Wrap up

The fine line between pleasure and pain

As the Divinyls once sang, there's a fine line between pleasure and pain.
 
That is about to be exposed in the cruellest possible way over the next few weeks of the ANZ Championship, as hopes of a precious top four playoff spot hang on a knife edge. At this stage all five Australian teams will back their chances, while the Magic, Mystics and Steel remain in the hunt. It would take the miracle of miracles for the Pulse, while the Tactix can already start planning for next year.
 

Friends ..... and Enemies

There is also a fine line between friends and rivals in this competition. While relations are generally good - with a lot of respect on and off the court - it is not all sweetness and light between the New Zealand players in the ANZ Championship. It was good to see players having the occasional chat on court and at the Mystics-Magic and Pulse-Tactix matches there were rivals stretching and warming down together.  But one Mystics player, who I probably shouldn't name, is tired of the perceived bias towards the Magic from umpires. She told me she felt they get a lot of calls go their way, and in a tight match that can be the difference. If so, it is hardly unique to netball as in rugby, league, football and cricket the star players can get special treatment. It can often be subconscious but we have to remember the officials are only human. Also though, maybe the likes of Casey Williams, Irene van Dyk and Laura Langman do get some `soft' decisions but is that just also about the respect they have earned down the years.
 

Queensland on Fire

The unbeaten Brisbane-based team are the story of the season so far, having won seven games straight and it will take an almighty effort from the Magic this weekend to stop them. Previously the Firebirds have been the ultimate bridesmaids, finishing 5th in each season of the ANZ Championship. Coach Roselee Jencke wouldn't let me in on all the secrets of their turnaround, but did say they have learnt a lot from the bitter experience of continually coming so close. They are a beautifully balanced team, with Laura Geitz and Amy Steel a commanding defensive duo, talent and pace across the midcourt and the incomparable talents of Natalie Medhurst and Romelda Aiken in the circle. Indeed, in past years Medhurst and Aiken have had a frosty relationship, but things are much improved now and results are showing on the court.
 

Players play up

Talk about umpiring interpretations has again hit the headlines over the past fortnight. Personally I found the comments from Cathrine Latu and Daneka Wipiti quite refreshing but they definitely went too far in singling out officials. It is an issue when away teams in particular seem to get penalised out of the match, but one prominent former coach told me that it is time for the players to adjust. She feels that as we move into the fourth season of the ANZ Championship they should know what to expect and need to change their games accordingly.
 

Clash of the Titans

Apart from being a fantastic game and a great result, there were a couple of very good reasons to be happy with the Magic-Fever match on Monday. The battles between 1.90m Irene van Dyk and 1.96m Susan Fuhrmann at one end, and 1.88m Casey Williams and 1.92m Caitlin Bassett at the other, were riveting. It is a pre-cursor to the international arena and both New Zealanders had the edge. It was especially heartening to see van Dyk prevail - as she has struggled with the `Fuhrminator' in the past - but the way she adapted her game was brilliant.
 

Strike three to the Aussies

Doesn't it hurt when those Aussies sweep the Rivalry Round? When the cumulative scores were added up from this weekend they were 25 goals to the good, coming after last year when the Australian teams won all but one of the matches (the margin was 58 goals). Our best shot was back in 2009, where the New Zealand teams were leading by 19 goals going into the final match of the round, before the Tactix were humbled by 28 goals at the hands of the Vixens.