Form teams
For most of the season, the Northern Mystics seemed a lock for top spot. Then Grace Nweke got injured and they fell off. At the same time, the Pulse and Stars came good. Both are playing very good netball and are peaking at the right time of year — unlike last time they met, when the Stars essentially made it based off a fast start. It is hard to split them, either. Both finished on 34 points. The Pulse finished top with a better points percentage, but the Stars won one more game.
Navigating the defences
Kelly Jury is in the form of her life for the Pulse. The tall goal keep has used her long arms to disrupt feeds all season, leading the league with 109 deflections — 37 more than the next best — and 42 intercepts. Trailing her in both categories is Stars goal defence Elle Temu, who has been similarly influential all season. Her foil is veteran Anna Harrison, who is crafty and has all the tricks to still make life difficult for shooters.
Feeding queens
Gina Crampton and Mila Reulu-Buchanan have been two of the keys to the Stars’ resurgence. They rank first and third in feeds respectively, Crampton’s 714 well ahead of second-placed Shannon Saunders’ 589. There is no doubting their ability to supply Maia Wilson and Jamie Hume. Crampton, in particular, has stepped up in recent weeks, using all her experience to take control of games.
Shooting duo
Aside from Nweke, the Pulse’s Aliyah Dunn remains the most dangerous Kiwi shooter in this competition. Tall, athletic and accurate, she will get a lot of ball and has converted at 93% this season. She has re-established her partnership with goal attack Tiana Metuarau this year, after Metuarau’s year in the South. That has gone from strength to strength, Metuarau’s playmaking ability shining through.
Experience
The Pulse has been here plenty of times in recent years. It missed last year’s playoffs, but it has played in the other four ANZ Premiership finals, winning the latter two. It has lost players from those teams but retains a core of experience — particularly from the winning teams. The Stars’ 2019 foray to the final did not end well, but this is a much better team than that one. While they are still searching for their first title, the likes of Crampton and Harrison have very much been there, done that in terms of delivering in big games.
