ANZ Champs final - Match Preview

After 14 rounds and three unforgettable finals matches, the grand finale of the inaugural ANZ Championship season has arrived.

The NSW Swifts will host the ColourPlus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic who earned the right to contest the decider after they held off the Adelaide Thunderbirds 51-49 in the preliminary final.

The final at Acer Arena on Monday night in Sydney, will be the ultimate trans-Tasman contest to determine the competitions first ever champion. A crowd in excess of 10,000 is expected to attend the match – with some predicting the game could be the highest ever attended Netball game ever.

In November 2004 the world record crowd for netball attendance was set at ACER Arena (formally the SuperDome), with 14,339 fans in attendance, watching New Zealand take on Australia.

The Swifts deserve to head into the match as slight favorites after defeating the Magic by a goal in the major semi final a fortnight ago. They also got the better of their Kiwi rivals in the round three, taking a surprising 50-47 victory in Newcastle.

However past results will count for nothing in this season decider, as both sides will put it all on the line for the chance to create history.

The two sides put on a spectacular show in the thrilling and tightly contested semi final. The two teams match up remarkably well, but the key of this game may lie in the battle between the Magic shooting circle and the Swifts backline with , Irene Van Dyk, Maria Tutaia, Rebecca Bulley and Kimberly Purcell holding the keys to victory for their teams.

Bulley and Purcell have produced outstanding performances all season, and have more than proven their worth and giant killing abilities.

Van Dyk posted another brilliant shooting game at goal attack against Thunderbirds in the preliminary final, and she will play an instrumental role in this game. It will be up to Purcell to make the world's best shooter vulnerable in her unfamiliar position.

Another big battle in the game will come from Cox up against the athletic Casey Williams. Both players are two of the league's best and have produced some scintillating netball this year. Both players are proven match winners and big time performers and the leadership of Cox and her coolness under pressure will be key.

Dynamic mid courter Laura Langman will be one to watch and where she will start the match. After debuting in wing attack last week and playing with aplomb, Langman may be ensconced in a classic tussle with world champion wing defence Selina Gilsenan.

With so much to play for and a place in history on the line, all 14 players on the court will be aiming to stand up under the pressure and deliver a season's best performance.

The outcome of the inaugural ANZ Championship season is anyone's guess, but on thing that’s for certain this is a game not to be missed and one that may well go down to the wire. 

ANZ Championship Grand Final Information

Ticket Sales
Current ticket sale for the ANZ Championship grand final are at 10,000. Tickets are available through Ticketek – www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849

The world record crowd for Netball match was set in November 2004 at Acer Arena (formally the SuperDome), with 14,339 fans in attendance, watching New Zealand take on Australia.

Umpires
The umpires officiating the 2008 ANZ Championship grand final are:
Sharon Kelly (Australia)
Bronwyn Meek (New Zealand)
Reserve - Jacqui Jashari (Australia)

Most Valuable Player (MVP) award
This will be awarded on Monday night after the game.

How the ANZ Championship MVP was decided
Voting for the MVP Award began in Round 1 and concluded at the end of Round 14.
The Head Coach of each ANZ Championship team submitted their votes after each game.
The Head Coach named the most outstanding player on each team in each of the three areas (shooters, mid court and defenders), and then selected one of these three players as the overall match MVP. Points were then allocated accordingly.
The player with the most points at the end of Round Robin play (round 14) is the ANZ Championship MVP.

Grand Final statistics

When the teams last met in the Major Semi Final in Hamilton the Swifts defeated the Magic 57-56.
The Swifts have won both matches this season 50-47 in Newcastle in Round 3 and 57-56 in Hamilton in the Major Semi Final.
The Magic have played two matches in Australia this season for two losses. They lost 47-50 to the Swifts in Round 3 and 40-47 to the Vixens in Round 11.
In the Commonwealth Bank Trophy 9 of the 10 winners of the Major Semi Final who hosted the Grand Final won the premiership. The only team to win a Commonwealth Bank Trophy Grand Final away from home was Phoenix in 2003.
In the National Bank Cup 3 of the 4 teams to advance directly to the Grand Final took out the title.
Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald is the most successful coach in the history of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy guiding the Swifts to four titles in 2001, 2004, 2006 & 2007.
Magic coach Noeline Taurua led the Magic to both of their National Bank Cup premierships in 2005 & 2006
The Swifts are on an eight match winning run stretching back to Round 7 when they defeated the Fever. This is the record for the most consecutive wins in the ANZ Championship. The Swifts last loss was against the Firebirds in Round 6 (52-66).
The Magic has been alternating between wins and losses since round 10. They won R10 (Firebirds), lost R11 (Vixens), won R12 (Pulse), lost R13 (Steel), won R14 (Tactix), lost SF (Swifts) and won PF (Thunderbirds).
The Magic recorded the highest score of the ANZ Championship when they scored 69 goals against the Tactix in Round 14. The Magic won the match 69-44 to claim the Minor Premiership.
The Swifts recorded the biggest win of the ANZ Championship defeating the Pulse by 29-goals (59-30) in Round 4.
The Swifts ended the minor round as the most prolific scoring team in the ANZ Championship. They scored 726 goals at 55.8 goals per match.
The Swifts are six wins and one loss in matches played at home. The Swifts only loss at home was to the Vixens in Round 5 (52-53).
The Magic has a 3 win and 3 loss record on the road and a 0 win and 2 loss record in Australia.
The Magic are the most accurate team in the ANZ Championship with their 794 goals coming at 86.2pc accuracy.
Magic shooter Irene van Dyk is the most accurate shooter in the ANZ Championship with a conversion rate of 92.4pc. Van Dyk has scored 484 goals from 524 attempts to just edge out Thunderbirds shooter Natalie Medhurst who has a shooting average of 90.3pc. Van Dyk has also recorded three perfect shooting performances in 2008; R7 vs. Steel 33/33, R13 vs. Steel 27/27 and the Major Semi Final vs. Swifts 29/29. Van Dyk and Susan Pratley are the only players in the ANZ Championship to record a perfect four quarter shooting performance.
Swifts shooter Susan Pratley is her teams’ most accurate goaler having scored her 321 goals at 87.2pc accuracy. Pratley has also recorded a perfect shooting performance in 2008; in R10 vs. Mystics she scored 28/28. Pratley and Irene van Dyk are the only players in the ANZ Championship to record a perfect four quarter shooting performance.
The Swifts have the fourth best shooting average in the ANZ Championship. They have converted their 783 goals at 83.2pc.
The Magic ended the minor round with the second best defensive record in the competition. The Magic conceded 599 goals at an average of 46 goals per match. The Thunderbirds had the best record.
The following players have taken the court for the Swifts in all 14 matches so far this season; Catherine Cox, Susan Pratley, Selina Gilsenan, Rebecca Bulley and Kimberlee Green.
The following players have played in all 15 matches the Magic has played this season; Irene van Dyk, Maria Tutaia, Amigene Metcalfe, Laura Langman, Joline Henry & Casey Williams.

Swifts Fast Stats

Wins 11, Losses 3 (1 match decided in Extra Time) (including finals)
Highest Score: 66 goals, vs. Fever R7
Lowest Score: 44 goals, vs. Tactix Rd2
Biggest Win: 29 goals, vs. Pulse Rd4
Biggest Loss: 14 goals vs. Firebirds R6
Consecutive Wins: 8 (Round 7-MSF)
Last 5 matches: W W W W W
Home record: 6W, 1L – 86%
Away record: 5W, 2L – 71%

Magic Fast Stats

Wins 11, Losses 4
Highest Score: 69 goals, vs. Tactix Rd 14 (ANZC record)
Lowest Score: 40 goals vs. Vixens R 11
Biggest Win: 25 goals vs. Tactix R 14
Biggest Loss: 7 goals vs. Vixens Rd 11
Consecutive Wins: 6 (Round 4-10)
Last 5 matches: W L W L W
Home record: 8W, 1L – 89%
Away record: 3W, 3L – 50%