Kaierau ace Whanganui netball final

The Kaierau girls demolished Kaiwhaiki 70-37 to take back-to-back Whanganui Premier A1 netball titles on Monday.

In an electric Whanganui Premier A1 Netball Championship final on Monday night Kaierau defended its title thrashing Kaiwhaiki 70-37 to claim back-to-back competitions.

In front of a large, vocal crowd at Springvale Stadium the Wanganui Car Centre-sponsored Kaierau girls played stunning netball to dominate Kaiwhaiki and win the championship for the second year on end.

Mint Cafe Marist A1 took a comfortable 70-35 win over Taihape to claim the Plate Final, while the closest contest of the night, for third and fourth, Phillips Electrical Whanganui High School A1 claimed honours winning 60-57 over Inspire Health & Fitness Centre Mere Te Aroha.

Kaierau head coach Walter Edmonds said the timing was just right.

"So proud of my girls. This was the performance we had been striving for all season and it was just so fitting that it come at the right time for us," Edmonds said.

"Being able to tick off all our goals we set at the beginning of the season and finish the way we did was extremely satisfying. Kaiwhaiki stunned us during regular round robin, so we knew we couldn't afford to start slow this time against them.

"We settled early to score off our own centre pass and then the next five goals in a row to give ourselves a small lead of 6-0. We were able to keep the pressure up in defence and our error rate down in attack which enabled us to finish off the first quarter 20-8.

"The lead we built from the start helped to carry us all the way through winning every quarter. My line up of goal shoot and Most Valuable Player Te Reo Paki, Georgia Flower (GA), Karaihi Peina (WA), Rachel Lynch (C), Hayley Addenbrooke (WD), Lisa Lin (GD) and goal keep Courtney Haywood executed the game plan to perfection and I couldn't have asked for more.

"Congrats to Aneka and Te Rina, debutante premier coaches in the final and a stunning season with the Kaiwhaiki girls," Edmonds said.

Kaiwhaiki co-coaches Te Rina Peina and Aneka Brown were far from disappointed with the result.

"It was the first time Kaiwhaiki has made a semi-fina or final since 2005, so to be up there was a feat in itself," Peina said.

"We have a lot of young up-and-coming players and very much in a building phase so we were stoked to make the final. It's been an awesome season for Whanganui netball actually. It was so close between the top five teams throughout the season and that's got to lift netball in Whanganui."

Peina was reluctant to single any of her players out for special mention preferring to bathe in the limelight of making the final.

"Aneka and I have been involved with Kaiwhaiki since we were like 12, so it is nice to be in coaching roles now. We will both be available again next year and we just hope the girls feel the same way. There's always next season, bring it on," Peina said.

Final placings
Kaierau A1, 1st; Kaiwhaiki A1, 2nd; WHS A1, 3rd; Mere Te Aroha 4th; Marist A1, 5th; Taihape 6th; Ruapehu 7th; Marist A2 8th.