ANZ Championship: Still the hottest game in town
As the Co-operative Superleague in the UK heads towards its finale on 15th May, at the other end of the world the ANZ Championship has reached the halfway stage. So far the Australian teams definitely have the upper hand and some NZ teams have taken a battering, most notably the Haier Pulse. The hapless Pulse team have yet to record a win and look set to pick up the competition’s wooden spoon again.
The ANZ Championship is tough and the points system is pretty unforgiving; just 2 points are awarded for a win and that’s it, unlike in some leagues where losing teams can pick up a bonus point for being within touching distance of their opponents. Also, a match cannot end in a draw; you either win or lose in this competition. In the event of a draw after full time, games go to extra time and if necessary extended extra time to decide the winner. In extended extra time, play continues uninterrupted until one team has a two-goal advantage – a bit like a fifth set tie-break in tennis. Basically, you don’t get any marks for effort unless you win the game as well. But the points table can’t tell you how heart-breakingly close a team may have come to winning before being overcome by their opposition in the dying minutes.
Currently leading the table are the Sydney Swifts who have so far beaten all-comers including defending champions, the Melbourne Vixens. Holding on to second place and flying the flag for New Zealand in the top half of the table are Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, still featuring a handful of Silver Ferns despite the loss of Maria Tutaia and Joline Henry. Sadly, for Kiwi fans, you have to go a long way down the table before you come across another New Zealand team. Vixens are in third place but have recently suffered a shock defeat by West Coast Fever, their third loss in a row.
The LG Mystics, Southern Steel, Adelaide Thunderbirds and Queensland Firebirds all have 8 points but both Australian teams have a game in hand. The Steel will be sitting out the next round and the Mystics are up against the Pulse, a game no-one really expects them to lose. The Australians, however, both have tough matches in the next round. The Thunderbirds are up against the Vixens who will still be smarting after their recent losses and keen to get back to their usual winning ways and the Firebirds really will need to be on fire when they meet the table-topping Swifts next Monday. Propping up the bottom of the table are West Coast Fever, Mercury Energy Tactix and Haier Pulse.
There are 6 rounds left before the finals so plenty of points up for grabs. Whilst it must be virtually impossible for any of the bottom three teams to make the top four, they still have the capacity to inflict damage on the title hopes of many of the teams above them. Also, as the competition wears on and the injury toll rises, especially among the star players (Vixens’ Julie Corletto and Magic’s Peta Scholz are the latest casualties), there may be more upsets in store so no-one can take anything for granted. The semi-finals start on the 27th June and the Grand Final is scheduled for 11th July.
Unfortunately, the games are only televised in Australia and New Zealand (if anyone knows a way to see them in the UK or elsewhere, please share!) and by all accounts along with the undoubted skill and flair on display there have been some very bruising encounters along the way. You can stay up to date with some of the results via Netball Match’s Facebook page or via the Facebook pages of ANZ Netball, Netball New Zealand, the Australian Diamonds and the Northern Mystics. Some teams and players send updates via Twitter plus there are match results and other snippets of information on the ANZ Championship’s own Twitter page. Not quite the same as going to any of the games but better than nothing.
Will this be the year that a New Zealand team lifts the trophy or will the Australians’ dominance of the competition continue?
My money is on the Aussies winning again, as much as I would like to see an NZ team win.
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I wouldn’t bet against an Aussie team winning it again either but it would be good for the competition if the trophy went across the Tasman this time. I lived in NZ for a year back in 2006 and Magic were the nearest elite team to us (it was the National Bank Cup competition back then) so I have a soft spot for them but any team with Temepara George in would be a close second.