Co-captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio is hoping the Pulse can get their two-point shots firing against the Stars. Photo: Adrian Watkins
With both having their winning bubbles burst, some extra pep is expected when a jointly- wounded Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and Stars cross paths in third round ANZ Premiership netball action in Wellington on Saturday.
After producing winning starts to their respective campaigns, both were abruptly stopped in their tracks when posting second-round losses last weekend, leaving the upcoming Anzac Day clash as an opportunity to regather some momentum.
``We had already flagged this as a big game and now with both of us coming off a loss, there will be some extra tension there and we’ll both just be going out there with a lot to prove,’’ Pulse co-captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio said.
``It’s a home game for us and as such, it’s really important for us to play well at home. We obviously want to play well all the time but it just pushes it up that extra notch when you are at home, so it’s going to be a big one for us and we’re looking forward to it.’’
Starting and finishing well, the Pulse did enough to secure a losing bonus point against a gritty Tactix last start, but were left a little dejected with how they played and what needs to be fixed.
``There’s always a level of frustration when you lose,’’ Ekenasio said. ``When you get beaten and you put it all out there and you play well, those ones are easier to take. But for this one, it felt like we didn’t really turn up for the game and as a result, definitely did not hit our straps at all.
``So that’s really frustrating because it felt like we didn’t put it all out there, we didn’t put our best foot forward and as a team, that was the after-feeling. But that’s a good response, just to start a bit of fire in the belly.
``And that’s the feel across the team, so I’m expecting our training sessions this week to be really up there.
``I was happy with how we finished and really happy with how we started, and now it’s about our ability to stay really focussed and task-driven when we’re under the pump. I’ve got no doubt we can do it, it’s just about connecting in those times.’’
There was, at times, some disconnect/miscommunication in the new-look Pulse attack line. Opposing shooter Amorangi Malesala showcased how it could be done with a brilliant all-round game while adding the polish from the two-point zone.
The Stars have a similar threat in Martina Salmon with Ekenasio revealing it was still a work-on area for the Pulse where points are worth double from the specified shooting zone for the last five minutes of each quarter.
The most elegant of shooters, Ekenasio can be lethal from extended range herself and is keen for the Pulse to make better use of it. She and fellow shooter Ine-Marí Venter proved their worth in the last quarter against the Tactix with a rush of late two-pointers to secure the bonus point but it remains a fine line of when to pull the trigger.
``It’s an area we’re still putting a bit more work into to really get it right,’’ Ekenasio said. ``We didn’t completely nail it on the weekend, so there will be a few tweaks on that. We know we’ve got shooters who want to go for the two-point shot.
``But we haven’t hit our straps yet in the shooting end, which probably comes down to a bit of a connection thing between the entire attack end. But it’s something we want to use as an advantage in the game instead of a make-up when we’re down.
``So, it’s just figuring out the right time and obviously, if we’ve got a hot hand, and I think we just have to be able to trust it a bit more. That’s on us as shooters and as an entire attack end but the coaches are definitely giving us the green light. We just want to hit it a bit more.’’
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