Kia Magic prepare for tricky road trip to the deep South
Press Release May 8, 2014
Hunger and speed are high on the agenda for Kia Magic in their all-important ANZ Championship netball rematch with Southern Steel in Invercargill on Monday.
At the crossroads in terms of retaining their slight buffer in the top two ahead of a fast-closing pack, the match looms large for Magic after attacking lapses proved costly when losing to the Central Pulse in their latest outing.
``Every game from here on in is really important, starting with Steel,’’ Magic midcourter Grace Rasmussen said.
``We’ve come off a loss, so it’s making sure we’ve learnt from that and this week’s trainings will be vital in making sure we make those improvements for Steel and coming up against the likes of (shooter) Jhaniele Fowler-Reid down one end and their defensive unit combining well down the other end, we have to be on our game.’’
With just the two losses so far this season, both to the Pulse, Rasmussen felt Magic had won enough ball in their most recent game to make more of an impact. However, their attacking thrust had been stalled by their opponent’s zone defence, a strategy the Steel also like to employ, while also going off the boil after a strong start.
``We had a few lulls during that game and we didn’t address that in the attacking end, so we need to talk together as an attacking unit. And if we have those little lulls again, we need to identify it and do something about it,’’ Rasmussen said.
``It’s a matter of getting our links right on attack. When we move the ball at speed it works well for us, so it’s a matter of players being available and being able to move the ball with controlled speed.
``We had a good team talk after the game, everyone shared what they thought, so now it’s just a matter of moving forward, keeping our heads up and believing we’ve still got the goods to make top four.’’
Heading towards the business end of the season and the unpredictable nature of this year’s competition, there is a real sense that all teams are lifting their game with most able to beat the other on any given day, particularly the local derbies. Magic pipped Steel by four goals in the first match-up, in round three.
``Each team vying for a top four spot has definitely improved and we need to make that improvement as well,’’ Rasmussen said.
``We got away to a great start to the season, now it’s a matter of improving and making sure that in every game from here on in we’re putting out a great performance and building on that improvement we showed in the first part of the season.’’
Rasmussen’s silky skill set has been a key to Magic’s form this season, the fleet-footed wing attack rejuvenating her career after moving from the Northern Mystics in the off-season. After a quiet game against Pulse, she is ready to reassert herself.
Out of the race for the play-offs, Steel loom as a real thorn, with shooting machine Fowler-Reid ably assisted by crafty captain Jodi Brown in menacing form, the southerners are perfectly placed to play a spoiler’s role as they look to finish their season with a bang.
``You can’t take any team lightly and they will go out there with nothing to lose while we’ve got everything to loose,’’ Rasmussen said. ``We’ve just got to go out there, do our best, take it to them and make sure we put in a full 60 minutes.’’
Jane Hunt
Kia Magic media liaison
Ph: 021-107-0287
