Pirates secure narrow win over Marist in Premier 1 netball clash

Marist goal shoot Shannah Andrews takes a moment to find the fun under defence of Pirates defenders Brittany Morgan (front) and Melissa Tamati (back) with goal attack Georgia Abraham looking on.

The opening game of David Jones Motors Premier 1 netball on Monday night was a thrilling encounter between HP Pirates A1 and Marist Mint A1, with Pirates winning 35–32.

The smothering two-on-one defence of goal keep Brittany Morgan and goal defenders Melissa Timoti and Shandi Muir had the desired effect, with Marist goal shoot Shannah Andrews having to work incredibly hard throughout the match to be available.

Equally impressive at the other end of the court was the Marist defensive unit of goal keep Ita Hepi-McRitchie, goal defence Zeah Brewer, wing defence Maggie O’Connor and centre Rebecca Tamati, who applied great pressure in and out of the goal circle, keeping their team in the hunt and providing them with enough opportunities.

Coach Te Ora Nyman was very complimentary of her side’s defensive efforts, noting how pleased she was with them as a unit in forcing four held balls and a hugely improved effort to not involve the umpire.

Pirates coach Casey McDougall was pleased with her side’s ability to absorb the pressure, particularly under difficult circumstances with attacking mid-courter Tati Tutauha away and a number of other players taking the court unwell.

McDougall noted prior to the match how nervous her team was going into this match, but she was quietly confident, believing in the hard work her players are putting in at trainings where their focus this week has been learning to play smarter.

“We did drop away a little in the second half,” she said.

“I think the effects of being unwell started to show but I’m really proud that they were able to stay composed and soak up the pressure.”

In other Premier 1 matches, bottom-of-the-table Whanganui Collegiate Senior A defaulted their match against top-of-the-table Kaiwhaiki A1, whilst middle-of-the-table Kaierau A1 claimed a 10-goal win, 35-25, over Phillips Electrical Whanganui High School A1.

The top two sides dominated Premier 2 matches with Kaierau Air Whanganui A2, claiming a 46-17 win over their Kaierau Gemini Pepper Construction A3 counterparts, while Kaiwhaiki Gold A2 closed out the evening with a commanding 50-22 win over St John’s Club Tech A1.

The middle-of-the-table clash between Mt View Marist A2 and Waimarino A1 produced a much closer result than expected, with Marist eventually taking the win 35-31.

Premier netball takes a break for the holidays now and returns on Monday, July 24.