Netball: Langman focuses on key clash

Sport is Laura Langman's greatest passion but the 24-year-old is ready to find a job and get a taste of "the real world".
Ahead of Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic's crucial ANZ championship clash against in-form Melbourne Vixens at Mystery Creek tonight, the home side's captain took time to reflect on her future outside of netball.
In May the Silver Ferns incumbent will graduate from Waikato University with a Bachelor of Business Analysis, specialising in accounting, a qualification she admits has been "a long time coming". It follows six years of study, interrupted by netball commitments, forcing Langman to use any downtime she had to study and meet assignment deadlines.
"I got used to studying while on tour. I'm fortunate I've had the discipline to be able to do that. Netball has been at the forefront but I managed to keep chipping away at the studies," the Magic midcourter said.
"Slow and steady wins the race has become my new motto."
Given the challenges to get her studies done, Langman said gaining her qualification would be a major achievement.
"It's quite exciting - but probably about 99 per cent is relief."
Once the "piece of paper" was in her hand Langman said she would seek opportunities in the work force to see where her future might lead.
"I'm keen to get some work experience ... see if I've chosen right, get a feel for what it's like out there in the real world."
Don't expect her to bow out of netball any time soon though. While admitting her "middies' legs" might not enable her to still be around at Magic shooter Irene van Dyk's current age - 38 - she would "go for as long as possible that's for sure".
And while the World Championships are looming, right now Langman is fully focussed on Magic's transtasman campaign which suffered a bump in the road when they were pipped by Northern Mystics in their last outing.
Langman said Vixens appeared to be running hot right now and she expected tonight's match to be fast, intense and physical. "It's going to take a full 60-minute performance for us to topple them."
Despite last week's "disappointing" loss, Magic were "tracking nicely" in this year's condensed season and it was exciting to see the progress shown by the likes of midcourter Jess Tuki, defender Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick and shooter Julianna Naoupu, a trio given little ANZ Championship court time in the past but now stepping up every week.
Langman said links with the new players on court were still a work in progress and as a team Magic needed to work on maintaining the pressure after gaining a lead and minimising errors. As for her own game, she was working on gaining consistency and presence, she said.
The shorter season with its double headers was "full-on" but Magic were "just about where we want to be", Langman said. "The intensity has definitely increased this year and teams are so much more competitive."
The next two rounds will see Magic on tour in Australia where they will play West Coast Fever in Perth and a week later, Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane.
Tonight's match (Monday) against Vixens at Mystery Creek is set to start at 7.40pm.