By RICHARD BOOCK
Joan Hodson's Auckland Diamonds sent the first shockwaves through the domestic competition today when they began their campaign with a surprise 52-46 win over the Otago Rebels.
The side who finished the past three National League seasons in no better than sixth position gave themselves a morale-boosting start
to the season and provided Hodson with the first win of her coaching career.
The former New Zealand representative and international umpire said she rode every pass and shot in the National Bank Cup game, and could now understand the strain coaches went through during the ebb and flow of a match.
"I had always thought I would be one of those composed coaches, all cool and collected, but actually I was a complete embarrassment," she said in Dunedin. "I ended up yelling my head off."
Hodson at least had good reason to be excited, as the Rebels had not long ago marched unbeaten through the pre-season tournament in Te Awamutu, at one point crushing her side by 25 goals.
But the Diamonds won the match that counted today after edging the home side through the first three-quarters and going on to win by six.
"To be honest, it was a bit better than I expected, but we can still give much more," she said. "It's wonderful to start with a win, especially against a side who beat us so emphatically in the warm-ups.
"Now we've really got something to build on."
The Diamonds shaded the Rebels 14-13 at the first-quarter break, eased out to 26-24 at the half, and were ahead 39-36 at the three-quarter mark, before slamming the lid shut down the stretch.
A measure of Auckland's dominance through the mid-court was borne out in the shooting statistics, which showed the northerners unleashing 75 attempts at goal compared with Otago's 54.
Diamonds goal-shoot Julie Kelman-Poto nailed 38 from 55 and her sidekick Brigette Tapene 14 from 20, against the Rebels' Katie Richie (33 from 37) and Angela Mitchell (13 from 17).
It was just the third time the Auckland franchise had beaten the Rebels in eight encounters, and Hodson said there were "definitely"some individual stars.
"Anna Rowberry played out of her skin. She led from the front and was a massive influence throughout in terms of her direction and decision-making.
"And I thought goal-defence Leigh Price was another who had a huge game. She struck up a really effective combination with Loren Eagle in the defensive circle."
Price was named most valuable player.
There was more joy for Auckland netball fans at the North Shore Events Centre today, when the Force opened their account with a hard-fought 50-44 win over the Canterbury Flames.
After being locked 11-11 at the end of the first quarter, Yvonne Willering's Force gradually gained an edge through the middle stages, leading 34-30 at the three-quarter mark before extending the advantage at the wire.
Willering later praised the efforts of goal-attack Teresa Tairi, who successfully shouldered a large portion of the scoring duties when goal-shoot Daneka Wipiiti was closed down by the Flames defence.
There was little to celebrate in the other two matches of the round, however, as the defending champions Southern Sting posted a points-scoring record against the Counties-Manukau Cometz, romping to an 80-29 win.
The Western Flyers fared only marginally better in their first outing of the season, succumbing 68-23 to the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic.
By RICHARD BOOCK
Joan Hodson's Auckland Diamonds sent the first shockwaves through the domestic competition today when they began their campaign with a surprise 52-46 win over the Otago Rebels.
The side who finished the past three National League seasons in no better than sixth position gave themselves a morale-boosting start
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