ANZ Championship round 4 schedule
ROUND 4 SCHEDULE.
Saturday 25th April
Central Pulse v West Coast Fever
Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North. 2.00pm*
Saturday 25th April
Melbourne Vixens v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
State Netball Hockey Centre, Melbourne. 2.00pm
Sunday 26th April
Queensland Firebirds v Colourplus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. 2.30pm
Monday 27th April
Mercury Energy Tactix v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Westpac Arena, Christchurch. 7.00pm
Monday 27th April
NSW Swifts v LG Mystics
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney. 7.00pm
* Please note all times are local area times.
DOT POINTS FOR ROUND 4;
Central Pulse v West Cost Fever
· The Pulse and Fever met once in last year’s championship with the Fever winning the match, 33-16.
· The Pulse is yet to win a game in the 2009 season.
· The Pulse’s lowest points differential this season is 4, against the Mystics in Round 2.
· The Fever won their first game of the season last round against the Mystics. With a goal difference of 11.
· Paula Griffin is the highest scoring shooter for the Pulse with an average of 32 goals a match so far this year.
· Caitlin Bassett is the top shooter for the Fever with an average of 36 goals a match.
· Defensively the Pulse have an edge over the Fever with Althea Byfield, ranked second in the season so far with total intercepts this year of 9.
· The Fever won just 1 of their 6 away games last season (17%)
Melbourne Vixens v Southern Steel
· Vixens are currently undefeated in 2009 and sitting in second position on the ANZ Championship ladder at the end of round 3
· Steel currently sit in fourth position on the ladder with two wins and the one loss against Magic in Round 2
· When the two teams met last (Rd 10 2008 in New Zealand), Steel defeated Vixens by one goal 47-46
· Vixens are averaging 53.3 goals in 2009, while Steel are averaging 51.3
· Adine Wilson from the Steel had 28 Centre Pass receives in Round 3, taking her total to 57 for the season.
· Steel shooter Daneka Wipiiti is averaging 35 goals a match in 2009 and is shooting at 85.4%
· The Vixens home and away record for 2008 was almost the same with 63% and 67% respectively.
· The Steel's away record for 2008 was 33%
Queensland Firebirds v Colourplus Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
· Magic have been the dominant team so far in 2009, undefeated and sitting on top of the ladder with a percentage of 129.2%
· Firebirds registered their first win of the season in Round 3, and are currently sitting in sixth position on the ladder
· When the two teams met in Round 10 2008, Magic defeated Firebirds 56-50 in Rotorua.
· Magic goal shooter Irene van Dyk has been in blistering form in 2009, shooting 114 goals at with an accuracy of 95% - the most accurate shooter in the competition
· At the other end of the court, Firebirds shooter Romelda Aiken has shot 121 goals for the season at 82.9% and an average of 40.3 goals a game making her the leading shooter by volume in 2009
· Magic are averaging 56 goals a game in 2009, while Firebirds are averaging 52.3 goals
· Magic defender Casey Williams leads the competition for intercepts in 2009 with 15 for the season and an impressive 7 in Round 3
Mercury Energy Canterbury Tactix v Adelaide Thunderbirds
· The Thunderbirds won the 2008 match up between the two teams by 20 Goals, 61-41, in Round 10.
· This was the Tactix’s 2nd largest loss in their 2008 season.
· For the Thunderbirds, the match up in the 2008 season was their largest win.
· The Tactix are currently 8th on the 2009 table with 1 win and 2 losses.
· The Thunderbirds are 3rd on the table with 1 wins and 1 loss
· Thunderbirds Shooter Natalie Medhurst sits 5th in the accuracy stakes with 85.7% overall.
· Jodi Brown sits 4th for the Tactix overall in the shooting ranks. Sitting at 88.5% overall.
· The Thunderbirds had the second best away record last season (63%) after the Swifts (71%)
NSW Swifts v LG Mystics
· NSW Swifts currently sit in fifth position of the ladder after winning just the first match of the year, followed by two defeats
· Mystics have also one just one match for the season, but sit in ninth position on the ladder
· When these two teams met last year in Round 10 in Auckland, Swifts won a thrilling match 63-62 in extra time
· Swifts are averaging 51.3 goals a match in season 2009, while Mystics are averaging 49.3
· Swifts are the second most accurate team in 2009, shooting at an impressive 88.5%, with Catherine Cox shooting at 89.9% and Susan Pratley at 89.2%
· Swifts defender Emma Koster has given away 58 penalties in 2009, the second highest in the competition.
· Cathrine Latu is the Mystics leading shooter for the season shooting an average of 19 goals a game, putting her at number 13 in the competition by volume.
ANZAC WEEKEND SEES ALL TRANS-TASMAN CLASHES
While Melbourne Vixens wish to stay oblivious to their status as the only unbeaten Australian team in the ANZ Championship, they are fully conscious of the importance of their Anzac Day showdown with the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in round four this weekend.
Vixens’ co-captain Bianca Chatfield says she hadn’t realised they were the only unbeaten Australian team after their victory over long-time rivals the Adelaide Thunderbirds last weekend.
“At the moment we are so concentrated on our game, we only hear bits and pieces of what else is going on. The coaches do all the research - we rely on our instincts when we get out on court,” Chatfield says.
“To be honest, it doesn’t concern me; we won’t use it as a positive. We’ve only played three games, after all, and we haven’t met the Swifts yet.”
What’s more important to Vixens will be a win against Steel in Melbourne on Saturday – their first championship encounter with a New Zealand side this season.
“This weekend’s game will give us a real indication of where we stand. The Steel will give us a really intensive, tough match. Last time, we played them in Invercargill and it was one of the hardest away trips we’ve done. We lost by one and it was one of the most crucial games we let go last year.
“The thing about the Steel is that you can be up by 10-15 goals and they will come right back at you.”
Defender Chatfield, one of the stars of the Vixens’ six-goal win over the Thunderbirds, is more than happy with the way her side have performed so far this season.
“Last Saturday’s game was the best we have played as a combination since the ANZ Championships began last year. The first year was a learning curve and now we seem to have a real consolidated line-up.
“We have a long rivalry with the Adelaide Thunderbirds – over 10 years, as I long as I’ve been playing – so to beat them on their turf was fantastic. We face them again in the next round and that will be our real test.”
The return of Australian Diamonds shooter Sharelle McMahon, following knee surgery, has also reaped rewards for the Vixens.
“It’s good to see Sharelle back playing without any pain. If anything, the break away has been good for her, because she hasn’t been able to step away from the game for a very long time. The rest has done her game the world of good,” Chatfield says.
Steel will take some confidence into the match after their win over the Mercury Energy Tactix last weekend, with goal shoot Daneka Wipiiti in the top 10 shooters in the competition on 85.5% (just ahead of McMahon on 84%).
Colourplus Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic won’t be weighed down with the curse of New Zealand teams still seeking an elusive win on Australian soil, when they meet the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane on Sunday. But Magic coach Noeline Taurua will want to follow up last Monday’s emphatic 18-goal win over defending champions NSW Swifts with another comprehensive all-round performance to keep Magic at the top of the table.
Firebirds defenders Laura Geitz and Peta Stephens will no doubt pull out all the stops to break Irene van Dyk’s incredible run of 100 percent shooting efforts. She comfortably tops the competition’s shooting statistics on 95% accuracy, claiming “practice makes perfect”.
Magic’s wizard in defence, Casey Williams, has taken a huge leap in the statistics stakes herself, with her seven intercepts in Monday’s match elevating her to a season total of 15.
Bruised from their Magic encounter, the Swifts are hoping their injured are healed for the home clash with LG Northern Mystics. Catherine Cox (ankle), and Kimberlee Green, (hand), needed medical attention during the week, but coach Julie Fitzgerald was confident they would play on Monday – along with Rebecca Bulley and Susan Pratley, nursing bruises from falls.
The disappointed Mystics returned from their loss in Perth to prepare at home in Auckland before returning across the Tasman. When the two sides last met, the eventual champions held out a fired-up Mystics by a single goal.
The Central Pulse, looking for their first ANZ Championship win, will face a buoyed West Coast Fever side who registered their first points on the board this week. Counting in the Pulse’s favour for the Palmerston North match, is Fever’s meagre record of away wins in ANZ Championship history.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds will be out to avenge last weekend’s loss when they meet Tactix in Christchurch on Monday night – look out for the clash between Thunderbirds’ defender Mo’onia Gerrard and Tactix shooter Jodi Brown.