Bubby's GA Tayla Blanchard in the semi final match against Ngongotaha. Photo / Andrew Warner
Bubby's GA Tayla Blanchard in the semi final match against Ngongotaha. Photo / Andrew Warner
Ngongotaha Premier are heading back to the Harbourside Premier Club finals to defend their title with the hope of taking the title for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2017 winners secured their place in the finals after beating Bubby's 57-40 in one of two Division 1 semifinals at ASB Arenaon Thursday night - a match between two teams who turn up to play in the competition without any trainings, relying heavily on natural talent and knowing each other on the court.
The second semifinal was won by Mount Allied Prem 1 who beat Tauranga Sports Terraways 41-51.
The finals will pit the two leaders of the competition - Ngongotaha ranked at the top of the ladder and the second-placed Mount side - two weeks after they last faced off, with Ngongotaha narrowly taking the win 49-46.
Victory for Ngongotaha in next week's finals will mean a fourth championship title for the team, and they are going into it with only one loss by default all season - not bad for a team that used the first two rounds as their only training sessions.
Ngongotaha coach Aroha Taipeti said Thursday's semifinal had a slow start but her team came on top as expected.
Predominantly made up of experienced players who have gone away and come back together to play, the youngest player on the team is 18-year-old age group representative Jess Wharekura led in the circle by Kate Henwood in GD.
Ngongotaha only made one change up the whole game, switching out Nadine Stone from centre with Tania-Rose Raharuhi in WD - both of whom were consistently strong in the mid court.
Taipeti is looking forward to coming up against Mount Allied next week.
"We only just beat them last time," Tapeti said.
Bubby's captain Tayla Blanchard said her team started out strongly but they were unable to maintain it past the first half.
The game was "contestable and competitive", and the girls did well.
This year's netball season has been a long one for Bubby's, after losing players to injuries and other commitments and up until this week, they had been playing with a full team.
