Kuranui prepared to be patient

Kuranui College won't be in a mad rush in their Wairarapa premier one netball match with Gladstone All Blacks at the Genesis Recreation Centre, Masterton, tomorrow night.
Player-coach Phillipa Park knows that speed around the court could perhaps be Kuranui's biggest advantage against a much more experienced Gladstone All Blacks outfit but she is also aware of the need for patience in working the ball through the court.
"There are times when you need to slow things up, to be more deliberate in the way you play," she said.
"If you go flat out all the way you tend to make more mistakes and give the opposition something to work on."
Park has been pleased, however, with the early signs from a Kuranui squad which have an extremely hard act to follow in 2009.
They were runners-up to Harcourts for the premier one title last year but with a host of those players no longer at college are very much a new-look side this time round.
In fact, this season sees two teachers, Park and Jess Rutherford, as part of a line-up which also boasts two of last year's stars, Netball Wellington Region high performance level two player Te Ata Phillips and her sister Waimarama Phillips, plus Meg Roberts, Jade Gould, Lucy Roberts, Shinnae Flutey, Lauren Crimp, Chantelle Gleeson and Charisse Gleeson.
For coach Park the first priority is to build the most effective combinations and she was encouraged with what she saw in their opening premier one game against Wairarapa College last week.
Kuranui trailed by six goals at one stage of the third quarter but finished strongly to win by 38-34.
"We picked up our effort as the match progressed and that's always a good sign at the start of a season," Park said.
"It wasn't anything like where we want to be but it was a handy start and certainly gives us something to build on."
Gladstone All Blacks were on the end of a 59-19 beating by Harcourts in their opening encounter but so powerful are Harcourts a 40-point loss actually represents a reasonable scoreline.
They will have targeted Kuranui as a winnable game and a close contest is clearly in prospect.
The other premier one match tomorrow night is Harcourts up against Carterton Sports Arena and when you consider the latter lost 33-62 to Celtic last week you have to wonder just how many goals Harcourts will manage on this occasion.
Friday night premier one action at the Genesis Recreation Centre sees Fagan Motors Hot Shots playing Wairarapa College and Celtic up against St Matthew's Collegiate.
Fagan Motors were making their debut in the premier one grade when they gave St Matthew's a decent fright last week, actually leading by 10 goals midway through the first quarter before losing by just three. It was a similar scenario to Wairarapa College's loss to Kuranui so both teams will be keen to show they can last the full distance on Friday.
Celtic are already being touted as the main dangers to Harcourts for the right to represent Wairarapa in the regional Top Club competition, an honour which will go to the side leading the premier one series at the end of one full round of matches. They should have the edge on a St Matthew's side which will lack nothing on the score of endeavour but whose lack of experience in some key areas could be exposed.