KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - The Southern Steel were the most successful New Zealand netball side, but the Australian franchises took the overall honours in the ANZ Championship pre-season tournament which ended here yesterday.
The Robyn Broughton-coached Steel had five wins and three losses in the three-day tournament featuring all 10
franchises which will contest the inaugural tournament starting next month.
In the transtasman battles played over 15-minute halves, it was 14 wins to Australia, seven to New Zealand, and one draw, 29-29 between the Northern Mystics and Adelaide Thunderbirds.
The Steel, including Silver Ferns squad members Liana Barrett-Chase and Daneka Wipiiti, former Australian shooter Megan Dehn and former Silver Fern Jenny-May Coffin, suffered losses to the Mystics 28-27, the New South Wales Swifts 28-25, and the Australian Institute of Sport 27-21.
Australian powerhouses the Swifts and the Melbourne Vixens had six wins apiece, while the Queensland Firebirds had five wins and unveiled their key signing, 1.96m Jamaican shooter Romelda Aitken.
Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic had three wins and three losses; the Canterbury Tactix three wins and four losses; the Mystics a win, five losses and a draw; and the Central Pulse a win and six losses.
The Noeline Taurua-coached Magic boast the most powerful line-up on paper, with Silver Ferns shooter Irene van Dyk and fellow-internationals Joline Henry, Casey Williams, Laura Langman and Maria Tutaia.
Taurua was content to rotate her players and gave her stars minimal court time as the Magic had two losses on day one and then recovered to beat the Swifts 27-22, the AIS 25-10 and the Thunderbirds 25-20.
The Pulse unveiled their English import, defender Sonia Mkoloma, but look set for a tough debut season.
They notched their only win, 24-22 over the Mystics yesterday.
Mystics coach Yvonne Willering rested her international defenders Sheryl Scanlan and Leana de Bruin, both recovering from ankle injuries, for the whole weekend.
She welcomed in former Silver Fern Temepara George, a recent signing after making herself unavailable for last year's world championships.
"This weekend wasn't about the score, and I think you saw that with all teams. There were a lot of subs being made," Willering said.
Willering said the key for the New Zealand sides was adjusting to the faster Australian style, which was similar across all five teams, and the Australian umpiring, which allowed closer defending.
She said it was hard to say which side was toughest to beat. "That's been the whole thing about this weekend, to try different combinations and see what works and what doesn't.
"I'd like to think we haven't exposed exactly where we're at."
The Pulse host the Vixens in the ANZ Championship opener in Wellington on April 5.
- NZPA