Back to basics for Kia Magic
Press Release May 2, 2013
Polishing up on the basics has been a key focus for Kia Magic ahead of their ANZ Championship netball showdown against the table-topping Thunderbirds in Adelaide on Monday.
A tense one-goal loss to Central Pulse in the latest outing, their second of the season, has left Kia Magic seriously in need of a win to retain a spot in the top four.
Kia Magic coach Noeline Taurua has no major overall concerns but the tight contest against Pulse highlighted how the smallest of indescretions can come back to bite.
``There’s little things in regards to trying to control our momentum, the flow of the game better,’’ she said.
``There was a moment in the third quarter where we were up by five and a clump of errors all in a row put us on the backfoot. It also happened straight after a time out, so we just have to look at how we deal with that sort of situation strategically.
``There were a number of small things but things which have a huge impact as to the overall performance, so we have been working on those this week.’’
Despite the loss, Taurua considered the game a step-up from the previous week.
``I thought it was a great game and one that could have gone either way,’’ she said. ``There was improvement across the court, so I’m happy with that. But it’s a matter of continuing to work hard, keeping our knitting tight, maintaining discipline and sticking strong as a team.
``We didn’t come away with the two points but there was a lot of pleasing points to come from it.’’
Thunderbirds have enjoyed a spectacular fortnight in chalking up gutsy back-to-back one-goal wins over the previously unbeaten Melbourne Vixens and Queensland Firebirds. Taking on the high-flyers in their own backyard presents a daunting mission for Kia Magic.
Statistically and performance-wise there are a lot of similarities in how Kia Magic and Thunderbirds play the game, the pair traditionally enjoying free-flowing and willing contests. For Tuarua, the emphasis is about getting their own house in order rather than looking at ways to dismantle Thunderbirds firepower, defence being a priority.
``We’ve got to sort our own strategies out, be more connected defensively and not get ourselves isolated from each other,’’ she said. ``Irrelevant of the opposition, that’s a clear area that we need to sharpen up on.’’
Pulse may have done Magic a favour by giving them a searching examination over 60 minutes, their most intense of the season. Taurua believes lessons have been learnt but is aware of what lies in wait in Adelaide.
``They’ve had two hard games in the last two weeks and have come out on top which means their ability to execute under pressure has been amazing,’’ she said of the Thunderbirds.
``They have won by coming from behind, so they’re tenacious, defensively strong and have a balance between Erin Bell out the front and Carla Borrego at the back which provides two shooters who can spread the load.’’
Midcourter Jess Tuki temains on Kia Magic’s injured list, still recovering from a broken bone in her elbow, but is targeting a return for the rematch against Pulse on May 13.
Jane Hunt
Kia Magic media liaison
Ph: 021-107-0287
