KEY POINTS:
The Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic are approaching today's round eight clash against the Canterbury Tactix as if they were playing an Australian side.
Transtasman clashes in the ANZ Championship won't be on the menu again until round 10, but in the meantime the Magic have been working on
making several adjustments to their game in preparation for their match-ups against the "big two" Australian franchises - the Queensland Firebirds and Melbourne Vixens.
In particular, the Magic have been working on being more committed in driving hard to the ball and trying involve the umpire as little as possible. Magic coach Noeline Taurua said she is happy with the gains her side have made in these areas, but there's still work to be done.
"I think there are areas we need to tidy up on and there's a lot more consistency to be gained," she said.
In the previous domestic competition they would be entering the play-offs at this time in the season, so you could forgive the Magic if they were starting to feel a little restless. But Taurua said her side have remained focused on the task at hand.
"We've got a very short turnaround so I thought mentally we'd be quite stale but we actually had a really good training and the girls have been sharp. And I think also what we're looking forward to is the bye the following week. So we really just want to finish this part of the campaign tidy and with a lot of dominance."
The Tactix though will be equally determined to take the Magic down a peg or two. The Canterbury side are the second-ranked Kiwi franchise in the competition, but are still a way off the pace set by the Magic.
They have made no secret of the fact they will be out to stifle the Magic's nippy midcourt combination of Laura Langman and Amigene Metcalfe and try to upset their fluidity on attack.
The Tactix are renowned for their gritty defence and tight marking, with midcourt veteran Julie Seymour and nuggety wing-defence Phillipa Finch proving particularly effective in slowing down the movement of the ball around the opposition attacking end. But these sorts of tactics are nothing new for the Magic.
"I don't think it's any different from any other team," Taurua said.
"They're going to look to put a lot of pressure out there in the midcourt to try to stop the flow going into the circle. I guess they realise that once the ball is in the circle the shot is probably going to be put up."
The match of the round will once again be across the Tasman, with the Queensland Firebirds taking on the Melbourne Vixens in a match that will determine the top-ranked Australian side.
Initially regarded as one of the dark horses of the competition, the Firebirds have been upgraded to title contenders on the back of some impressive wins this season.
The Firebirds fell to the Vixens back in round two in their only loss of the season so far and tomorrow's rematch is expected to produce real fireworks.
