Bring it on.
Those were captain Sam Winders’ words when asked about the challenge that awaits her Splice Construction Magic side in Round 4 of the ANZ Premiership.
During a tough fight against the Stars on Sunday, the Magic showed what they were made of, coming back from a 10 goal deficit to pull within two goals in the final stanza. However, the Stars ultimately held on to seal a 55-51 result.
Winders said the problem for her side came towards the end of the first quarter.
“That’s when the fight really begins and it’s actually the fight within ourselves. We just need to keep pushing and pushing and pushing and working it until we get to those sweet spots and we can just feed that ball nicely.”
There were many promising signs for Magic fans however, as coach Amigene Metcalfe tested combinations on court and found success with some new line-ups.
The attacking third in the final quarter consisted of Khiarna Williams, Chiara Semple and Tori Kolose - three names that haven’t played a lot of netball together but found some great connections and finished the quarter shooting 13/14.
Christchurch will host the Magic vs Tactix game in Round 4 and while the Tactix are currently winless, the return of goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit boosted their side significantly last week. The confidence gained from their narrow loss to the Mystics will result in a challenging battle between the sides who are currently occupying the bottom two spots on the ladder.
Winders knows that her team can only get better, pointing out their performance against the Stars “shows what we’re capable of so there’s no going back now.”
Sunday’s match is live from 6pm on Sky Sport 3 6:15pm.
Who to watch: Tori Kolose
Veteran midcourter Grace Kara missed the game against the Stars due to injury management so the 21-year old played three quarters at wing attack.
She especially impressed in the final quarter, when the Magic had a seven goal run to draw the deficit back from ten.
The Tactix have an experienced midcourt so this is the perfect time for Kolose to stand up and continue her excellent form we saw in Round 3.
