Netball: Magic brace for Pulse clash

Courtney Tairi in action at ASB Arena for Magic against West Coast Fever last Sunday. Photo/George Novak

Kia Magic's perfect start to the season will take on an extra edge against a desperate Central Pulse in ANZ Championship netball action in Hamilton tonight.

Looking to keep a clean sheet ahead of their bye round, the Magic first have to negotiate the potentially tricky obstacle of a Pulse side intent on resurrecting their season.

Heavily favoured pre-season to make the play-offs for the first time, the Pulse have stumbled to successive losses in the last two weeks and will be hungry for a positive result to keep them in the hunt.

"They will be desperate to prove they're a better side than the last couple of weeks and it will make them a much more hardened team when they take us on," Magic coach Julie Fitzgerald said.

"They won't want to drop three in a row. They certainly are title contenders, so they won't want to be reliant on other results at the end of the year to get in. They are a quality side, you've only got to look at the number of internationals in that team.

"They'll probably end up with an international or two on the bench, so you can't under-estimate that power of talent."

Magic have delivered all the coach could ask for with improving efforts each week but Fitzgerald believes they are far from a done deal.

"I'm pleased with our intensity. I thought the last couple of minutes against Fever when the game was well and truly won, we were still fighting for goals and fighting for the ball. I really admire that level of intensity but in terms of consistency across four quarters, we're certainly not there yet.

"I think our through-court attack is improving but there's a bit of work around the circle that we can lift and a coach always finds little things that we want to do better."

For differing reasons, the much-anticipated all-Kiwi clash looms as compelling viewing in a key showdown for both teams in regards to their respective seasons.

"We want to make our home games in Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua a fortress and we would dearly love to go into the bye without a loss," Fitzgerald said.