IT was a historic win for the Northern Stars to open the 2021 ANZ Premiership season, defeating Central Pulse for the very first time in a huge 57-53 battle. Whilst a huge opening quarter set the tone, the Pulse are not reigning premiers for nothing, and reeled in the contest to go toe-to-toe until the very end. 

Maddy Gordon was in it to win it from the get-go, flying out of the blocks at home in wing defence and wreaking havoc from the very beginning. But a shaky start from the Pulse attack end saw the Stars extend an early lead as the reigning premiers struggled to put a goal on the board. To their credit though, the pressure from Fijian newcomer Kelera Nawai worked wonders with the goal keeper finding space to squeeze into and find purchase on the ball, putting Stars captain Maia Wilson under all sorts of pressure. At the other end, Anna Harrison and Elle Temu flew out of the blocks defensively and limited any easy access to the circle, with disconnect and sloppiness in the attack from the Pulse. A 5-1 start was quickly whittled down though as the Pulse found some better connection out the front, with the likes of Aliyah Dunn forced to put up shots from further out than usual but settling in fairly well. Gina Crampton’s positioning at the top of circle edge worked wonders, continuously finding her goalers with ease as Gordon struggled to contain her bursts of speed. A 20-12 margin was opened up with a Wilson goal on the siren, and the Pulse had a lot of work to do to reduce the deficit.

A 4-0 start from the Pulse as the second quarter began proved the side was in the match, with plenty on the line and some magic from Nawai on the goalline doing the trick. Whilst the Stars continued to remain strong, the Pulse gained confidence as the scoreline was quickly reduced, with Jamie Hume showcasing her playmaking abilities with some clever drives and a nice long shot to stem the Pulse flow. An ankle niggle to Temu saw the change made with Harrison slotting back into keeper and Oceane Maihi into goal defence, and the change saw an immediate difference with Harrison creating a huge deflection on Dunn’s shot to deny a score an send the ball flying up the court with an eight-goal margin back in play. A couple of late goals to the Pulse saw just a four-goal lead at half time, 30-26 with a huge second half to come.

Monica Falkner made her ANZ Premiership return after half time, taking the court for the first time since 2019, and while she started strongly it was a couple of uncharacteristic misses from Wilson that allowed the Pulse to get a sniff, swiftly reducing the margin to just two goals. Claire Kersten was monumental in the comeback, utilising her clean hands and vision through the midcourt to pick off errant passes and send the ball flying back down court, aided by Whitney Souness out the front who continuously found circle edge. Debutant Parris Mason took the court in goal keeper and put on the physicality from the get-go, getting a rude awakening from Wilson with a hand to the face but getting on with business. The Stars went on another solid run to pile on the offensive pressure, although continued good form from the Pulse midcourt allowed the side to remain within close quarters, trailing by six goals at the final change.

A huge final quarter opened with neither side letting up, with high-pressure netball from coast to coast. Falkner made a huge save on the goal line to keep the ball in play but left the court a bit proppy on her ankle, seeing Hume return in goal attack, as the physical battle continued inside the goal circle. A couple of late misses from Hume and Wilson once again opened up chances for the Pulse, however it was not enough as the scoreline remained out at four to five goals, with the Stars defence continuing to fire on all cylinders. Bodies were on the line as the match continued to tighten up, but it was not enough for the Pulse to take a lead as the Stars ran away with a 57-53 victory to open the season.

Wilson (44 goals from 50 attempts) and Dunn (36 from 39) were huge at each end, whilst Te Amo Amaru-Tibble did not appear to skip a beat on her ANZ Premiership return, piling on 17 goals for the Pulse as Hume put 10 goals up for Stars. Defensively, Kelly Jury finished with five gains for the Pulse as Kersten piled on three of her own (two intercepts), whilst for the winning side it was Harrison (four gains, two of which were intercepts) and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan who wreaked havoc. Crampton led all comers to finish with 26 assists, while Souness and Amaru-Tibble shared the load for Pulse with 18 assists apiece. 

CENTRAL PULSE 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 (53)
NORTHERN STARS 20 | 10 | 15 | 12 (57)

STARTING SEVENS

Pulse

GS: Aliyah Dunn
GA: Te Amo Amaru-Tibble
WA: Whitney Souness
C: Claire Kersten
WD: Maddy Gordon
GD: Kelly Jury
GK: Kelera Nawai

Stars

GS: Maia Wilson
GA: Jamie Hume
WA: Gina Crampton
C: Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
WD: Lisa Mather
GD: Anna Harrison
GK: Elle Temu