ANZ Championship: Round 1 preview

20-22 March 2010 .

Saturday 20 March LG Mystics v Adelaide Thunderbirds
2.20pm, The Trusts Stadium Arena, Waitakere, Auckland

Sunday 21 March Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v West Coast Fever
6.50pm, Stadium Southland, Invercargill

Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
1.50pm, Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast

Monday 22 March Mercury Energy Tactix v Haier Pulse
7.20pm, Westpac Arena, Christchurch

Melbourne Vixens v Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
7.05pm, Hisense Arena, Melbourne

* All times shown are local times


The hotly anticipated third season of the ANZ Championship commences this weekend.

Visit anz-championship.com for live scoring and statistics, as well as match reports and final results.

Many of the teams will be unveiling their new-look line-ups for the first time. Following is a snapshot of each game, with additional details provided on the attached head-to-head statistics sheets.

LG Mystics v Adelaide Thunderbirds
· Unveiling their new co-captain, Mo’onia Gerrard, as well as their leadership group comprising Geva Mentor, Sharni Layton and Emily Beaton, the Thunderbirds will be looking for their new appointments to step up on foreign soil.

· The Mystics have been the most active in the recruiting in the off-season with eight new faces joining the team, including three Silver Ferns - Joline Henry (Magic), Larrissa Willcox (Tactix) and Maria Tutaia (Magic).

· Following the defection of their 2009 starting goal attack Natalie Medhurst to the Firebirds, the Thunderbirds will be looking for one of their shooting recruits - Erin Bell (Swifts), Carla Borrego and Jasmine Keene (Fever) – to fill the role.

· Mystics midcourter Jenny-May Coffin returns to the ANZ Championship after a year off and the Mystics will hope her domestic and international experience (26 Silver Ferns caps and eight years playing in NBC) pays dividends.

· Player to watch: Thunderbirds new recruit, Jamaican Carla Borrego. At six foot four, Borrego’s athleticism and agility is set to thrill.



Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel v West Coast Fever
· Fever face the daunting prospect of making the longest trip of the season in Round 1, as they head all the way across Australia to one of the southern-most points of New Zealand.

· Steel made it to the finals last year, however they have lost four of their starting seven from 2009, including Donna Wilkins and their former captain, Adine Wilson.

· Fever emerged as a team to watch following the pre-season tournament in Sydney, where they finished second behind the in-form Firebirds.

· Player to watch: Fever’s Madison Browne established herself as a star of the future when she notched up five Test Caps for the Diamonds on their UK tour in February.


Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
· Tickets have almost sold out for the ANZ Championship’s debut at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre (capacity 6,000).

· Queensland Firebirds have emerged as the team to beat in 2009, after remaining unbeaten in the Queenstown Pre-Season Tournament, and emphatically winning the Sydney Netball Cup.

· After winning the inaugural ANZ Championship, the NSW Swifts finished a disappointing 9th place in 2009.

· Player to watch: English superstar Sonia Mkoloma, who will bolster the Swifts’ defensive stocks.


Mercury Energy Tactix v Haier Pulse
· Between them, Tactix and Pulse have the smallest distance to travel this weekend, however they will both need to improve significantly if they are to better their 2009 finishes (6th and 10th respectively).

· Tactix have lost a wealth of experience, with the departures of Julie Seymour (who retains her role as Assistant Coach), Jodi Brown (Magic) and Sonia Mkoloma (Swifts).

· Jane Altschwager, former Australian representative, has made the move from SA, and has been named captain of the Pulse.

· Player to watch: The Pulse’s Camilla Lees. At just 20 years of age, Lees is a part of the Silver Fern squad and will be looking to impress Commonwealth Games selectors early in the season.


Melbourne Vixens v Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
· Last year’s top two teams at the end of the home and away season, this will be the Magic’s chance for redemption; they were beaten by the Vixens in the first semi-final, and then lost their chance at the premiership when knocked out by the late challenging Thunderbirds in the Preliminary Final.

· Magic have lost three key players, including their captain Joline Henry (Mystics) along with two other Silver Ferns in Maria Tutaia (Mystics) and Leana de Bruin (Steel).

· The Vixens have retained their starting seven from 2009, and will start favourites in front of their home crowd at Hisense Arena.

· Player to watch: Peta Scholz may prove to be the Magic’s secret weapon. A former Australian representative and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Scholz has been touted as one of the competition’s best wing defences.