“We stuck to our game plan and played some beautiful finals netball,” she said.
“We started strong and continued for the whole game.”
Marist Coach TeOra Nyman, too, was proud of her team.
“Both teams were hungry for the win,” she said.
Stand-out defence from Tia Davis created crucial turnover ball, which allowed Marist shooters to finish and take the win 31-29, finishing third in the Premier 1 grade.
At the same time on court two, Mt View Marist A2 played Kaierau Gemini Pepper A2 for third and fourth in the Premier 2 grade.
Injury and illness meant the Kaierau side had to pull Alani Veikoso up from the A3 side who worked tirelessly and earned her promotion.
Marist coach Mandy Gedye was pleased with her team’s solid start.
“Unfortunately, we were just not consistent for the full 40. We have had a great season with some good wins overall, just not our night tonight.”
Kaierau dug deep, found their composure, fought back and took the win 35-27.
The Premier 2 final was the thriller of the evening. Tech showed dominance over Kaiwhaiki Gold A2 right from the beginning of the game with a solid start, leading the first quarter 11-7.
The second quarter had them extend their lead to 21-15 at the halftime break.
Experienced Kaiwhaiki coach Parekura Cribb worked her magic at the break, reminding the team to stick to their game plan, reconnect and refocus — the second half was a different game.
The support in the crowd was incredible, and they were rewarded.
The Kaiwhaiki side kept the pressure on the Tech team, coming up with critical turnover ball and scoring off it.
With regular changes keeping legs fresh on court, they took the game to a draw at the final whistle.
This led to an overtime showdown where the teams continued playing to a two-goal advantage. Full team defence led to a timely turnover to give Kaiwhaiki the advantage they needed to take the game 39-37.
Kaiwhaiki Coach Parekura Cribb was thrilled.
“They never gave up, believed in themselves and one another, and they delivered. I’m so very proud of them,” she said.
Congratulations to both teams for a great season and giving us a wonderful final.
The grand final had Kaierau Mitre 10 Mega taking on Kaiwhaiki A.
The Kaierau side have shown their dominance in pool play, winning both matches against Kaiwhaiki, but as all sportspeople know, this means little going into finals.
Kaiwhaiki got off to a solid start, leading the game throughout.
The final quarter brought a shift in the Kaierau side, with Kara Adrole moving from the shooting circle back into the defensive end.
Playing against TeReo Paki as Kaiwhaiki GS, on her return from injury, the match-up gave the crowd a thrilling display of netball.
A few errors crept in, while the Kaierau side remained composed and reaped the reward, taking the championship 33-31.
A thriller of a final that could have gone either way, both teams displayed real talent and showed the crowd why they deserve to be there.
“It was a great final and kudos to Kaierau who played some beautiful netball,” Kaiwhaiki coach TeRina Peina said.
Championship coach Rachael Lynch knew it would be a tight battle with Kaiwhaiki.
“I am really proud of the girls for maintaining composure right till the final whistle despite being down for most of the game,” she said.
“We had a very talented team this season but with injuries and players being unavailable, I couldn’t be happier for the girls that it all came together at the right time to win the championship.”
From Netball Whanganui, huge thanks to all those who make our competition thriving and exciting. Players, coaches, managers, bench officials, umpires and supporters — you are all truly appreciated.
