Dana Johannsen: Magic lacking the basics

The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic's late season collapse has raised questions about the team's planning and preparation.

At a time when they should be firing on all cylinders, the Magic are woefully out of form.

Given the obvious talent in the Waikato line-up it is hard to fathom why they have been so far off the pace against the top two Australian sides.

With the likes of Irene van Dyk, Casey Williams, Laura Langman, Maria Tutaia and Joline Henry in their squad, the Magic boast some of the biggest names in the game. All are proven match winners at international level, yet as a unit they have largely failed to fire in the transtasman league.

You can't question the credentials of the players, so the finger must be pointed at the management.

To succeed in such a tough, highly competitive league requires flawless preparation and planning for every eventuality. But it is clear the Magic have not done so this season.

You have to wonder what degree of forethought went into the handling of Leana de Bruin's pregnancy. De Bruin was never going to last the entire season, yet she was in the starting line-up right up until the final round, despite the obvious gravitational restrictions that come into play when a women is five months pregnant.

So the Magic went into the playoffs forced to field a defensive pairing used only sparingly this season.

There is always going to be a settling-in period for a new combination and the playoffs is no time to be readjusting.

The Magic's present midcourt dilemma also wouldn't be so grave had coach Noeline Taurua given her bench players more chances this season.

Different midcourt combinations used this season were effectively the same players in different positions. So when Frances Solia was injured, they had no real wing attack option.

The Melbourne Vixens and Adelaide Thunderbirds have peaked at the right time due to the planning of the coaches. The fitness and workload of the players is managed well.

The most disappointing part of it all is that the Magic have repeated the same mistakes from last season. Taurua appeared to have faith that talent alone would win them the ANZ Championship crown in 2008.

But the NSW Swifts, by no means a team of stars, disproved that theory last season. They were the fittest and best-prepared team for the new era of semi-professional netball, and they deservedly took out the title.

Instead of learning from that experience, the Magic went and added further talent this year, when what was required was more scrupulous planning and a lift in training requirements.