NZ Conference Champions Kia Magic Celebrate
The smiles after the match said it all.The Kia Magic defeating the SKYCITY Mystics 57-54 in Auckland was the dream scenario for the Waikato Bay of Plenty team in what has been a physically and mentally exhausting few days.
Cheer on your team in the ANZ Championship Semi-Final on Sunday night
After battling their way through to the NZ Conference Final on the back of a hard-fought Elimination Final against the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in Hamilton on Saturday, the tight two-day turnaround didn’t seem to phase the Kia Magic.
“We always knew it was going to be a hard battle and today we had to use our smarts because our bodies were a little bit tired but I think the girls nailed the recovery and we showed we could do it,” co-captain Leana de Bruin said to Netball Zone’s Tania Dalton after the final.
Coming into the match with a draw and a loss to the SKYCITY Mystics across the season, de Bruin knew it wasn’t going to be easy to beat the favourites on their home court.
“After Saturday’s game – we kept going through what we normally do. We kept training, not that intense, but I think we stayed in that Netball mode and I think it might have helped us.”
Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone and Kia Magic CEO Tim Hamilton was thrilled with the result and said to win the inaugural NZ Conference Trophy meant a lot to everyone. He says the ANZ Championship Semi-Final at Claudelands in Hamilton against the NSW Swifts on Sunday evening will bring the crowds out.
“I think the brand of Netball we’ve played throughout the season has been exciting. The mix of young talent and experience is massive, the colours, the noise and the engagement of our community behind Netball is very good,” Hamilton said.
“It’s a really busy weekend in Hamilton coming up but we think ours is the best event so we want people to come along, pack Claudelands out and cheer us home.”
“I was doing some analysis a while back and figured out that six of our squad next year will still be under 21 so I think that’s an incredible achievement.”
The Kia Magic host the NSW Swifts on Sunday 14 June at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton from 7.10pm.
