Netball: Young Pulse gallant but Steel too tough

ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP
Southern Steel 55
Central Pulse 46

The Central Pulse didn't quite silence the usually raucous Southern Steel fans, but they did find the mute button for half this season-opening game.

Despite their gallant effort, the Pulse weren't able to hold off the Steel in Invercargill yesterday, and have yet to record a win.

Still, the signs weren't all bad for the franchise, which has been under a cloud of controversy since midway through last year's inaugural transtasman championship.

Kate Carpenter lost her job as head coach in November and was replaced by New Zealand under-21 coach Yvette McCausland-Durie.

The only players to retain playing spots are shooter Jamilah Gupwell and dynamic defender Cushla Litchwark.

The void left by the likes of English defender Sonia Mkoloma, who will play for Canterbury Tactix, was filled by local talent, as well as Silver Fern Paula Griffin and experienced Jamaican defender Althea Byfield.

But the Pulse showed no signs of their off-court dramas yesterday, keeping early pace with the Steel who finished sixth in 2008.

The Southern Steel, boosted by the return of new captain and Silver Fern Adine Wilson from maternity leave and Donna Wilkins, who just a year ago was the Steel assistant coach, took two quarters to settle before comfortably pushing the deficit out to nine.

Despite the loss, McCausland-Durie and captain Litchwark can take several positives from their side's showing.

The first quarter started with a few early nerves, turnovers and missed shots but both sides soon settled and were trading goals for goals.

A timely intercept by Steel defender Sheryl Scanlan sparked her side into action and a two-goal buffer. The experience of Wilson and Wilkins shone early, with Wilson continually feeding the ball swiftly to her shooters. Another tip by Scanlan with 10 seconds of the opening quarter remaining fell agonisingly short of a goal but the Steel still went in to the first break three ahead.

The physical attention on the Pulse shooters from Steel goal keep Megan Hutton made it difficult for the midcourt to feed the ball cleanly but patience and determination saw the young Pulse side claw the score back to within three in the second term.

Pulse defenders were equal to the challenge, as goal defence Litchwark gave Wilkins, at goal attack, a physical welcome back to top-level netball.

With only five points separating the two at the main break, Steel fans looked anxious, but they needn't have been worried as their team rallied and answered coach Robyn Broughton's plea to nail the turnovers.

Neither side gave up on defensive pressure but the more experienced Steel could capitalise on opportunities and eventually took control.

The performance and composure of Griffin and Gupwell in the shooting circle and aggressive defence by Litchwark and Byfield, not to mention the relentless running by wing attack Ngarama Milner-Olsen, show light at the end of the tunnel for the Pulse.

"There were good and bad bits - we've still got lots to work on," says Litchwark. "It wasn't how we wanted to start but we've definitely got some things we can work on."

The Pulse face the Northern Mystics on Saturday at the North Shore Events Centre.

A stunning second quarter surge delivered the Melbourne Vixens a 57-44 win over the West Coast Fever in their ANZ Championship opener.

The Vixens crushed the Fever in Melbourne with 11 unanswered goals during the quarter to turn a two point quarter-time deficit into a 11-goal halftime lead, up 32-21.

Towering West Coast shooter Caitlin Bassett slotted 13 goals from 15 attempts to steer her side to a 14-12 quarter-time lead against their more fancied rivals.

But the Vixens looked a different side after the break. They levelled the score at 18-18 and piled on 11 goals, with the honours shared between goal attack, Australian captain Sharelle McMahon and shooter Bassett.

McMahon finished the second quarter with eight goals from nine attempts while Bassett found the mark on 12 occasions from 14 attempts.

- AAP