Auckland Waitakere win Perry Foundation National Netball Champs

Perry Foundation National Netball Champs

3 October 2009

GRAND FINAL RESULT: Auckland Waitakere 47 def Southland 33

FIRST GRADE FINAL PLACINGS

First Division

1st Auckland Waitakere (New Zealand Cup)

2nd Southland (Annie Brown Cup)

3rd Mainland Foundation Canterbury

4th Otago A

5th Western

6th North 1*

Second Division

1st Pak ‘n’ Save Wellington* (Netball New Zealand Trophy)

2nd Bay of Plenty Gold

3rd PIC Insurance Brokers Counties Manukau

4th Trust Waikato

5th Plus Rehab Eastern

6th Tasman

*Due to Wellington winning the Promotion/Relegation match between Wellington and North, Wellington will now be in First Division in 2010 and North in Second Division

Violet Gilmer Trophy (for lowest goals scored against)
Pak ‘n’ Save Wellington

Lady Jane Blundell (for highest number of goals scored)
Pak ‘n’ Save Wellington

Gisborne Cup (for standard of playing uniform)

Otago A

FIRST GRADE TOURNAMENT TEAM

Te Amo Amaru-Tibble Wellington
Maree Bowden Canterbury
Erica Burgess Southland
Ellen Halpenny Canterbury
Cathrine Latu Auckland Waitakere
Bessie Manu Wellington
Emma Moynihan Otago
Chantelle Ngaia Western
Daya Pritchard Wellington
Hayley Saunders Otago
Anna Scarlett Auckland Waitakere
Victoria Smith Canterbury

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT – First Grade
Cathrine Latu

2009 1st GRADE, Division 1, 1st/2nd Playoff: FINAL - AUCKLAND WAITAKERE v SOUTHLAND
Southland player-coach Natalie Avellino focused on her coaching role, after suffering a fall at the end of yesterday's semi-final, but her absence from the court for the Final was keenly felt by her talented young side.

The game opened evenly, as Jade Topia opened the scoring for Auckland Waitakere, and Ashleigh Smith replied almost immediately for Southland. However, after seven minutes of play, and confident shooting by Topia & Cathrine Latu, despite the close attentions of Dana Bond and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit, Auckland Waitakere held a five-goal lead. They maintained that margin for much of the quarter with assertive work on defence and sharp feeding into the goal circle, but Southland began to show more control and composure in the last few minutes and pulled Auckland Waitakere's lead back to three goals by the first break.

A Dana Bond intercept, a held ball against Auckland Waitakere, and two swift goals by Smith and Julianna Naoupu made Southland's intentions clear in the first two minutes of the second quarter. Dynamic work and careful feeding by Hayley Crofts kept the ball rolling for Southland and after five minutes only two goals separated the teams.

Auckland Waitakere wrestled back control of the ball supply and converted most of it to open up an eight-goal lead three minutes before half-time. Brooke Williams and Amenda Payne worked hard in this period, ensuring plenty of opportunities for Latu & Topia who continued to make around 90% of their combined shots, while Naoupu & Smith struggled against Anna Scarlett and Rachel Rasmussen.

Southland's Erika Burgess, Crofts and Kerry McKenzie tirelessly worked the ball time and again through Auckland Waitakere's mobile, hustling mid-court zone defence, but their young shooters still found it hard to convert while Latu & Topia kept slotting almost all of their attempts. Scarlett's athleticism and Rasmussen's strength makes them a highly effective defensive pair, and together they kept a steady flow of ball going down the court. The outcome was a 12-goal lead for the northerners at three-quarter time.

Surrender isn't in the Southland vocabulary, and neither Avellino nor her team was about to give up the game, and the title with a quarter still to play. During the break Avellino reminded her players they had lost the 3rd quarter by only two goals, 10-8, and to play the final 15 minutes "one goal at a time." She made one change to her line-up, sending Erin Aston on at wing attack for McKenzie; while Auckland Waitakere coach Paula Bailey sent Rawinia Everitt to centre, with Payne replacing Debbie White at wing defence. During the quarter Susan Tagicakibau and Bailey Mes stepped into the goal shoot and goal attack roles for Auckland Waitakere.

To their credit both Smith and Naoupu kept taking their shots, although their combined accuracy didn't improve, and their team-mates stuck resolutely to their work. However, with the New Zealand Cup firmly in their sights, Auckland Waitakere continued to apply their experience & confidence with purpose throughout the court, and powered home to a convincing and thoroughly well-deserved victory.