ANZ Premiership Winning Team - Central Pulse. Photo / Photosport
With the 2021 ANZ Premiership season set to get underway this weekend, Emma Olsen takes a look at this year's teams and what we can expect.
A netball season that had no crowds for the majority of the competition saw the Central Pulse defend their title against the Mainland Tactix, victorious 43-31 in the grand final.
Tactix captain Jane Watson was named Player of the Year after a standout campaign, finishing best in the league with 72 deflections and 20 intercepts.
Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie was named Coach of the Year, after leading her side through their most successful era, making the finals series four years in a row and winning the last two. McCausland-Durie has since stepped down from the coaching role with Gail Parata taking the reins.
The Southern Steel's attack was blunted by the loss of Jen O'Connell to a ruptured ACL as they struggled to second-bottom on the table, ahead of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic.
Notable players from last season include pocket rocket Kimiora Poi from the Tactix who dominated the midcourt in every game she played. The Pulse's Claire Kersten also stood out in the midcourt as did teammate Maddy Gordon, who earned a spot in the Silver Ferns.
• Northern Mystics
• Northern Stars
• Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic
• Central Pulse
• Mainland Tactix
• Southern Steel
All six teams will play 15 regular season games where they'll face each other on three occasions, before a grand finals series hosted by the top team.
The full schedule, times and locations can be found here.
Every game will be broadcast live on Sky Sport 3.
Last season's results:
Games won: Seven
Games lost: Six
Games drawn: Zero
Points: 35
Finish: Third
New signings:
• Kate Burley
• Filda Vui
• Fa'amu Ioane
• Ama Agbeze
Training partners:
• Claire O'Brien
Captain: Sulu Fitzpatrick
Coach: Helene Wilson
The Mystics have welcomed in new defenders this year and, according to coach Helene Wilson, are starting to gel as a team.
"Once you have a core spine of your team, you can continue building on the learnings and growing in the way in which you want to play the game and not starting from scratch each season, so that's really exciting for us," said Wilson.
Wilson was thrilled with the signing of former England captain and Commonwealth games gold medalist Ama Agbeze, who she said added valued experience and leadership to the team.
"She's really contributing positively to the team culture we have here at Mystics and so we're really excited to have her here.
"She gets in and shares her knowledge of the game and obviously she brings a different lens to the defenders that we have here. That gives us the ability to keep growing our strategy in how we want to play and I think that each of our defenders that we have in our squad now have different skills, so depending on who's on the court it gives us some different options."
Wilson believes it's going to be the strongest ANZ Premiership she's seen in her time.
"Most teams have Silver Ferns in them so the depth across the country I think has deepened and there's also some really exciting, young players coming through who have been in ANZ level for one or two years now so they're really going to solidify their ability to play at a higher level."
Last season's results:
Games won: Five
Games lost: Seven
Games drawn: One
Points: 29
Finish: Fourth
New signings:
• Anna Harrison
• Elle Temu
• Gina Crampton
• Monica Falkner
• Amorangi Malesala
Training partners:
• Greer Sinclair
• Teuila Sotutu
Captain: Maia Wilson
Coach: Kiri Wills
Following a 2020 season of ups and downs, head coach Kiri Wills said the Stars would be focusing on consistency.
"We would have some pretty good leads and then we'd let other teams get in and then we'd get under pressure, so this year we want to make sure that whatever we do, we do it consistently well," said Wills.
Choosing a star player was too hard for Wills, especially with such a stacked team.
"You've got someone like Maia [Wilson] in the back who's held us together for so long and now we've also got Gina [Crampton] in the middle and we've got Anna Harrison who can create something out of nothing from the back end."
Mila Reuelu-Buchanan is also one to watch with Wills picking her partnership with Crampton as one which could be "quite exciting" this season.
Last season's results:
Games won: Two
Games lost: Nine
Games drawn: Two
Points: 19
Finish: Sixth
New signings:
• Temalisi Fakahokotau
• Georgie Edgecombe
• Grace Kara
• Tori Kolose
• Caitlin Bassett
• Chiara Semple
Training partners:
• Ivana Rowland
• Katie Te Ao
Captain: Sam Winders
Coach: Amigene Metcalfe
Just like the Stars, Magic head coach Amigene Metcalfe believes consistency is the focal point for her team this year.
"I think the teams that win championships are the ones that consistently do the right thing both on and off court," said Metcalfe. "We had some great matches last year but we just didn't back them up quarter after quarter and it's often just as simple as that; being able to do things consistently well, at a high standard."
Sam Winders – the only Silver Fern in the team - was Metcalfe's star player pick.
"She's just such a consistent performer and a real passionate Magic girl. If I look at contribution to our team over the years and what she brings in terms of work ethic, energy and leadership, Sam would be the one."
Up and comer Georgie Edgecombe is a homegrown talent Metcalfe considers a really exciting prospect.
"She's just another really hard-working gritty midcourter, just one of those ones to watch."
Last season's results:
Games won: 11
Games lost: Two
Games drawn: Zero
Points: 49
Finish: First
New signings:
• Paris Lokotui
• Parris Mason
• Te Amo Amaru-Tibble
• Kelera Nawai
Training partners:
• Grace McLean
• Abby Erwood
Captain: Katrina Rore
Coach: Gail Parata
New Pulse head coach Gail Parata said she was excited to lead the reigning champions, hoping to see them through to their third straight title.
"I have a lot of experience; I've also gained a lot of experience on how to play a lot of different levels of teams," said Parata. "We've created new and different strategies as a group since I came in and I think an advantage is, I'm from Wellington, I've played all my netball here, I know everyone, this is my home town."
New to the Pulse and ANZ Premiership is Fijian import Kelera Nawai, who is set to turn heads this season.
"When the coaches first set eyes on her we could see a huge potential," Parata said. "Its early days with our work with her but I think she's very promising, has a lot more to come and people are going to be very surprised by her."
Silver Ferns and Pulse captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio will not be available for the start of the season due to fatigue.
Last season's results:
Games won: Nine
Games lost: Four
Games drawn: One
Points: 42
Finish: Second
New signings:
• Karin Burger
Training partners:
• Julia Wynyard
• Kate Lloyd
Captain: Jane Watson
Coach: Marianne Delaney-Hoshek
Following a pre-season where player movement was large, the Tactix managed to hold onto most of their star players.
That's exactly what head coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek believes will provide a massive advantage to them this year.
"The good thing is we're pretty established as a team so we obviously don't have a lot of changes, [we] can hit the ground running and kind of take off where we left last year," she said.
Delaney-Hoshek considers Jane Watson, Karin Burger and Kimiora Poi as her greatest assets.
"Those are the three that all played really well for the Ferns. Jane's pretty much world-class but the others are getting there too."
As for her up-comer, Delaney-Hoshek described Charlotte Elley as "underrated".
"She does a power of work and is very fit in terms of being an athlete; her speed and power are pretty good," she said.
Last season's results:
Games won: Four
Games lost: 10
Games drawn: Zero
Points: 21
Finish: Fifth
New signings:
• Georgina Fisher
• Tiana Metuarau
• Renee Savai'inaea
• Sarahpheninna Woulf
• Ali Wilshier
Training partners:
• Grace Namana
• Georgia White
• Laura Overton
• Kate Hartley
Captain: Gina Crampton
Coach: Reinga Bloxham
With five new players, the Steel will be focusing on their team foundations this season.
"I think the key thing for us this season is probably being around resetting everything we do and making sure that we've got our team culture and our performance culture building and growing each week," said head coach Reinga Bloxham.
Through her consistency and leadership, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit is one of the team's stars.
"She's just such a seasoned campaigner that she just knows what it's all about so she's sort of leading by example with some of the younger, less experienced players, just showing them what they need to do."
Shooter Tiana Metuarau has been waiting for an opportunity to secure a starting seven spot and is looking likely to be in the goal attack position for the Steel.
"I think being able to give her some consistent court time is going to be a good thing for her and just being able to watch her do her thing week in and week out is going to be quite exciting," Bloxham said.
Kate Heffernan says the ANZ Premiership's murky future means players will look abroad.