2016 Beko Netball League - Round 7 Preview

2016 Beko Netball League - Round 7 Preview

Thursday 19 May, 2016

Round 7 Fixture
Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty v Netball Northern
6:00pm, Saturday 21 May
Claudlands Arena, Hamilton
Broadcast: LIVE on SKY Sport NZ 4 from 5:50pm (check local guides)

Netball Mainland v Netball Central
6:00pm, Sunday 22 May
Horncastle Arena, Christchurch
Broadcast: LIVE on SKY Sport NZ 3 from 5:50pm (check local guides)

Bonus points proving vital in Beko Netball League

The importance of a bonus point continues to be highlighted as teams battle for the top two spots in the Beko Netball League.

With the league grand final in Auckland looming, both Central and Northern have won the same number of games but it is the former which holds the top of the ladder with more bonus points.

Central have the chance to extend their lead when they travel to the Horncastle Arena in Christchurch on Sunday to take on Mainland.

The table-topping Central beat Mainland 46-35 when they met in Round 5 restricting their opponents to single figures in each quarter in a strong defensive effort.

The back three – including wing Renee Te Riini and circle defenders Karin Burger and Rhiarna Ferris – were hungry for ball and went hunting picking up 10 intercepts and 15 deflections between them.

A green shooting circle for Mainland has taken its time to settle into the new competition and will need to step up if they are to challenge Central.

Meanwhile, Northern remains one point adrift of Central and take on Waikato Bay of Plenty (WBOP) at Claudlands Arena in Hamilton on Saturday night.

They have impressed up front in recent weeks with goal attack Tera-Maria Amani in stand-out form when the two sides last met. Amani netted 45 of their 54 goals when the two sides met in Round 5 with Northern holding on for a four-goal win.

She has received some timely service from wing Elisapeta Toeava who got a quarter for the Mystics in last week’s ANZ Championship. Toeava’s combination with centre Grace Kukutai will be an area the WBOP will need to focus if they are to limit Amani’s impact in the circle.

But Northern won only two of the four quarters in Round 5 and with WBOP scoring 8 of the last 11 goals of the game, will be wary of starting strongly and pushing on.

The grand final will be played between the top two ranked teams at the The Trusts Arena in Auckland on June 26.

Useful Links
FOLLOW: Draw and Results (including Match Centre)
FOLLOW: Points Table
READ: Team Lists
WATCH: Beko Netball League Highlights

ENDS

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