Netball: The supporting acts that have created a star team

Frances Solia has been key to some spectacular attack. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A few weeks ago the Magic looked consigned to finish their season on the also-rans heap.

But after producing what was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in form in the club's history, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty side now find themselves 60 minutes from becoming the first Kiwi team to hoist aloft the ANZ Championship trophy.

The Magic stormed their way into this Sunday's grand final showdown with the Adelaide Thunderbirds with a series of brilliant performances over the playoffs, finally producing the brand of netball their fans have been crying out for all season.

The Thunderbirds have likewise trod a rocky path to the transtasman league title decider, overcoming what could have been an extremely damaging scandal mid-season.

The Magic's "big three" of Irene van Dyk, Laura Langman and Casey Williams, who are playing some of their best netball, are often credited for getting the team into a grand final.

Langman has been a picture of consistency all season, producing some of the best stats of all the midcourters in the league.

After a fairly quiet season by her own exceptionally high standards, star defender Casey Williams has hit top gear in recent weeks, dominating once again from the back. And supershooter Irene van Dyk proved she is simply peerless with her phenomenal efforts against the Swifts.

There is no doubt the senior Silver Ferns trio are in superlative form.

But the Magic's rapid improvement in recent weeks has a lot to do with the way the supporting acts have picked up their work-rate, combining extremely well with the team's stars to create a star team.

We know van Dyk, Langman and Williams are big game players and will certainly rise to the occasion. So what do the Magic's supporting cast need to do to lift their side to the 2010 ANZ Championship crown?

Frances Solia - WA
Veteran midcourter Frances Solia has often been made the scapegoat this season when things weren't clicking in the Magic attack line. But over the past few weeks the Waikato side have been playing some spectacular attacking netball, and Solia has been a key part of that improvement.

The Samoan international has increased her range of movement, making the most of her lack of size by using speed to keep the rangey Australian defenders off her back. With Solia likely to be marked by 1.87m defender Sharni Layton on Sunday, it is important she does the preparation work off the ball to lose her defender and not give the Thunderbirds rookie time to set up on the three-foot mark.

Jodi Brown - GA
A move to the Magic in the off-season allowed former international Jodi Brown to pair up once again with Ferns spearhead van Dyk.

At times the interplay between the pair is breath-taking to watch, with Brown providing clever feeds into the circle with her great vision and sleight of hand. The combination looked unstoppable in last weekend's 54-49 win over the Swifts, with Brown putting van Dyk into good space, recording 18 goal assists.

While Brown has increased her work-rate around the court, she will need to step up and shoulder more of the shooting duties this weekend. The 28-time Silver Fern added just 11 of the Magic's 54 goals last weekend, but with the Thunderbirds defensive pairing of Geva Mentor and Mo'onia Gerrard likely to pay close attention to van Dyk, she will be called upon more to put up the shots.

Brown will also need to ensure she does not give away needless offensive penalties or get caught up in the niggle.

Jade Clarke - WD
English international Jade Clarke has slotted in seamlessly to the Magic back three since joining the side just over a month ago as an injury replacement for Australian import Peta Scholz.

It is no coincidence the Waikato side's fortunes have improved since the English midcourter joined their ranks. As well as making life tough for the opposition midcourt, Clarke does a power of work on attack, taking the pressure off the likes of Langman and Solia by helping bring the ball through the court. There are also positive noises about Clarke's contribution from the rival camp.

"She's been a real surprise," said Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson.

"When they lost Peta [Scholz] I thought they'd really struggle back there but Jade's done a fantastic job. She's walked in as if she'd been there all year."

It is unclear which attacking lineup Woodlands-Thompson will choose to run with on Sunday, but it is likely Clarke will match up against either Erin Bell, or Emily Beaton if Bell is shifted to goal attack. In any event, Clarke is unlikely to be fazed by either player.

Jodi Tod - GD
Often consigned to toil in the shadow of Williams, veteran defender Jodi Tod more than pulls her weight in the Magic defensive circle. With her strong tracking abilities, the workhorse defender often lays the groundwork for Williams to come through and snaffle the intercept.

The only concern over Tod this weekend is on her fitness, with the 29-year-old hampered by a calf injury suffered several weeks ago in the Magic's round robin loss to the Swifts.