Netball: Pupil savours Aussie wins

Kelsey McPhee (left) and captain Kristina Tipene with the trophy their team won in Kuala Lumpur. Photo / Supplied

It's no secret ... the Kiwi teams are struggling against their Aussie counterparts in the ANZ Netball Championship.

This isn't the case at age group level particularly in games involving the Aotearoa Maori Secondary Schools side. The team, which included Hawke's Bay goal shoot Kelsey McPhee, won the recent eight-team five-day Bukit Jalil Sports Schools Under-19 Challenge in Kuala Lumpur with an unbeaten run.

They beat School Sports Australia twice, including the 29-21 win in the final and Indigenous School Sports Australia twice including the 35-23 victory in the semifinal.

"Beating the Aussies was an amazing experience. In the final they had 20 parents in the crowd and we had five ... we turned that negative into a positive which made us play harder," McPhee explained.

The Napier Girls High School year 13 student started in all of the Aotearoa team's big games. She succeeded with 90 per cent of her shots in the final.

"Our coach Te Aroha [former Silver Fern Keenan] gave me some good feedback. She told me she was impressed with my shooting throughout the week and I had the potential to go a long way as long as I work on improving my fitness," McPhee said.

"It was good to play against teams from different countries like Australia, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and learn about different styles."

The Hawke's Bay under-19 player will get an early opportunity to show Keenan some improved fitness when she plays under her again for the Aotearoa Maori under-19 team at next week's transtasman Under-19 tournament in Rotorua. McPhee will be one of three backing up from the Kuala Lumpur tournament at this event.

"I know I may not be a regular starter in Rotorua like I was in Kuala Lumpur. But I want to make the most of what time I get so I can be considered for it again next year," she said.

Her NGHS teammate, midcourter Kimiora Poi, will play for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in Rotorua. McPhee looked upon these international assignments as key steps towards her selection in the Central Pulse ANZ Championship team.