IT was a long time coming but the clash between the Pulse and Tactix finally came to fruition yesterday afternoon with the latter claiming a dominant 13-goal win (47-34). The defensive pressure from the Tactix was elite as they limited the Pulse to a mere 14 goals throughout the entire second half of action.

The Pulse were without a couple of key cogs with goal defence Kelly Jury missing due to a calf strain prompting Parris Mason to get the start. There were turnovers aplenty from the Pulse in the opening few minutes as Charlotte Elley starred going back with the flight of the ball to steal an intercept and send the ball down the other end. The Tactix opened up a handy two-goal lead within the first five minutes of play with their transition causing the Pulse all sorts of headaches. The Tactix went on a three-goal spree and while Aliyah Dunn had an opportunity to put an end to it she was called for a held ball. There was simply nothing falling the way of the Pulse with shots falling short and Elley there on circle edge waiting to pick up the crumbs.

The lead continued to extend for the Tactix with their front-end humming along nicely as Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Ellie Bird found plenty of room inside the circle. It did not take long for the Tactix to skip out to a seven goal lead with their defensive pressure causing all sorts of trouble. The Pulse looked to the bench for a spark with Ivana Rowland replacing Te Amo Amaru-Tibble and making an immediate impact. Every time the Pulse got a sniff the Tactix managed to find a way to ruffle their feathers with Kimiora Poi sprinting through the midcourt to create a handy intercept. Silly errors started to creep into the game for the Pulse but a handy run of goals to close out the term saw them cut the deficit to four.

A four-goal lead quickly turned into six as Bird made the Pulse pay under the post. With the attack end firing on all cylinders the work of Jane Watson and Karin Burger was just as dominant down back. The two showcased plenty of smarts and defensive nous to win ball back time and time again with Watson pushing Dunn out of her comfort zone up nice and high in the circle. Defensively the Pulse made a change at the beginning of the quarter with Paris Lokotui injected into the action to combat Selby-Rickit. It was an incredibly untidy performance from both sides with the Pulse giving away cheap ball and the Tactix coughing up just as much.

Whitney Souness was being worn like a glove unable to find any easy avenue to circle edge. An increased sense of momentum and energy across the court from the Pulse seemed to work their way as they culled the margin from six goals to two. Samon Nathan moved onto the bench prompting Erikana Pedersen to enter the fray in wing attack, with her speed and dynamism exactly what the doctor ordered but the combination of Claire Kersten and Maddy Gordon was working in overdrive to shut down the space and cause a ruckus. It got back to within one goal but once again a lack of options towards the ball cost the side with a held ball. But Gordon showcased her flair and closing speed to win the ball back as Dunn levelled the scores with just over two minutes left on the clock. Once again, the Tactix struck back with the final three goals of the term.

The Pulse were still looking for a spark and winning edge with Abby Erwood hitting the court and causing a ruckus. The scrappiness from the second quarter continued into the third with a number of errant passes dictating the flow of the match. Watson and Burger doubled down on Dunn, forcing Rowland to take the shot but that did not seem to faze the up and coming goaler. Kelera Nawai was starting to come into the match for the Pulse with her combination with Lokotui growing in stature as the game went on. Increased accuracy to the post for the Pulse kept them alive but the constant niggle of the Tactix is what gave them an edge.

A warning to Pedersen forced the Tactix to make a change with Nathan re-entering the game but that did not upset the apple cart in the slightest as the home side continued on their merry way. Poi was having a game to remember with the centre flinging her body across the court and turning herself inside out to win ball back, and within the blink of an eye the ball skyrocketed down the court. The lead once again began to balloon out as the Tactix went on a three-goal run to create a six-goal lead. By three quarter time the Tactix were well and truly in the box seat holding a seven-goal buffer.

Holding the upper hand the Tactix further put the foot down in the final quarter with the hesitation on the pass into the circle evident for the Pulse. Dunn could barely get free while Rowland was having to work in overdrive to find any form of space inside the circle. It was a completely different story up the other end of the court with Bird using her added centimetres to control proceedings. The lead skipped out to 10 goals and before you knew it the Tactix created a whopping 13-goal lead to claim a convincing win.

Bird was the most prolific goaler for the Tactix with 31 goals from 40 attempts as Selby-Rickit slotted 16 from 23 at 70 per cent and also collected 15 goal assists. Nathan also had a hot hand with 13 goal assists while defensively Watson was in everything picking up four intercepts as Burger collected five gains. Dunn slotted 21 from 22 while Rowland managed 11 from 13 in her three quarters on court. Souness dominated with ball in hand racking up 21 goal assists as Nawai made herself a nuisance in defence with six gains.