quickly putting another one on the board to take the lead, although a couple more unforced errors allowed the Pulse to hold the Tactix up and steal back the centre. While patience on the feed allowed Tactix to work around the ball in attack, the Pulse continued to do an impressive job defensively and create turnovers with long arms over the ball. Hesitance on the hunt saw little change from either side, both playing consistently but without as much high-intensity intercepting as we usually see from the two sides. 

Watson continued to ply her trade with ease and eventually forced a mid-quarter change from the Pulse with Tiana Metuarau taking the court in place of Ekenasio to inject a bit more movement into attack with Ekenasio potentially not moving as well as usual with a slight ankle niggle against the Mystics the previous evening. Ekenasio returned to the court not long after however, donning the goal shooter bib and sending Dunn (13 goals at 100 per cent) to the bench. While the change worked in patches, the confidence of the Tactix defence continued to dominate and tell the story of the match, extending to a three goal lead with under 30 second on the clock. Patience down court saw the side held up but still went into the final quarter leading 28-25.

Jury started the last quarter on the bench, with the Pulse rattled and Elle Temu starting the quarter and doing her job well from the get-go, and matching up well on Bird who dominated the third quarter with her great positioning. It took almost two minutes for the first goal of the quarter to be scored, credit to the defensive pressure of both teams’ midcourt units working hard to recover possession and relatively evenly matched. A lack of movement in the Pulse circle saw the side have issues getting to post, though the Tactix continued to pull out all the stops down court. Poi switched on, using her speed to not only evade Kersten but also create stoppages down the court. 

While the Tactix seemed to have the momentum early in the quarter, the Pulse are not the ladder-leaders for nothing and proved it with a couple goals on the trot allowing them to come back within a couple of goals and really put the Tactix on the defensive. A caution to Poi could have changed the game, but with just under four minutes on the clock the Tactix were still ahead by two goals and seemed in control despite not putting up many shots. While it was the Tactix’s game for the taking, the side could not find any easy avenues to goal, and two goals from Metuarau leveled the score with two minutes on the clock. At 32 goals apiece with under a minute on the clock, Pulse played the possession game to whittle down the clock, shooting a goal with seven seconds left on the clock and little chance for the Tactix to turn and shoot. It did the job, with Selby-Rickit’s goal on the siren not counting.

It was Pulse’s bench depth that paid off in the end, with both Temu and Metuarau having an impact on the game and proving crucial cogs off the bench. While Metuarau was not at her most accurate, the goal attack picked up two of her own rebounds and shot seven goals at 64 per cent accuracy to aid Ekenasio who finished with 13 from 16. Gordon was solid with 15 assists, and while Tactix’s patient play did not allow a wealth of turnover ball for the Pulse, Jury, Burger and Kersten all collected an intercept apiece. For the Tactix, Fakahokotau was instrumental with her three intercepts, while Watson forced indecision from the Pulse to rack up six deflections, though only one resulted in a gain. Despite the slow start, Bird held up well against the onslaught of Rore, Jury and Temu, shooting 24 from 28 to topscore for the match, while Selby-Rickit aided with 16 assists but otherwise just could not get into the game, finishing with just eight goals at 73 per cent. 

>>> PULSE TEAM PAGE

>>> MYSTICS TEAM PAGE

>>> FULL MATCH STATS

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CENTRAL PULSE 10 | 9 | 6 | 8 (33)
MAINLAND TACTIX 8 | 10 | 10 | 4 (32)

STARTING SEVEN

Pulse 

GS: Aliyah Dunn
GA: Ameliaranne Ekenasio
WA: Maddy Gordon
C: Claire Kersten
WD: Karin Burger
GD: Katrina Rore
GK: Kelly Jury

Tactix

GS: Ellie Bird
GA: Te Paea Selby-Rickit
WA: Erikana Pedersen
C: Kimiora Poi
WD: Charlotte Elley
GD: Jane Watson
GK: Temalisi Fakahokotau