The final round of the ANZ Premiership (ANZP) took place this weekend with Tactix and Mystics progressing to the Elimination Final, whilst Pulse topped the table to fly straight into to the Grand Final.
Going into the final round, Pulse and Tactix sat top of the table on the same points, from 11 wins and one bonus point, and they had to face none other than each other in the deciding match for the Minor Premiership.
It was Pulse that started the strongest winning the first two quarters and leading by nine at half time.
The Pulse attack, led by Silver Fern Whitney Souness, worked the ball through court in the opening half an hour effortlessly to their shooters, Martina Salmon and Tiana Metuarau.
Silver Fern Metuarau was a real playmaker at goal attack, missing just one of her shots, whilst also making 21 goal assists.
Tactix started the second half stronger, winning the third quarter by three, and leaving a comeback on the cards in the final quarter.
However, this only fuelled the fire of Pulse as they came back out in the fourth quarter and scored 11 successive goals, winning the match 58-44, securing the Minor Premiership title, and confirming their spot in the Grand Final.
For Tactix this result means they will now finish 2nd in the league, and will need to win the Elimination Final in order to have the opportunity to get their revenge on Pulse in the Grand Final.
Mystics win over Stars in Round 15 means that it will be them that Tactix face in the Preliminary Final on the 27th July live on NetballPass.
It was between Mystics and Magic for that 3rd place league spot and final place in the Elimination Final, but for Magic to make it they needed Mystics to fall to Stars – which they did not.
Mystics flew out the blocks against Stars, winning the first quarter 9-17, and despite Stars best attempts to fight back, winning the second quarter 19-14, the visitors just seemed to have an answer for everything in the second half as they went on to win 55-63.
In attack, Silver Fern Grace Nweke scored 52 goals for Mystics and made seven rebounds, teaming up well with Elisapeta Toeava who acted as a real play maker, putting in 39 feeds – This is a duo we are looking forward to seeing again in the Elimination Final!
Unfortunately for Magic, Mystics win means they finished 1 point away from the Elimination Finals, despite their convincing win over Steel.
As much as Magic wouldn’t have wanted this to be their final match of the season, they can end the year with their heads held high as they beat Steel convincingly, leading 29-47 going into the final break, before taking the win 44-55.
To catch up on any of these games, or watch the Elimination Final and Grand Final, head to NetballPass to purchase your passes now.
To view all the results, the current table, and read our International Player Watch preview, visit our ANZP page now.