Netball: Flames repel late Diamonds surge

Rachel Rasmussen of the Diamonds in action against the Flames. Jeff Brass / Getty Images

Diamonds' coach Sue Hawkins is looking for more aggression and better decision-making after her side's opening round loss to the Flames at Waitakere's Trusts Stadium yesterday.

The Flames held off a late comeback from the Diamonds to win the match 42-40. Twice in the last five minutes the Diamonds had the chance to level the score.

The reasons for the Flames' victory can almost be summed up by that bride's saying: something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Something new being 19-year-old goal attack Jade Topia, who performed solidly in her debut National Bank Cup match; something old (ish) being former Silver Fern Julie Seymour, who after a year off provided some much needed strength in the midcourt.

Former Force defender Kate Dowling, who combined well with Vilimaina Davu, is kind of something borrowed, and former Diamonds' shooter Shelley Norris, who looks set to continue to terrorise her opponents, is something that was formerly blue, in uniform anyway.

While both sides were guilty of patchy early-season play, the Flames launched into the match with plenty of aggression, and after leading 10-8 at the first quarter break, stormed out to a nine-goal lead early in the second.

The Diamonds' main problem was containing the Flames' attack. Diamonds' coach Hawkins opted to start Anna Scarlett and Rachel Rasmussen at goal keep and goal defence, and Stephanie Bond out at wing defence, to try to contain the Flames' full-on wing attack, Maree Bowden. But the combination struggled.

At the other end of the court Silver Fern Maria Tutaia had a reasonable game, teaming first with Jo Morrison and then Grace Rasmussen.

Grace, younger sister of Rachel, come on strongly in the third quarter, but the Diamonds failed to net several crucial shots - none more so than one in the last minute or so which would have equalised the score.

Hawkins said her side were not aggressive enough defensively in the first half.

"She [Shelley Norris] is very strong physically. I thought we needed to stay off her a bit more, we tried to be body for body and that didn't work.

"I also thought sometimes we played into [Flames' goal-keep Vilimaina] Davu's hands. Instead of placing the ball in front, we placed it above so she could get it. There were some instances like that where we could have been smarter."

Flames' coach Margaret Foster was happy with her side's defence but felt her shooters made poor decisions..

"Our finishing off wasn't good enough and our attacking end ... we can be much better than we were."

At the North Shore Events Centre yesterday, the Force trounced the Capital Shakers 71-29.

The vastly experienced Force, headed by Silver Fern Temepara George, powered out to a 19-6 lead in the first quarter which they extended to 35-16 at halftime and 52-23 at three-quarter time.

New recruit Megan Dehn ended with an 89 per cent shooting record.

Defending champions Magic were lucky to hold off the Sting 59-58 in a thrilling encounter in Hamilton.

The Magic led the the Sting 20-9 in the first quarter and appeared to have the match sewn up.

However, the Robyn Broughton-coached Sting fought back, settling into their new combinations, Natalie Avellino and Belinda Colling teaming in the shooting circle because regular goal shoot Tania Dalton was sidelined by an ankle injury.

The shooting statistics were the telling factor. The Sting had 10 more attempts at goal than the Magic but landed only 58 from 75. The Magic goaled 59 from 65.

Going into the match, there was plenty of interest in how the Magic would cope without goal attack Anna Senio, who is taking a year off, and Silver Fern goal keep Casey Williams, who has a broken foot. But Australian- born Tanya Lund certainly stepped up to the goal attack position, landing 15 from 18 shots, while at the other end of the court former New Zealand rowing representative Nicola Cooney was more than sound on defence.

National Bank Cup
Round One
* Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic 59 Southern Sting 58
* Otago Rebels 62 Western Flyers 46
* Northern Force 71 Capital Shakers 29
* Canterbury Flames 42 Diamonds 40