ROUND 6 of the ANZ Premiership was always set to be a big one with the pointy end of the competition drawing ever closer and a tight mid-ladder logjam making every game from now on count. With some huge performances across the board and a couple of close finishes, just Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic missed out on a pick, with both Erena Mikaere and Abigail Latu-Meafou narrowly missing out on making the bench. Comparatively, both Central Pulse and Mainland Tactix had three players make the list, while Southern Steel had two with one loss and one win on the board. Both Northern Mystics and Northern Stars had one player featured apiece to round out the 10.

GS: Maia Wilson
GA: Kalifa McCollin
WA: Maddy Gordon
C: Shannon Saunders
WD: Karin Burger
GD: Jane Watson
GK: Temalisi Fakahokotau 

Bench: Katrina Rore, Grace Nweke, Kimiora Poi 

A regular fixture on our Team of the Week is Maia Wilson, with the young goaler continuing to assert herself on court and dominating every match regardless of the outcome. With the versatility to switch up her play depending on the feeder and shooting a large volume with plenty of accuracy, the Northern Stars goal shooter is one of the most consistent to post and racked up 36 goals at 90 per cent this week. Joining Wilson at the post is Trinidad and Tobago talent Kalifa McCollin, with the Steel goal attack plying her trade this round and holding up the attack end well. While her side suffered a massive defeat in the second game, she stood tall to finish with a combined 42 goals from 51 attempts at 82 per cent, also picking up an intercept in her second match.

Heading to the midcourt, two Pulse wings bookend the trio with Maddy Gordon and Karin Burger both putting on quality performances across their two matches. Gordon’s speed and tenacity finding the ball was crucial in the Pulse’s win over the Tactix on Sunday, while her workrate saw her rack up a combined 33 assists from 56 feeds across the two matches, whereas Burger was not just prolific on the stats sheet with four gains in the first match and two in the second, but also completely nullified Mystics firebrand Peta Toeava on Saturday, which ultimately saw the Pulse take a solid enough lead that Mystics’ second half comeback could not close the margin. Joining Gordon and Burger in the midcourt is Shannon Saunders, with the Steel centre a complete workhorse, not letting up across the court and reliable as they come, plying her trade out in in attack with 30 assists across the two matches to go with her combined three intercepts, winning crucial ball back in her first performance to get a crucial second win on the board.

In defence, our Player of the Week was a shoe-in for goal defence, with Jane Watson a force to be reckoned with once again. Almost unstoppable, Watson’s consistency and threatening ability to control a match from down back saw her dominate in her two outings, racking up three gains in the first and six in the second, accounting for a wealth of turnover ball. Her cleanliness saw her only pick up 12 penalties to her name for the entire round, using her presence to be a tough barricade alongside teammate and Team of the Week goal keeper, Temalisi Fakahokotau. Fakahokotau has picked up her game over the past few rounds, boosting her consistency and providing a constant threat as the last line of defence. With tenacity, speed and an ability to create something out of nothing, Fakahokotau proved once again she is a tough battle, picking up three intercepts against the Pulse and backing it up in her second outing with seven deflections. While only three deflections resulted in gains, it was her aerial presence that put off the Steel and saw the Tactix gain confidence in spades.

Katrina Rore is stiff to miss out on the starting seven, with her defensive pressure nullifying the Mystics attack though her output was not as high in the second match, challenged by Te Paea Selby-Rickit. Joining Rore on the bench are Grace Nweke and Kimiora Poi, with Nweke not quite as accurate as usual but still a huge target at the post with 36 and 37 goal outputs, while Poi had a solid couple of outings over the weekend, with her workrate against Pulse one to be commended.