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Jodi Tod Sport Bay of Plenty Coach Development Officer |
Reigning champions Kia Magic have been working hard in the off season to prove that winning the ANZ Championship in 2012 is a feat they can achieve again this season.
Kia Magic was the first New Zealand team to win the competition since its inception five years ago and they believe they can replicate their electrifying performance again this year.
To date none of the ten teams have ever achieved back to back wins and their goal is to be the first.
Coach Noeline Taurua is looking forward to the start of the competition, which begins for the Kia Magic next weekend in Nelson against the Canterbury Tactix.
'I'm really excited about the energy that exists in the team at present. We have a number of new young players and they want to prove that they have the goods to be in the starting line-up. With a squad of 14 players to work with, the competition for places has really changed the dynamic,” she said.
A mixture of experience and youth is a fantastic combination says Taurua.
'We are so fortunate to have Silver Ferns players such as Irene van Dyk, Casey Williams, Leana de Bruin and Laura Langman in the team. So many of the young ones look up to them as role models but they want to make their own mark and be noticed for their own individual styles. It's fascinating to watch the changes developing during the training sessions,” she says.
Training started for the players prior to Christmas and has grown in intensity each week. Two weeks ago Kia Magic played pre-season games against the Northern Mystics, Central Pulse and an Australian Institute of Sport team – they won all of them.
'We used the pre-season games to trial the whole squad. Everyone got court time and we mixed up combinations to provide options,” said Taurua. 'I was proud of the players and their progress to date.”
The Kia Magic play their first home game of the season is against the NSW Swifts at the ASB Baypark Arena in Tauranga on Easter Sunday (March 31st). The Magic lost to the Swifts in the competition last year 47-49 and traditionally the score lines have been close.
Tickets are available at Baycourt or at the Netball office, 84a First Avenue, Tauranga during business hours.