ANZ Championship - weekend preview

The ANZ Championship has surpassed all expectations and with one round remaining in the season all matches this weekend have the power to impact on the final rankings, as places in the play offs are still up for the taking.

Round 14 gets under way in Hamilton on Saturday with the ColourPlus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic taking on the eighth placed Canterbury SKOPE Tactix. The Magic are coming off their third loss of the season after faltering to the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel last round and are in danger of losing top spot on the ladder.

To win the minor premiership and a home semi final next week the Magic will need to post a comfortable victory over the Tactix. Their greatest challenge comes from the NSW Swifts who currently sit in second place with a marginally lower goal percentage. Star shooter Irene Van Dyk is coming off her third perfect shooting game for the season and will need to carry that form into this clash.

Dunedin hosts a real treat for netball fans on Sunday when the in form Steel host the Queensland Firebirds who are right in the hunt and desperate for fourth place. The Firebirds only dropped out of the top four in round 13 and to gain a finals berth they need to beat Steel and have the Mystics upset the Melbourne Vixens.

The Vixens are currently fourth with one more win than the Firebirds. However aided by the Championship's most prolific shooter Romelda Aiken, the Firebirds have a slightly higher goal percentage. For the Firebirds to win, Aiken will need to muster all her strength and deliver as she faces the force of Steel keeper Megan Hutton. Hutton has been in superb form in recent weeks, menacing many of the best shooters so Aitken will need to be at her best to put the Firebirds in the Finals Series.

The second match on Sunday will be played in Melbourne where the Vixens take on the LG Northern Mystics. This game will have huge bearing on the makeup of the final four and Vixens fans will be hoping they can get over the line after failing to secure second place last weekend. The Mystics will be doing all they can to shake up the placings for the Finals as they currently sit in seventh place, but have won four of their past six games.

This game could fall either way and with inform centre Natasha Chokljat sidelined with a knee injury, the challenge is in front of the Vixens. They are coming off their biggest loss of the season to the Swifts while the Mystics had an impressive win over the Pulse. This match will be won or lost in the Vixens attack end. Sharelle McMahon will need to produce the game of her season and be at her brilliant best to lead her young team mates in the absence of Chokljat. They face a daunting task with the likes of Temepara George, Sheryl Scanlan, Leana De Bruin and Vilimaina Davu calling the shots. Don’t underestimate the power of a wounded Vixen; this is a game not to be missed.

Monday night netball sees the third placed Adelaide Thunderbirds travel to Napier for their clash with the Suzuki Pulse. The Thunderbirds can sew up third place and host a minor semi final with a win this week and after sitting in fifth place for some time they could not be happier to be safe in the top four. The Pulse is still chasing their first win of the season and with nothing to lose in the final round will be going for broke and pushing for a major upset. Adelaide put together one of their more complete performances last week in their 66-47 crushing win over the Firebirds and will be keen to fine tune their line ahead of the finals. On paper the Thunderbirds have the best shooting percentage, led largely by Natalie Medhurst, and the best defensive record of any team in the competition. This game will not be taken lightly by the Thunderbirds as the Pulse has pushed many of the powerhouse teams this season.

The final match of the round will be watched with bated breath as the NSW Swifts strive to claim the pole position and seal a home major semi final. Many had written off the Swifts who sat sixth, fifth and fourth for so much of the season, but they have timed their run to perfection to become the inform team in the competition and arguably the side to beat. They have a tough trip to Perth to face West Coast Fever, who come off a 14 goal win over the Tactix, their second win of the season. The Swifts have the best attacking record in the league, averaging 55 goals per game with deadly shooters Catherine Cox and Susan Pratley sharing the shooting responsibilities and ripping apart opposition defence. Fever is a difficult opponent at home, but the opportunity to host the major semi final should be more than enough incentive for the Swifts.

One of the big guns will miss out on the play offs: will it be the 'dream team' the Melbourne Vixens or the giant-killing Queensland Firebirds? Who will claim the minor premiership, the unassuming NSW Swifts or the great New Zealand hope the Magic? Round 14, the final round, will answer all our questions as the inaugural ANZ Championship season reaches boiling point.



FINAL ROUNDS

The locations and dates of the finals series will be announced at the conclusion of the final game of Round 14 on Monday night.


THIS WEEK

Saturday, July 5
ColourPlus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic v Canterbury SKOPE Tactix
14:30* Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton

Sunday, July 6
Melbourne Vixens v LG Northern Mystics
1330. Vodafone Arena, Melbourne

Sunday, July 6
Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v Queensland Firebirds
1730. Edgar Stadium, Dunedin
Monday, July 7
Suzuki Pulse v Adelaide Thunderbirds
1900. Pettigrew Green Arena, Napier.

Monday, July 7
West Coast Fever v NSW Swifts
1800. Challenge Stadium, Perth

*All times local