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New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership: Round 3 International Player Watch

It was a weekend of come-backs and sensational shooting in the ANZ Premiership, with many international players continuing to shine in Round 3.

We have made a note of just a few of the players that made a difference below, but don’t forget, international fans can also watch the matches on catch-up or live on NetballPass.

Stars 59 – 51 Pulse

A flying start from Stars helped to hold-off a late Pulse come-back in the first match of Round 3 of the ANZ Premiership.

The home side, Stars, took an early 17-12 lead into the first break, thanks to Silver Ferns attacking duo of wing attack Gina Crampton and shooter Maia Wilson linking up seamlessly to take the ball to goal with ease.

Wilson then continued to show just why she tops the leagues goal scoring charts converting all but four of her shots on goal so that she eventually finished the match with another 41 goals to her name.

However, it wasn’t an easy ride for Stars as Pulse won the 2nd and 4th quarters, 13-14 and 11-14.

Malawi Queen, Joyce Mvula, came on late in the match for Pulse but it was too late for her side to catch the shooting Stars who claimed the win 59-51.

Magic 57 – 56 Mystics

The second match of round 3 was a thriller for all those international fans tuned in on NetballPass, with extra time needed to decide the winner.

After the first 15-minutes it looked as though it wasn’t going to be Magic’s day as they trailed by 10, but unlike Pulse, in the first match of the day, Mary-Jane Araroa’s side didn’t leave this come-back too late, and instead used the next three quarters to bring it back to 53-all at full time before going on to win the match by one after two three-minute periods of extra time.

It was Magic and Silver Fern’s captain, Ameliaranne Ekenasio, that kept her cool under the post scoring the winning penalty shot to give her side the win.

Ekenasio was a key part of this Magic victory as she showed just why she is the New Zealand Silver Ferns captain, displaying qualities of control, consistency, and leadership whilst also shooting clinically when it mattered most.

The shooter has now scored 76 of her 88 shots in this season, putting her 6th in the leagues goal scoring charts, whilst the win its self is Magic’s first of the season and sees them now sit 5th in the league.

Steel 38 – 55 Tactix

A three-quarter masterclass from Tactix saw them take the win over Steel in the final match of Round 3, but in a turn of events it was Steel that were clapped off court by their home fans after the final 15-mintues of the match were arguably their strongest of the season so far.

It was Steels first home match and after suffering three away defeats it was clear that they wanted to treat their fans to an exciting match, as they battled until the very end and were eventually rewarded for their efforts as they won the 4th quarter 11-6.

A key Steel player that added a new strength to their side was Samoan shooter Saviour Tui, who ended the night converting 14 of her 17 shots and made a real difference to the side.

Despite Steel’s 4th quarter come-back, nothing can be taken away from Tactix, who broke their record first-half score as they went into half-time leading 37-18.

Keeping with the theme of on form shooters, Tactix had their own Silver Ferns, Aliyah Dunn and Te Paea Selby-Rickit, to thank for their victory with both shooters converting over 80% of their shots.

Tactix were also able to give their Tongan international shooter, Vika Koloto, some vital minutes too.

Koloto was part of the Tonga Tala Team the Netball World Cup Qualifier – Oceania and we can’t wait to see more of her this season in the ANZ Premiership ahead for the Vitality Netball World Cup 2023.

More Info...

International fans can catch up on any of the action they have missed on NetballPass now. 

To view the full fixture list, click here.

To find out more about the ANZ Premiership, click here.

To find out more about the start date of the other domestic leagues around the world, visit our Domestic League page here.

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