In this preview is;
The draw for Round 1
Dot points for this round
A look forward to the 2009 season with NSW Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald
What statistics you can expect from each game and where you find them online
Head to head statistics from the same team match-ups last season
Round One Draw;
Saturday 4th April
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Central Pulse
Stadium Southland, Invercargill at 2.00pm*
Saturday 4th April
Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever
State Netball Hockey Stadium, Melbourne at 2.00pm
Sunday 5th April
Queensland Firebirds v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane at 2.30pm
Monday 6th April
LG Mystics v Colourplus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
The Trusts Stadium, Auckland at 7.00pm
Monday 6th April
NSW Swifts v Mercury Energy Tactix
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney at 7.00pm
* Please note all times are local area times.
Dot points for Round 1;
Colourplus Waikato / BOP Magic vs LG Mystics
Trusts Stadium
The two teams met twice in 2008. The Magic were victorious on both occasions, winning in the Round Two 56 – 52 and in Round Six 59 - 45
The Magic were the winners of the Minor Championship, edging out the NSW Swifts on goal percentage 114.69% to 111.35%. The Magic and the NSW Swifts both won 10 games and lost three in the home and away season, with the NSW Swifts victorious in the Grand Final, winning 65 to 56
The Magic’s winning away percentage last year sat at 43% while the LG Mystics winning at home percentage was 38%
The LG Mystics consistently accrued high scores throughout the competition despite winning or losing. Their lowest score was 42, which put them in second place in that department behind the NSW Swifts at 44.
Magic defender Casey Williams was named Holden Captiva Most Valuable Player of the 2008 ANZ Championship, she headed three statistical categories of the competition: deflections (84), defensive rebounds (66) and intercepts (51).
Magic shooter Irene van Dyk recorded her three 100 per cent shooting performances in 2008 and led in the accuracy stakes with 92.8% over 16 games. Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu was in the top ten in both accuracy and volume in 2008 and shot on average at 82%.
The Magic have accrued one Mystics player and the Mystics have accrued one Magic Player
Mystics gains: Keshia Grant (Magic), Pamela Cookey (England), Debbie White (Steel) and Finau Pulu
Mystics losses: Leana de Bruin (Magic), Paula Griffin (Pulse), Sheryl Scanlan (Steel), Angelina Yates
Magic gains: Leana de Bruin (Mystics), Frances Solia (Pulse), Jess Tuki (Steel) and Elias Shadrock
Magic losses: Amigene Metcalf, Brigette Tapene, Keshia Grant (Mystics), Rachel Beale
NSW Swifts v Mercury Energy Tactix
Sydney Olympic Park
The two teams met once in 2008 in Round two with the Tactix beating the eventual Champions 50 – 44. This made the Tactix the only New Zealand team to beat the NSW Swifts in 2008
After losing three of their first six matches, to Tactix, Vixens and Firebirds, Swifts proceeded to compile the best winning streak of the competition, nine straight wins including the Major Semi-Final and Grand Final.
The Tactix won four of their first six games but then could manage only one win from their final six games.
The Swifts have the second highest winning at Home record with 88%.
The Tactix and Swifts have shooters in the top ten shooting accuracy stakes. Jodi Brown (who played only 5 games) sat at fourth with 88% and Susan Pratley at seventh with 87%
The Swifts had a staggering 1017 attempts at goal during the competition. The only team to exceed 1000 and 35 attempts ahead of the Magic
Swifts Coach Julie Fitzgerald topped the inaugural coaching record with an 80% success rate.
Tactix gains: Angela Mitchell, Sonia Mkoloma (Pulse), Kahurangi Waititi (Pulse), Larissa Wilcox (Fever)
Tactix losses: Demelza McCloud (Firebirds), Elizabeth Manu (Pulse), Joanna McCaw, Hayley Stockman
Swifts gains: Samantha May, Amy Wild, Ashlee Mann, Jessica Mansell
Swifts losses: Selina Gilsenan (retired), Adelaide Johnson, Tiffany Lincoln, Leah Shoard (Steel)
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Central Pulse
Stadium Southland, Invercargill
The two teams met twice in 2008. The Steel were victorious on both occasions, winning in the Round two 52 – 50 and in the Round nine 41 - 29
The Steel finished 6th in the 2008 season, the Pulse finished 10th.
The Steel’s winning percentage at home was 62.5%. The Pulse did not win a game last season.
The Pulse’s highest score in 2008 was 50, their lowest was 28
Steel’s gains: Donna Wilkins, Adine Wilson, Leah Shoard (Swifts), Sheryl Scanlan (Mystics)
Pulse’s gains: Paula Griffin (Mystics), Althea Byfield (Jamaica), Larissa Harrison, Te Amo Amaru-Tibble, Camilla Lees, Ngarama Milner-Olsen, Hannah Broederlow, Katie King
Steel’s losses: Megan Dehn (Firebirds), Jenny May-Coffin (retired), Debbie White (Mystics), Jess Tuki (Magic)
Pulse’s losses: Sonia Mkoloma (Tactix), Kahurangi Waitit (Tactix), Frances Solia (Magic), Amber Bellringer, Lauren Burgess, Hayley Crofts, Candyce Edwards, Susan Tagicakibau
The Pulse had matches that went to extra time – three times, more than any other team last season.
Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever
State Netball Hockey Centre, Melbourne
· Vixens won both their 2008 matches against West Coast Fever in Round 9 and Round 12
· At the Sydney Pre-season Tournament, Vixens defeated Fever 28-21 (half game)
· With player movement over the off season, Fever will have two former Vixens players – Madison Browne and Johannah Curran – in its team, while English import Ama Agbeze will debut for the Vixens after a season at Fever.
· Vixens had a shooting percentage of 79.2% in 2008, ranking them 8th in the competition, while Fever had a shooting accuracy of 83.3% and a ranking of 4.
· Vixens winning at home percentage last year was 67% while Fever winning percentage away from home was 14%
· Sharelle McMahon had the highest shooting percentage in the Vixens team at 81.7%, while Caitlin Thwaites had the highest volume for Vixens with 422 goals for the year
· Caitlin Bassett was the stand out shooter for Fever in 2008, shooting 452 goals at an accurate 87.1%
· Vixens gains: Ama Agbeze (Fever) Kathleen Knott, Chelsey Nash, Brooke Thompson
· Vixens losses: Madison Browne (Fever), Johannah Curran (Fever), Sharni Layton (AIS), Abby Sargent (retired)
· Fever gains: Emma Beckett, Shae Bolton (AIS), Madison Browne (Vixens)
· Fever losses: Karen Atkinson, Ama Agbeze (Vixens), Ingrid Dick (retired), Tracey Pemberton, Larissa Wilcox (Tactix)
Queensland Firebirds v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
Adelaide Thunderbirds won both of its 2008 matches against Queensland Firebirds in Round 9 and Round 13
Thunderbirds greatest winning margin against Firebirds in the ANZ Championship is 19 goals (Rd 13)
At the Sydney Pre-season Tournament, Thunderbirds defeated Firebirds 29-19 (half game)
Firebirds winning at home percentage last year was 86% while Thunderbirds winning percentage away was 63%
Firebirds Jamaican import Romelda Aiken was the dominant shooter for Firebirds’ in 2009 shooting 492 goals at 89.9%
Thunderbirds shooter Natalie Medhurst was her team’s leading scorer in 2008 shooting 326 goals at 90.3% accuracy (second highest in competition)
Firebirds gains: Demelza McCloud (nee Fellows) (Tactix), Alissa Castrisos, Carla Dziwoki
Firebirds losses: Katie Walker, Jo Morgan, Megan Rooney
Thunderbirds gains: Jane Altschwager, Joanne Sutton, Laura von Bertouch, Sheree Wingard
Thunderbirds losses: Alex Clarke, Mandy Edwards, Melissa Rowland, Kristen Hughes
Bumper season ahead, says Swifts coach;
Heading into the second year of the ANZ Championship, inaugural title-winning NSW Swifts netball coach Julie Fitzgerald has no doubts about what’s in store for 2009.
Last year’s introduction of a semi-professional trans-Tasman competition heralded a new era for the sport which Fitzgerald expects to reach new heights this year.
The intense 16-week season proved a testing one as the 10 teams struggled for consistency in battling the demands of performing week-in week-out over a prolonged period.
After a slow start, the Swifts took most by surprise to win the title on the back of a super consistent second half to the season.
However, Fitzgerald thinks back-to-back titles will be a much harder proposition.
``Everyone will go into this year more aware of what they’re going into and what’s required of them,’’ she said.
``I think a lot of the teams have built across the year and it will be a much stronger competition.’’
Consistency across the 13 weeks of the regular season and the ability to cope with loss of players through injury, the travel and being able to back up quickly from a Monday game to a Saturday game are vital components for Fitzgerald.
The Swifts lost three of their first five games last year and Fitzgerald said a repeat would be much tougher to come back from this year.
Knowing the demands of the competition, there has been a strong drive during the off-season by all teams to recruit wisely. There has been a lot of player movement but Fitzgerald singled out last year’s runners-up the Colourplus Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic for special mention heading into the first round of competition this weekend.
``You can pretend all you like but Magic are certainly the favourites of the competition and they do stand out head and shoulders above the others,’’ she said.
With their quintet of Silver Ferns – Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia, Laura Langman, Joline Henry and Casey Williams – and the off-season signings of accomplished defender Leana de Bruin, livewire midcourter Frances Solia and promising shooter Jess Tuki, the Magic present a formidable line-up.
``Teams like Adelaide Thunderbirds have built very well in the off-season, the pre-season form of Mystics can’t be ignored and Southern Steel is a team well-used to winning and I always have a lot of respect for them,’’ Fitzgerald said.
Major coups for the impressive Adelaide Thunderbirds 2009 team are dynamic midcourter Laura von Bertouch, who will reunite with her equally talented sister Natalie, and shooter Jane Altschwager. Both former Australian players have been lured out of retirement to strengthen an already top-notch Thunderbirds team.
The LG Mystics have a strong core in former Silver Ferns Temepara George and Vilimaina Davu while the towering Cathrine Latu gives the Auckland team a strong presence in goal.
The Steel have made prominent changes with well-performed defender Sheryl Scanlan moving south, former Swift Leah Shoard venturing across the Tasman and they welcome back former Silver Ferns Adine Wilson and Donna Wilkins.
``You also have to be wary of any team that’s got Romelda Aiken in it. And who’s going to rule out Melbourne Vixens while West Coast Fever has built very well in the off-season,’’ Fitzgerald said.
With a season under her belt, willowy Jamaican shooter Aiken could be in for a bumper 2009 as she spearheads a relatively stable Queensland Firebirds team. Their other major acquisition is Demelza McCloud (nee Fellowes) who turned out for the Mercury Energy Tactix last year.
The Melbourne Vixens have the inspiring Sharelle McMahon back to full fitness after a knee injury and last year’s fourth-placed finishers front up with a well-credentialed team.
As for the Swifts in 2009, they have a big hole to plug following the retirement of influential midcourter Selina Gilsenan. The former international was a strong ball carrier through court for the Swifts and a damaging defender.
A key aspect for the New Zealand teams will be the ability to win games in Australia, a feat which none achieved last year
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