 Wellington Black A have kept two hands firmly on the Anna Rowberry Cup for a second year, beating perennial rivals Auckland 1 in the final of the 2017 Netball NZ U17 Champs played at the Pukekohe Netball Centre. Playing outdoors but undercover, before an enthusiastic crowd of 400, the defending champions Wellington A Black surged ahead in the third quarter of the final, and had to fend off a final charge by Auckland 1, to win 34-25. Wellington’s assistant coach Irene van Dyk attributed the victory to a special harmony in the team. “We didn’t have a full squad until the week before the tournament, with two players in the Beko [Netball] League, and others fulfilling commitments to other sports. But they all worked so hard to bring it together, which showed the harmony in this amazing team,” she said. Wellington had been pushed hard in the morning’s semi-final clash, by the young Howick Pakuranga team of predominantly Year 11 players; the capital side eventually winning 29-22. Auckland had a more comfortable run into the final, beating Christchurch 54-26. The Aucklanders took an early lead in the final, with goal shoot Bianca Nagaiya shooting well. But Wellington put pressure on late in the quarter, forcing Auckland into unnecessary errors, to close the gap to 7-5 in Auckland’s favour. Van Dyk gave the Wellington side a rousing pep-talk, and they responded by contesting every ball and snatching the lead. Auckland had adapted by the end of the quarter, but Wellington held onto their advantage, 13-12, at halftime. A wall of defence across court from Wellington gave them a formidable restart. Wing attack Salote Taufa deftly fed shooter Saviour Tui, for Wellington to score six unanswered goals in the third quarter, and lead 26-17 going into the final spell. Although Auckland rallied, Wellington maintained their intensity to take the win for the second year running. Howick Pakuranga took out third place with a 29-16 victory over Christchurch. The four-day outdoor tournament is the largest event on Netball New Zealand’s calendar, featuring 38 teams and more than 450 talented young players from throughout the country.  NZ U17 Tournament Team Jess Allan – Christchurch Olivia Clark – Christchurch Tayla Earle – Auckland 1 Maddy Gordon – Auckland 1 Paris Lokotui – Wellington 1 Bianca Nagaiya – Auckland 1 Ainsleyana Puleiata – Wellington 1 Renee Savai’inaea – Wellington 1 Leehava Saverio – Howick Pakuranga Greer Sinclair – Auckland 1 Saviour Tui – Wellington 1 Emily Ussher – Eastern Waikato Nanise Waqaira – Howick Pakuranga Khiarna Williams – Eastern BOP Ruby Young – Auckland 1 Day 4 Results Team A Team B Hutt Valley31V21Wellington B Gold Thames Valley38V29Mangere Otahuhu Mid Canterbury30V49Nelson Pukekohe45V36Gisborne Kapi Mana25V33Invercargill North Canterbury21V28Papakura Hawke's Bay35V37Eastern Bay of Plenty North Harbour 224V52North Harbour 1 Dunedin27V39Taranaki Harbourside27V38Waitakere 2 Trust Waikato Hamilton City B26V29Waitakere 1 Whanganui41V30Whangarei Wellington Black A29V22Howick Pakuranga A Auckland 154V26Christchurch Manawatu39V41Trust Waikato Hamilton City A Auckland 248V36Eastern Waikato Kapiti33V15Ko Rua Wairarapa*WBDVLBDInvitational Selwyn44V26Rotorua Hutt Valley26V37Thames Valley Wellington B Gold41V28Mangere Otahuhu Nelson28V50Pukekohe Mid Canterbury36V44Gisborne Kapi Mana23V30North Canterbury Invercargill27V26Papakura Taranaki38V21Waitakere 2 Dunedin34V35Harbourside Waitakere 142V29Whanganui Trust Waikato Hamilton City B34V32Whangarei Eastern Bay of Plenty23V46North Harbour 1 Howick Pakuranga A29V16Christchurch Trust Waikato Hamilton City A29V37Auckland 2 Manawatu30V41Eastern Waikato Hawke's Bay49V34North Harbour 2 Wellington Black A34V25Auckland 1 *Please note: Each team who plays the Invitational Team will be awarded 4 points for a win, and the score will not be included in the goal differential calculation. For this reason, in the system these games have been recorded as ‘won by default’ (WBD). Final Placings: 1 - Wellington Black A 2 - Auckland 1 3 - Howick Pakuranga A 4 - Christchurch 5 - Auckland 2 6 - Trust Waikato Hamilton City A 7 - Eastern Waikato 8 - Manawatu 9 - North Harbour 1 10 - Eastern Bay of Plenty 11 - Hawke's Bay 12 - North Harbour 2 13 - Taranaki 14 - Waitakere 2 15 - Harbourside 16 - Dunedin 17 - Waitakere 1 18 - Whanganui 19 - Trust Waikato Hamilton City B 20 - Whangarei 21 - Thames Valley 22 - Hutt Valley 23 - Wellington B Gold 24 - Mangere Otahuhu 25 - Pukekohe 26 - Nelson 27 - Gisborne 28 - Mid Canterbury 29 - Invercargill 30 - Papakura 31 - North Canterbury 32 - Kapi Mana 33 - Selwyn 34 - Rotorua 35 - Kapiti 36 - Ko Rua 37 - Wairarapa 38 - Invitational  The final four teams to fight it out for the Anna Rowberry Cup at the Netball NZ U17 Champs are all the usual suspects, bar one. Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch – all winners of the title over the past four years – have again played their way through to tomorrow’s semi-finals at the Pukekohe Netball Centre. But the young Howick Pakuranga side is the giant-slayer joining them. Howick Pakuranga boasts a team of predominantly Year 11 players. They beat Taranaki 37-20 in this morning’s top 16 playoff match, to come up against a more experienced Trust Waikato Hamilton City in the quarterfinals. But with their strong defence and steady shooters, the Howick Pakuranga side caused a minor upset in outgunning Hamilton, 32-20. They will now line-up against defending champions Wellington Black A in tomorrow morning’s semi-final clash. Wellington continued their determined march towards the final with two almost identical victories today – 44-21 over Hawkes Bay, and 44-19 over Manawatu in the quarter-final. Auckland 1 were also in decisive form, knocking Harbourside out of contention with a 72-21 defeat, before coming up against their sister side, Auckland 2, and winning 35-22. Their semis opponents, Christchurch, had a tougher battle to make it through to the top four, with a one-goal win over North Harbour 1, 35-34. But in their quarter-final square-off with Eastern Waikato, the tall timber and fast mid-court in the South Island side proved too strong in the last game of the afternoon, winning 40-33. Tomorrow’s final will be played at 2.45pm at the Pukekohe Netball Centre – the first time a national tournament has been played there. All of the placings of the 38 teams in this year’s Netball NZ U17 Champs will be determined on tomorrow’s final day. The four-day outdoor tournament, featuring more than 450 talented young players from throughout the country, is the largest event on Netball New Zealand’s calendar.  Day 3 Results
Team A Team B Trust Waikato Hamilton City B47V27Mid Canterbury Pukekohe31V41Whanganui Wellington B Gold47V30Nelson Gisborne34V37Mangere Otahuhu Ko Rua36V38Rotorua Kapiti40V13Wairarapa Kapi Mana19V25Hutt Valley Thames Valley35V33North Canterbury Invercargill26V38Waitakere 1 Papakura36V39Whangarei Wellington Black A44V21Hawke's Bay Auckland 172V21Harbourside Eastern Bay of Plenty26V38Trust Waikato Hamilton City A Eastern Waikato43V34Waitakere 2 Dunedin30V41Manawatu North Harbour 225V55Auckland 2 Taranaki20V37Howick Pakuranga A Christchurch35V34North Harbour 1 Rotorua 51 (WBD)V24Invitational Selwyn53V15Wairarapa Trust Waikato Hamilton City B29V22Hutt Valley Whanganui40V34Thames Valley Mid Canterbury33V28Kapi Mana Pukekohe33V32North Canterbury Nelson39V38Invercargill Gisborne33V30Papakura Wellington B Gold31V35Waitakere 1 Mangere Otahuhu30V36Whangarei Ko Rua39 (WBD)V29Invitational Wellington Black A44V19Manawatu Trust Waikato Hamilton City A20V32Howick Pakuranga A Hawke's Bay44V36Dunedin Eastern Bay of Plenty34V28Taranaki Kapiti28V29Selwyn Harbourside24V48North Harbour 2 Waitakere 225V47North Harbour 1 Auckland 135V22Auckland 2 Eastern Waikato33V40Christchurch *Please note: Each team who plays the Invitational Team will be awarded 4 points for a win, and the score will not be included in the goal differential calculation. For this reason, in the system these games have been recorded as ‘won by default’ (WBD).  Photo Credit - Netball NZ The top 16 teams have been determined after day two of the Netball NZ U17 Champs at the Pukekohe Netball Centre, with sides from the Waikato Bay of Plenty stamping their mark. Both Eastern Waikato and Eastern Bay of Plenty went through pool play unbeaten to advance to the play-off rounds which begin tomorrow. They are joined by the Mt Maunganui-based Harbourside, who edged out the top Waitakere team for a top 16 place, by virtue of a 43-42 nail-biter over Whanganui in the morning. Trust Waikato Hamilton City made it the fourth team from the Waikato Bay of Plenty zone to progress through to the top playoffs. The Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone continues to grow in force through a strong focus on developing its community coaches. The biggest upset of the day was handed out by Hutt Valley, who toppled the otherwise unbeaten Manawatu side in the morning’s rounds. Playing as a team and carrying out the basics well, the Hutt side pulled off a spine-tingling 31-30 victory. But it wasn’t quite enough to see them through to the top 16, with Waitakere 2 claiming the spot on goal differential. The leading teams from Auckland and Wellington continued their assertive runs at this tournament, using their strong benches to good effect and notching up sizeable victories to round out pool play unbeaten. North Harbour and Howick Pakuranga have also advanced without a blemish from their four qualifying matches. The Netball NZ U17 Champs is the largest event on Netball New Zealand's calendar – this year featuring 38 teams and more than 450 talented young players across the four-day tournament. Post-section play begins at 8.15am tomorrow, with the quarter-finals played in the afternoon. It is the first time a national Netball tournament has been held at the Pukekohe Netball Centre.  Day 2 Results Team AResults Team B Harbourside43 - 42Whanganui Howick Pakuranga A49 - 34Waitakere 1 Rotorua18 - 55Whangarei Mangere Otahuhu26 - 44Waitakere 2 Manawatu30 - 31Hutt Valley InvitationalLBD - WBD*Kapi Mana Wellington Black A47 - 18Trust Waikato Hamilton City B Kapiti18 - 47Christchurch Ko Rua14 - 47Taranaki Auckland 158 - 16Invercargill Dunedin33 - 48Eastern Waikato Hawke's Bay29 - 56North Harbour 1 Auckland 261 - 16Nelson Trust Waikato Hamilton City A48 - 17North Canterbury Whangarei50 - 31Mid Canterbury Whanganui42 - 34Selwyn Harbourside16 - 48Howick Pakuranga A Waitakere 253 - 13Wairarapa Kapi Mana23 - 34Gisborne Taranaki36 - 28Pukekohe Christchurch53 - 22Papakura Wellington B Gold33 - 39Eastern Bay of Plenty Mangere Otahuhu20 - 47Manawatu North Harbour 241 - 39Thames Valley Kapiti15 - 42Wellington Black A Ko Rua11 - 70Auckland 1 Auckland 244 - 23North Canterbury Trust Waikato Hamilton City A49 - 20Nelson Selwyn20 - 38Waitakere 1 Mid Canterbury17 - 63North Harbour 1 Rotorua25 - 45Hawke's Bay InvitationalLBD - WBD*Dunedin Gisborne31 - 42Eastern Waikato Hutt Valley48 - 18Wairarapa Pukekohe52 - 20Invercargill Papakura25 - 41Trust Waikato Hamilton City B *Please note: Each team who plays the Invitational Team will be awarded 4 points for a win, and the score will not be included in the goal differential calculation. For this reason, in the system these games have been recorded as ‘won by default’ (WBD).  Photo Credit - Netball NZ Only hours after the NZU21s side won their second successive World Youth Cup in Botswana, the next generation of netballers hoping to defend the title in four years’ time were showing their skills on day one of the Netball NZ U17 Champs at Pukekohe Netball Centre. The Netball NZ U17 Champs is the largest event on the Netball New Zealand calendar – this year featuring 38 teams and more than 450 talented young players across the four-day tournament. “The beauty of this tournament is that it gives a snapshot of the future of New Zealand netball,” Emerging Talent Panel Selector Lee-Anne Clark says. “Even after the first day, it’s evident that there is a pretty high standard of netball coming through at the under 17 level. It’s our current area of strength, and the next generation of World Youth Cup stars will no doubt come from this group of players.” Even after the first day of pool play, it was also evident that the strongholds of U17 Netball in recent years – Auckland and Wellington – are continuing their domination. Auckland 1, a team boasting strength in all areas through the court, had two decisive wins today; the first over home side Pukekohe, 53-19, and then a similar 52-25 victory over Taranaki.  Defending champions Wellington A have the advantage of experience on their side. Two of their players, Ainsleyana Puleiata and Renee Savai’inaea, were in the Netball Central team in this year’s Beko Netball League; while Silver Ferns shooting legend Irene van Dyk is assistant coach to former Wellington NPC coach Dion Te Whetu.
They beat Papakura 51-8 in their opening match, and followed that up with a convincing a 46-24 win over Christchurch in the afternoon. In one of the early surprises, Auckland 2 overcame the traditionally strong Trust Waikato Hamilton City A side, 43-30. Pool play continues from 8.15am tomorrow at the Pukekohe Netball Centre - the first time a national Netball tournament has been held there. Day 1 Results: Team AResultsTeam B Wellington Black A51-8Papakura Trust Waikato Hamilton City B25-36Christchurch Auckland 153-19Pukekohe Invercargill18-44Taranaki Dunedin36-35Gisborne Manawatu50-18Wairarapa Hutt Valley24-31Waitakere 2 Howick Pakuranga A46-15Selwyn Waitakere 144-33Whanganui Hawke's Bay59-26Mid Canterbury North Harbour 137-16Whangarei Eastern Waikato38-18Kapi Mana Wellington B Gold34-36North Harbour 2 Thames Valley31-32Eastern Bay of Plenty GisborneWBD vs LBDInvitational Taranaki25-52Auckland 1 Pukekohe55-28Ko Rua Trust Waikato Hamilton City B21-17Kapiti Christchurch24-46Wellington Black A Mid Canterbury39-33Rotorua Selwyn21-34Harbourside Wairarapa29-35Mangere Otahuhu Waitakere 226-52Manawatu Nelson28-38North Canterbury Auckland 243-30Trust Waikato Hamilton City A Kapi Mana28-42Dunedin Whangarei29-30Hawke's Bay Whanganui24-56Howick Pakuranga A Papakura23-22Kapiti Wellington B Gold34-33Thames Valley Eastern Bay of Plenty38-36North Harbour 2 Eastern WaikatoWBD vs LBDInvitational Hutt Valley34-24Mangere Otahuhu Invercargill45-34Ko Rua Waitakere 130-44Harbourside North Harbour 173-8Rotorua *Please note: Each team who plays the Invitational Team will be awarded 4 points for a win, and the score will not be included in the goal differential calculation. For this reason, in the system these games have been recorded as ‘won by default’.  Piling on a decisive second half, the NZU21s team secured a fourth Netball World Youth Cup title when fending off Australia 60-57 in a thrilling final in Botswana on Sunday.
In a memorable first, with the Netball World Youth Cup 2017 (NWYC2017) being held on the African continent for the first time, New Zealand created history by winning back-to-back titles for the first time in their history, defending the title they won in Scotland in 2013 while adding to the 1992 and 2005 editions. The value of the new elite domestic competition, which was introduced this year, was highlighted in New Zealand’s unbeaten campaign in Botswana where six of the 12-strong NZU21s team were regular starters for their ANZ Premiership teams. New Zealand employed the same starting seven as used in the semi-final, Australia having a slight edge through the opening exchanges against their trans-Tasman neighbours. New Zealand squared up the scores midway through the quarter after the Australian shooting duo of Sasha Glasgow and Kiera Austin had pushed their team out to an early lead. The New Zealanders struggled a little to breach Australia’s defensive wall through the midcourt where they were forced to work overtime to move the ball forward. Wing defence Jamie-Lee Price, who had played much of her earlier netball in New Zealand, and in-circle defender Tara Hinchcliffe were instrumental in disrupting New Zealand’s flow and it was an efficient Australia who had their noses in front 17-14 at the end of a high-scoring first quarter. Pocket rocket centre Kimiora Poi was injected into the match midway through the second stanza, teaming with her Central Beko Netball League team-mate Mila Reuelu-Buchanan in lifting New Zealand’s attacking momentum. Corresponding with the defensive pairing of Kelly Jury and captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson tightening up under the Australian hoop, New Zealand staged a stirring closing half to the second stanza. The long-limbed Jury became an increasingly influential figure, her disruption of the Australian shot and rebounding strength handing extra opportunities New Zealand’s way. As Australia’s shooting percentages fell away, New Zealand’s grew stronger when they trailed by just one, 28-27, at halftime. Goal attack Monica Falkner was introduced for the second half, the seamless change coinciding with a telling third quarter from New Zealand. Shooter Maia Wilson continued her outstanding tournament with a dominant display under New Zealand’s hoop, the dynamic midcourt pairing of Reuelu-Buchanan and Poi were pivotal in driving forward and finding the shooters while Sokolich-Beatson and Jury took the sting out of Australia’s scoring opportunities. With New Zealand jumping out to a six-goal advantage and in control, Australia replaced Glasgow with towering shooter Emma Ryde in a bid to stem the flow. But it was the young women in black who went into the last break with all the momentum, when leading 45-41. In a frenetic finish, Australia threw everything into their efforts as they tried desperately to reel in their old foes but anchored by their two Silver Ferns, Jury, the player of the match, and the rock-solid Wilson, New Zealand proved unshakeable.  Continuing to fine-tune, the NZU21 team delivered another decisive effort when despatching Pacific neighbours Samoa 85-33 on the second day’s play at the Netball World Youth Cup Gaborone 2017 (NWYC2017).
The New Zealanders were again able to give a number of players decent court time following an equally impressive first-up 89-22 win over Northern Ireland in their first match of pool play in the Botswana-based tournament. Showcasing their depth of talent and variety, New Zealand were able to play several combinations without disrupting the structure or flow of their game plan. Defender Michaela Sokolich-Beatson was the only player not to take the court, the captain recently returning from a back injury. ``We’re pleased with how we’re progressing after the first two games of pool play,’’ coach Kiri Wills said. ``It’s great that we’ve been able to run a number of different combinations while giving all of our players good court time as we get important match-time under our belts ahead of the challenging games ahead.’’ New Zealand were quickly into stride, the connection between fleet-footed wing attack Mila Reuelu-Buchanan and goal shoot Maia Wilson on song from the outset. Samoa had few answers to Reuelu-Buchanan’s slick play where her quick turn and release to Wilson under the hoop gave New Zealand the upper hand. At the other end of the court, Kelly Jury and Abby Erwood’s superior height allowed the in-circle defensive duo to take ownership of Samoa’s circle. Quick with their through-court transition and a rock solid defence propelled New Zealand to a handy 19-9 lead at the first break. Retaining the same seven for the second quarter, New Zealand scored the first five goals on the resumption to ensure there was no slip in standards. In her first outing of the tournament, WBOP goal attack Monica Falkner showed her increasing confidence from range in a telling partnership with Wilson. The defensive trio of Kelly, Jury and Fa’amu Ioane nullified Samoa’s options on attack while restricting their opponents to just eight goals. Displaying the overall strength of their 12-strong team, New Zealand showed few chinks in whatever combination took the court, finishing with a flourish and scoring 24 goals in the run home. Showing her versatility, Falkner finished with a stint at wing attack while rising young teenaged talent Tiana Metuarau produced a 15-minute final quarter cameo with her combined shooting ability while also picking up useful turnover ball on defence. New Zealand play their third pool match against Scotland later tonight (Monday, NZ time). 8/7/2017 NZU21s open title defence in style Giving most of their players an early taste, the NZU21 team opened their Netball World Youth Cup Gaborone 2017 (NWYC2017) campaign in style with an 89-22 win over Northern Ireland.
Putting the finishing touches on their preparation in South Africa ahead of the Botswana-based tournament, the New Zealanders finally got to put months of hard work and fine-tuning into practice with a commanding outing. In one of the most talented NZU21 teams ever assembled, captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson was able to take a full part in the action after being sidelined with a back injury for the last two weeks of the ANZ Premiership, having stints at both goal defence and wing defence in the team’s tournament opener. ``That was a good starting point for us and it was great that we maintained a consistent intensity through the four quarters,’’ NZU21 coach Kiri Wills said afterwards. ``It has set a platform and now we need to keep building towards the more challenging games ahead. It was great to get a number of players out on court and now it’s about pressing forward and focussing on our standards and improving across the board.’’ With a strong representation of ANZ Premiership performers, there was no shortage of firepower in New Zealand’s starting line-up which included Silver Ferns Kelly Jury (goalkeeper) and Maia Wilson (goal shoot) as well the team’s youngest player Tiana Metuarau, the teenaged schoolgirl shooter showcasing her enormous talent during her first year at the elite level. After winning the last title, held in in Scotland four years ago, the New Zealanders are looking to defend the title for the first time in their history after achieving wins in 1992, 2005 and 2013. Able to make changes seamlessly throughout the match helped New Zealand finally get into competition mode while blowing out the cobwebs ahead of the remaining eight-day tournament. Mainland’s Charlotte Elley and Central’s Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, both coming off strong Beko Netball League seasons, teamed as the midcourt pairing for the first half while lively wing defence Fa’amu Ioane (Northern Stars) rounded out the team for the opening half. The New Zealand team held their shape perfectly through the first 30 minutes to post quarter scores of 21-6 and 43-11. Changes for the second half included Netball South’s Aliyah Dunn coming on at goal shooter, her southern team-mate Abby Erwood taking over at goal defence, Mainland’s Kate Lloyd also joining the defence line at goalkeeper and Central’s exciting young wing attack Kimiora Poi slotting into the pivot’s role at wing attack. The changes were executed with the minimum of fuss, the New Zealanders pushing out to a 66-18 lead at three-quarter time before restricting Northern Ireland to just four goals in a dominant final stanza. New Zealand meet Samoa in their second of four pool matches early Monday morning, broadcast LIVE on the NNZ Facebook page from 12am (NZST). 30/6/2017 Teenager Secures Silver Fern Trial The opportunity to wear the Black Dress will go on the line when 25 Silver Fern hopefuls go head-to-head at the upcoming trials.
The trials will take place in Auckland from Monday 31 July – Friday 4 August with the Silver Ferns and Silver Ferns Development Squads to be announced on August 7. From the Silver Ferns squad, a team for the Netball Quad Series and Taini Jamison Trophy will also be announced. To be eligible to trial, players needed to have played for a New Zealand team in the 2017 ANZ Premiership. Silver Ferns Triallists SHOOTERS NAME - 2017 TEAM Monica Falkner - WBOP Magic Bailey Mes - SKYCITY Mystics Tiana Metuarau - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Te Paea Selby-Rickit - Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Maria Tutaia - SKYCITY Mystics Maia Wilson - Northern Stars MIDCOURT NAME - 2017 TEAM Gina Crampton - Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Kayla Cullen - Northern Stars Shannon Francois - Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Wendy Frew - Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Claire Kersten - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Erikana Pedersen - Silvermoon Tactix Grace Rasmussen - WBOP Magic Samantha Sinclair - WBOP Magic Whitney Souness - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Elisapeta Toeava - SKYCITY Mystics DEFENDERS NAME - 2017 TEAM Karin Burger - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Temalisi Fakahokotau - Silvermoon Tactix Katrina Grant - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Kelly Jury - WBOP Magic Phoenix Karaka - Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse Storm Purvis - SKYCITY Mystics Michaela Sokolich-Beatson - SKYCITY Mystics Zoe Walker - Silvermoon Tactix Jane Watson - Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Training Partners NAME – 2017 TEAM Ellie Bird - Silvermoon Tactix Jamie Hume – Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Aliyah Dunn – Netball South (Beko Netball League) Jennifer O’Connell – Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel Abby Erwood – Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel  The NZU21 team has gathered in Auckland for a pre-departure camp ahead of Netball World Youth Cup Gaborone 2017 (NWYC2017), July 8-16.
After hard-fought ANZ Premiership and Beko Netball League campaigns, the athletes and staff will be looking to put the finishing touches on their preparation. NZU21 head coach Kiri Wills says the feeling within the group is positive. “Everyone is getting excited; we’ve been working hard for a long time and can’t wait to get into it,” Wills said. “We’ve got a three day camp in Auckland before we hop on a plane to South Africa where we’ll complete our preparation and freshen up for a few days before our first match in Gaborone. “Our focus has, and always will be, on taking things one game at a time, putting together clinical performances against our opposition no matter who they are, and like Team NZ did – learn from each performance and keep building.” The NZU21 team will enter NWYC2017 battle hardened after a number of the 12 took on key roles within their ANZ Premiership teams. “I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve all stood up in critical moments in massive matches for their teams,” she said. “Players like Tiana [Metuarau] for the Pulse and Monica [Falkner] for the Magic nailing some big shots, and our captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson picking up crucial turnover ball for the Mystics. “It has been great to see the New Zealand Netball public get behind them and support this next generation. These players are young, but they’ve done work; they are strong, hard athletes and we’re all looking forward to representing New Zealand in Gaborone.” NWYC2017 will be played in Gaborone, Botswana from July 8-16. The NZU21s are defending world champions. They have been drawn in Pool A against Sri Lanka, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Samoa, with their first match against Northern Ireland at 8am (local time), Saturday 8 July. NZU21 Team Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (C): GD/WD/GK Charlotte Elley (VC): C/WD/WA Aliyah Dunn: GS/GA Abby Erwood: GK/GD Monica Falkner: GA/GS Fa’amu Ioane: WA/C/WD/GD Kelly Jury: GK Kate Lloyd: GK Tiana Metuarau: GA/GS Kimiora Poi: C/WA Mila Reuelu-Buchanan: WA/C Maia Wilson: GS International Netball Federation Appointed Umpires/Officials – NZL Gareth Fowler Ann Hay Angela Armstrong-Lush Fay Meiklejohn (Umpire Appointments Panel) NZU21s NWYC2017 Match Schedule (all games shown in local time): Note: Botswana is -10hours behind New Zealand Day 1, Saturday 8 July: 8am, New Zealand v Northern Ireland Day 2, Sunday 9 July: 2pm, Samoa v New Zealand Day 3, Monday 10 July: 10am, Scotland v New Zealand Day 4, Tuesday 11 July: REST DAY Day 5, Wednesday 12 July: 9am, New Zealand v Sri Lanka Days 6 – 9: Finals (Pools reconfigured)  Antonia Hei Hei (middle), Jessica Pease (right) and teammate Braxton Braxton Te Riini with the recent Aotearoa Maori Netball Secondary Schools team that won the International Schools Challenge in Fiji. The Beko League development netball series Grand Final is this coming Sunday in Auckland between the Central and Mainland teams.
Central go in to the final as top qualifier and unbeaten through 10 matches, having done so using 18 players. Five of the 18 have been current secondary schoolgirls, Ainsleyana Puleiata and Renee Savai'inaea (both St Mary’s College), Danielle Tafili (Sacred Heart College, Lower Hutt), Antonia Hei Hei (Manukura) and Jessica Pease (Palmerston North Girls’ High School). Both Antonia and Jessica are defenders, both are year 13 players captain their school teams and both were recently in the Aotearoa Maori Netball International Secondary School (AMNISS) team that won the International Schools Challenge in Fiji. Both also made their Beko League debuts in Queen’s Birthday Monday’s penultimate round match against the Northern Marvels at home in Palmerston North. Speaking with College Sport Media, Antonia and Jessica were excited to play their first games. “Stepping up to that higher level was definitely nerve-racking but being in front of my home crowd was settling for me and I really enjoyed it, said Antonia. “The girls in the team made it a really welcoming atmosphere,” said Jessica, who joined the squad for the first time for the weekend of her debut match. “It was a really big surprise for me being called in for this match at the business end of the season. I was only there for the Friday night training and then we went into camp on Sunday and played on Monday. It was just the first catch and pass that I was most worried about.” Antonia has been training with the team, other than the time that she was away with the New Zealand Maori team on their successful Fiji trip. “It’s been a high level of intensity, but I’ve learnt a lot from that as well and coach Nat [Natalie Milicich] has been really good.” Training has included playing practice games against the Pulse squad. Antonia has been in teams that have beaten Australia in finals three years in a row, for the AMNISS team in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, for the NZSS side in Auckland in 2016 and with AMNISS again last month in Fiji. For Jessica, this was her first trip away overseas with a New Zealand team. “It was a whole new experience for a lot of us. I had been in the team last year as well, so it was good to beat Australia after losing to them last year in this same team.” In fact, the last several weeks have been big for Jessica. “At the trials for the AMNISS team [Easter] everyone was so close and I had no idea if I was going to get in or not. Then to get in and then win the tournament and then be called into the Beko team upon my return was really cool.” Both players played for their school teams at last October’s NZSS championships in Lower Hutt, with Manukura finishing third and Palmerston North Girls’ High School ending up 10th of 16 teams. Antonia says that Manukura netball is looking up. “In the past years we had finished fifth to ninth so third last year was close. We only lost to champions St Kent’s by 5 goals [33-38] in our semi-final and this year we’ll be confident of going for the final.” Manukura has a settled team this year too. “We have only lost two players, so we are still a well-gelled team.” Two of Antonia’s teammates also recently joined her in the AMNISS team at the Fiji tournament. Wing attack Braxton Te Riini (Year 13) and goal attack Princess Tomoana (Year 12) Goal attack/wing attack Diahn Strickland made the NZSS team last year, but she has been out injured for the first part of this year so wasn’t available for the AMNISS squad. Both Manukura and PNGHS play in both the Manawatu club and secondary school competitions on Tuesday nights and Saturdays respectively. Manukura field two teams in the club competition, the school side and one made up of mostly old girls. Antonia, Braxton and Diahn all play in the old girls team. “Just to stretch ourselves a bit more and also to develop some new players in our group because the majority of our school side are older.” Jessica is co-captain of the PNGHS team, along with another key player Sisavaii Muliaga. But with Sisavaii away with the Samoan U21 team a lot, Jessica is the team’s principal captain at the moment. PNGHS have lost more school leavers than Manukura. This year their squad has been increased from 10 to 12 players, half of whom are new players this year and half being year 11s. Both schools are working towards the Lower North Island Tournament in New Plymouth, where a top five finish there will see them qualify for the NZSS tournament in Rotorua in October. As well as finishing third at nationals last year, Manukura are the defending Lower North Island champions. PNGHS are confident of qualifying. “I think we have the skill to get to nationals, it is just us believing in ourselves and knowing that we can get be a national side,” said Jessica. Netball is Antonia’s main sport, saying she plays other sports but only socially. She is originally from Auckland, but came down with her family to Manukura and Palmerston North three years ago. Next year she hopes to study teaching but isn’t sure where yet. “It depends how netball goes, wherever that takes me will probably what university I end up at but I am happy to wherever there are opportunities.” Jessica also plays rugby and athletics. “Last year I was lucky enough to get into the Manawatu women’s wider sevens squad, I only played regionals but I’ve learnt so much and am looking forward to playing more rugby in the future.” “I do a bit of athletics, when I am not playing netball or rugby. Earlier this year I broke the PNGHS 100m hurdles record and I went to North Islands and made the final, finishing sixth.” From Palmerston North, Jessica isn’t sure yet what she’ll be doing next year, but sporting success could dictate that one. This weekend, both Antonia and Jessica will be watching the Beko final between Central and Mainland with interest. |
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