2015 ANZ Championship Round 8 Preview

2015 ANZ Championship Round 8 Preview

Round 8 Fixtures:

Mission Queensland Firebirds v Kia Magic
Saturday 18 April, 2.18pm
BCEC, Brisbane

NSW Swifts v SKYCITY Mystics
Sunday 19 April, 12.18pm
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney

Melbourne Vixens v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
Sunday 19 April, 2.18pm
Hisense Arena, Melbourne

Mojo Pulse v West Coast Fever
Sunday 19 April, 7.10pm
TSB Bank Arena, Wellington

Mainland Tactix v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Monday 20 April, 7.40pm
Horncastle Arena, Christchurch

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Game Talking Points:

Mission Queensland Firebirds v Kia Magic
Saturday 18 April, 2.18pm
BCEC, Brisbane

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 4 (AUS); SKY SPORT 3 (NZ)

Umpires: Helen George & Tara Warner
Reserve: Rachael Ayre

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: 2014 Preliminary Final: Firebirds 54 def Magic 50, Brisbane

• The Magic have won four of their past six matches played in Australia with last year’s Preliminary Final defeat to the Firebirds in Brisbane their closest loss since Round 4, 2012 when they went down 40-39 to the Melbourne Vixens.

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• The Magic is the most successful New Zealand side in Australia, winning nine of their 26 matches played on the opposite side of the Tasman.
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• The Magic has never beaten the Firebirds in Brisbane in three previous attempts. Their only victory against the Firebirds in Australia came on the Gold Coast in Round 10, 2013 when they triumphed 65-62 in extra time.
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• The Firebirds have never scored less than 50 goals from their five previous matches against the Magic in Queensland. They average 54.4 goals a match on home soil compared to 53.2 overall.
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• The Firebirds are the equal second best defensive team in the competition after seven rounds along with the Mojo Pulse, conceding an average of 48.5 goals a match. The Magic is conceding an average of 49 goals a match.
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• Aiken is the No.1 rebounder in the competition after seven rounds with 41, nine clear of the next best. Stand-in Magic captain Leana de Bruin is ranked No.2 for defensive rebounds with 16.
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• Magic goal shooter Jo Harten needs 40 goals to reach 1500 career goals in her ANZ Championship career in only her fourth season in the competition. She scored 800 goals in two seasons for the Mainland Tactix between 2012-2013.
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• Firebirds defender Clare McMeniman is scheduled to make her 75th ANZ Championship appearance this Sunday. McMeniman is one of three Firebirds’ foundation players still in the line-up and was part of their historic 2011 premiership side. She retired at the end of the 2011 season only to make a comeback in 2014 and has played every match since.
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• Magic midcourter Grace Rasmussen had the most goal assists of any player last round with 17 and she is ranked No.2 in the competition overall with 96 after seven rounds.
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• Magic defender Kristiana Manu’a is ranked equal second in the competition for intercepts (14) along with NSW Swifts’ Sharni Layton, one behind Mojo Pulse captain Katrina Grant. De Bruin and Manu’a are ranked No.1 and No.3 respectively in the competition for gains with 28 and 22 respectively. Firebirds captain Laura Geitz is ranked equal fourth on 20. Geitz is the leading player in the competition for deflections with 39.
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• The Firebirds have five representatives named in the Australian Diamonds Squad this week with captain Laura Geitz, Rebecca Bulley, Clare McMeniman, Kimberley Ravaillion and Gabi Simpson selected in coach Lisa Alexander's 18-player squad for the Netball World Cup.
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NSW Swifts v SKYCITY Mystics
Sunday 19 April, 12.18pm
Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre, Sydney

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 2 (AUS); ONE (AUS); SKY SPORT 1 (NZ)

Umpires: Sharon Kelly & Michelle Phippard
Reserve: Helen George

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: Rd 14, 2014: Mystics 56 def Swifts 53, Auckland

• The Mystics three victories overall against the Swifts are by an average winning margin of three goals.
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• The Mystics only victory against the Swifts on Australian soil came in the 2011 Minor Semi-Final, when they triumphed 49-44. That remains their greatest winning margin over the Swifts from their eight meetings.
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• The Mystics’ nine-goal opening term was the lowest scoring quarter of any side overall in Round 7. It’s the third time this season that the Mystics have failed to score double figures in a quarter. The Mystics were the only side in Round 7 that trailed at quarter-time but went onto win their match. They trailed the Mojo Pulse by five goals.
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• The Swifts have an average winning margin of 7.6 goals against the Mystics from their five victories overall. That average is 10 goals for games played in Sydney with a 19-goal victory in their last meeting in Round 10, 2013 (63-44) their biggest victory overall against the Mystics.
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• Swifts goal shooter Caitlin Thwaites is scheduled to make her 100th ANZ Championship appearance this Sunday. Thwaites began her career with the Melbourne Vixens in 2008 and she was part of the Vixens 2009 premiership side. She crossed to the Mojo Pulse in 2011 for three seasons before returning to Australia and joining the Swifts in 2014. Thwaites holds the record for the most goals in a season at the Vixens (476 goals, 2009) and Pulse (431, 2011). She also requires 41 goals to become the fourth player in the competition’s history to reach 3000 career goals.
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• Swifts goal attack Susan Pettitt requires 28 goals to become the sixth player in the competition’s history to reach 2500 career goals.
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• For players with more than 50 long range shots at goal so far this season, Mystics shooter Cathrine Latu is the No.1 ranked for accuracy from long range this season at 93 per cent. Thwaites is ranked No.2 at 91 per cent.
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• Shooter Erin Hoare made her Swifts debut in their loss to the Thunderbirds last round, starting at goal shooter and scoring a career-high 13 goals at 76 per cent accuracy. It was Hoare’s first ANZ Championship appearance since Round 5, 2013, when she scored 11 goals at 78 per cent accuracy for the Melbourne Vixens against Adelaide.
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• Swifts defender Sharni Layton is ranked No.2 in the competition for gains after seven rounds with 24 behind stand-in Magic captain Leana de Bruin (28).
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• Mystics’ Laura Langman is one of three midcourters ranked inside the competition’s top 10 for intercepts with 10, equal with the Firebirds’ wing defence Gabi Simpson. West Coast Fever captain Ashleigh Brazill has 11.
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• Debbie Fuller has become the first person to coach the Mystics in 50 ANZ Championship matches. Fuller has a 61 per cent winning record in charge of the Mystics with 31 victories.
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• The Swifts have four representatives named in the Australian Diamonds Squad this week with Kimberlee Green, Julie Corletto, Sharni Layton and Caitlin Thwaites selected in coach Lisa Alexander's 18-player squad for the Netball World Cup.
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Melbourne Vixens v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
Sunday 19 April, 2.18pm
Hisense Arena, Melbourne

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 2 (AUS); SKY SPORT 1 (NZ)

Umpires: Josh Bowring & Rachael Ayre
Reserve: Clare McCabe

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: Rd 14, 2014: Steel 65 def Vixens 64, Invercargill

• Sunday’s match will be the Steel’s 100th match overall in the ANZ Championship. The Steel have a winning percentage of 44 per cent over their eight seasons in the competition.
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• The Vixens have lost three matches in a row for the first time since Rounds 7-9 in the 2012 season. They have not lost four consecutive matches since Round 9 in 2010.
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• The Vixens are the No.1 ranked defensive side in the competition after seven rounds, conceding an average of 47 goals a match. The Steel is conceding an average of 61.2 goals a game.
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• The Vixens have conceded 50 goals in consecutive matches for the first time since Rounds 10-11 in 2013, which included a 58-52 victory over the Steel in their last encounter in Melbourne.
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• The Steel broke their Australian drought in Round 5, 2014 when they defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds 61-59 for their first victory on the opposite side of the Tasman in 17 attempts. They have lost their next two matches played in Australia to the NSW Swifts (65-52 Round 9, 2014) and West Coast Fever (67-60 Round 3, 2015).
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• The Steel has an overall average losing margin of 10.6 goals from their matches played in Australia. Against the Vixens in Melbourne, that average is also 10.6 goals.
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• Vixens goal shooter Karyn Bailey is scheduled to make her 50th ANZ Championship appearance this round. Bailey made her debut in 2012 and was a member of the Vixens’ 2014 premiership side. She is third on the Vixens’ all-time goalscoring list on 1174 goals behind Tegan Philip (1307) and Caitlin Thwaites (1186).
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• Prolific Steel shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Reid needs 16 goals to become the 12th player in the competition’s history to reach 1500 career goals. If she achieves that feat, she will be the quickest player to get to that milestone. Sunday is scheduled to be her 33rd ANZ Championship appearance. Her career average is 46.4 goals a match.
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• Two players made their ANZ Championship and Melbourne Vixens debuts in the side’s loss to the Firebirds last round. Chloe Watson came into wing defence in the second quarter while Kelsey Browne played the second half at wing attack.
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• Steel goal attack Ta Paea Selby-Rickit is the equal best player in the competition for goal assists after seven rounds with 101. She is one of three Steel players ranked inside the top 10 along with Gina Crampton (68) and Shannon Francois (62).
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• Vixens midcourter Liz Watson had 16 goal assists in the loss to the Firebirds, the equal second best of any player last round behind Kia Magic’s Grace Rasmussen (17). Selby-Rickit also had 16 in the Steel’s loss to the Magic.
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• Steel defender Phoenix Karaka is the leading player in the competition for blocks with four after seven rounds. The Vixens total of 64 goals in their last encounter with the Steel in Round 14 last season is their highest ever losing score.
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• The Vixens have two representatives named in the Australian Diamonds Squad this week with shooters Karyn Bailey and Tegan Philip selected in coach Lisa Alexander's 18-player squad for the Netball World Cup.
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Mojo Pulse v West Coast Fever
Sunday 19 April, 7.10pm
TSB Bank Arena, Wellington

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 2 (AUS); SKY SPORT 1 (NZ)

Umpires: Jono Bredin & Danielle Maulder
Reserve: Liz Boon

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: Rd 14, 2014: Fever 51 def Pulse 44, Perth

• The Fever leads head to head with four wins and two losses and a draw in seven previous meetings.
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• The first meeting between the sides in Round 4, 2008 the match was abandoned due to a leaky roof and until this year this was the only match to ever be a draw in the ANZ Championship.
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• The Pulse is one of only three ANZ Championship sides the Fever hold a winning record over; versus Steel 5-3; versus Pulse 4-2-1; versus Tactix 7-1.
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• The Pulse and Fever have played on New Zealand soil three times with the Pulse winning two and the Fever one.
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• The Pulse and Fever have met at TSB Bank Arena on one previous occasion and the Pulse won that match 53-52.
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• The Fever recorded just their 11th ANZ Championship away win against the Mainland Tactix in Round 7. This is also just their sixth win in 19 matches on Kiwi soil.
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• Pulse coach Robyn Broughton will coach her 100th ANZ Championship match in Round 8. Broughton coached the Steel in 54 matches between 2008 and 2011 before joining the Pulse in 2012. Broughton is the second ANZ Championship coach to notch 100 matches behind Jane Woodlands-Thompson who has led the Thunderbirds in 108 matches.
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• The Fever continued their record breaking start to the season when the downed the Tactix 66-51 in Blenheim in Round 7. The Fever took their season points’ tally to 13, three more than their previous best record of 10 points (5 wins) in 2009 & 2013.
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• Khao Watts (Fever) played her 50th ANZ Championship match in Round 7 against the Tactix in Blenheim. Watts played 30 matches for the Magic between 2012 and 2013 before joining the Fever last season. Watts was also this week named in the Australian Diamonds World Cup squad of 18 that will trial in May for the final 12.
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• The Fever is in top position on the Australian conference with an ANZ Championship record or six wins and a draw after seven rounds.
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• Pulse sits fourth in the New Zealand conference with two wins from their opening six matches.
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• The Fever has the second best attacking record in the ANZ Championship after seven rounds with 60.57 goals per match while they are ranked seventh defensively with 52.57 goals being scored against them.
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• The Pulse are the third best defensive side with 48.5 goals per match scored against them.
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• The Fever has the best shooting accuracy in the ANZ Championship with a season return of 88.1 per cent. Caitlin Bassett (Fever) has scored the most goals so far in 2015 with 317 goals at 45.3 goals per match but Jhaniele Fowler-Reid has the best average with 47.8 goals per match.
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• The Fever have five representatives named in the Australian Diamonds Squad this week with Ashleigh Brazill, Caitlin Bassett, April Letton, Natalie Medhurst and Khao Watts selected in coach Lisa Alexander's 18-player squad for the Netball World Cup.
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Mainland Tactix v Adelaide Thunderbirds
Monday 20 April, 7.40pm
Horncastle Arena, Christchurch

Broadcast Live - FOX SPORTS 2 (AUS); SKY SPORT 1 (NZ)

Umpires: Fay Meiklejohn & Angela Armstrong Lush
Reserve: Kristie Simpson

Head to Head:

The Facts:

LAST MEETING: Rd 14, 2014: Thunderbirds 66 def Tactix 49, Adelaide

• The Tactix are yet to defeat the Thunderbirds in seven previous meetings.
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• The Tactix are the only ANZ Championship side the Thunderbirds have never lost a match to since the inception of the competition in 2008.
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• The Thunderbirds and Tactix have played out one extra time result in the ANZ Championship in Round 4, 2009 the sides were level on 42-all but the Thunderbirds went on to win 53-48.
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• The Tactix and Thunderbirds have met in New Zealand on three previous occasions with the Thunderbirds winning all three by an average margin of four goals. When the sides last met in New Zealand the match was played in Dunedin as the Tactix home venues were unavailable.
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• The Thunderbirds despite having only won two matches this season have been close in every match expect their Round 2, nine-goal loss to the Melbourne Vixens; Lost by 1-goal to Kia Magic 44-45; Lost by 9-goals to Vixens 39-48; Drew with SKYCITY Mystics 51-51; Won by 2-goals over Vixens 47-45; Lost by 5-goals to West Coast Fever 50-55; Lost by 2-goals to Mission Queensland Firebirds 46-48; Won by 7-goals over the Swifts 56-49.
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• The Thunderbirds sit on the bottom of the Australian conference ladder with two wins, a draw and four losses.
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• The Tactix have the fifth best attacking record after seven rounds with 51 goals per match.
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• The Thunderbirds have the second worst attacking record with 47.57 goals per match while they have the fourth best defence with just 48.71 goals per match being scored against them.
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• The Tactix have the fifth best shooting accuracy with 80.5 per cent while the Thunderbirds are the least accurate side the ANZ Championship with 76.9 per cent.
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Recent/Upcoming Birthdays:

16 April 1994 - Emily Mannix (Vixens)
16 April 1986 - Laura Langman (Mystics)
19 April 1990 - April Letton (Fever)
20 April 1993 - Storm Purvis (Steel)

Upcoming milestones:

100 Games (ANZ Championship):
NAME (TEAM) - GAMES
Caitlin Thwaites (Swifts) - 99
Robyn Broughton (Pulse) - 99 games coached
Caitlin Bassett (Fever) - 98
Anna Thompson (Tactix) - 96
Joline Henry (Pulse) - 95

75 Games (ANZ Championship):
Clare McMeniman (Firebirds) - 74
Sharni Layton (Swifts) - 73
Ellen Halpenny (Magic) - 72

50 Games (ANZ Championship):
Josh Bowring (umpire) - 49 games umpired
Karyn Bailey (Vixens) - 49
Amy Steel (Thunderbirds) - 49
Jo Harten (Magic) - 47
Eboni Beckford-Chambers (Thunderbirds) - 46

4000 Goals:
Romelda Aiken (Firebirds) - 3886

3000 Goals:
Caitlin Thwaites (Swifts) - 2958

2500 Goals:
Susan Pettitt (Swifts) - 2473
Carla Borrego (Thunderbirds) - 2449

1500 Goals:
Jhaniele Fowler-Reid (Steel) - 1484
Jo Harten (Magic) - 1460

ENDS

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