Keeping it simple in changing landscape key for Pulse

New rules aside, playing smart remains top of the list for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse when they kick-start this year’s ANZ Premiership netball league against the Magic in Palmerston North on Saturday.

With the introduction of the two-point shot, from 3.5m range, which will come into play for the last five minutes of each quarter, a coach’s box, team timeouts and live umpire audio, the new dynamics have presented plenty of chatter in the lead-up.

With the two-point shot being the major talking point, the spotlight has naturally fallen on the shooters but in essence, there is much that will also be different in the defensive ranks.

For Kelly Jackson, Pulse captain and last line of defence, it’s a welcome innovation.

``Defensively, I’ve been really enjoying the change,’’ she said. ``It’s added a bit of a problem-solving element to the game, trying to work out whether the shooters are going to want to go for the two points or the one point.

``It all depends on the time, the scoreboard and the personnel on court, so trying to think one step ahead of the shooters is important.

``Normally, our game plan has been to keep the shooters as far away from the post as possible. Now they want to be out wide, so it’s about switching that thinking up. Shooting-wise, I think we’ve got some awesome long-range talent within the Pulse with Amorangi (Malesala) and Tiana (Metuarau) more than capable of sinking those twos, so I’m really excited to see them out there and see what we can do.’’

While teams have had the pre-season to work on their strategies and the allure of going for the maximum shooting reward, there is an air of caution on the Pulse’s approach.

``It’s something we can’t get over-excited about, we’ve still got to play some smart netball,’’ Jackson said.

``It remains really important that we keep the scoreboard ticking over. What we’ve seen in the Australian league is that they’re not always going for the two-point shot, they’re being really smart about it and on average are only taking 10 long attempts a game and they’re half a metre closer, so we can learn something from that and that’s to keep the scoreboard ticking over.’’

The Australian rule for the two-point shot is from 3m while in New Zealand it is from 3.5m range.

With the league being scaled down from three rounds to two this year, there is little wriggle for early season lapses, the Pulse having extra incentive to add some gloss with play-making goal attack Metuarau set to celebrate her 100th match in yellow and black.

Metuarau, 24, has played a total of 115 national League matches, reaching the century mark two years ago when becoming the youngest player to notch 100 games and first to reach the milestone across just one league.

That tally includes 16 for the Steel after she ventured south in search of more game time in 2021 but the powerful and vibrant shooter will reach a special milestone in her home colours when running out in front of a sold-out Fly Palmy Arena on Saturday.

``It’s a huge achievement,’’ Jackson said. ``Many people forget how young she is, so to achieve it at such a young age is pretty incredible. She’s been around a long time, got a huge amount of experience and with ball in hand, she’s beautiful to watch.’’

The Magic have consistency in their playing personnel which has continued to build in the last couple of years while growing in confidence as a group.

``We know we’ve got some really good match-ups across the court with them but we’re also confident in our ability and what we can do,’’ Jackson said.

``We’ve had a bit of disruption through the pre-season with illness and injury but we’re very ready to go. The games are the fun part, and we’re ready to rip. It’s exciting and we just want to kick off the season on a really good foot.’’

 The match will be screened live and free on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.

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