Competition favourites Adelaide Thunderbirds overcame a gutsy Canterbury Tactix in extra time to win their trans-Tasman netball league clash 53-48 in Christchurch last night.
Ahead 25-23 at halftime, the Thunderbirds battled to stay with the Tactix in a hectic final quarter, tying the game 42-42 in the final minute to force the match into overtime.
The Australians took a narrow lead at the end of the first seven minutes of extra time to lead 47-45, then opened out in the last spell, scoring six goals to the Tactix' three to secure a soul-destroying win.
The Thunderbirds again began slowly. Young goal shoot Jane Altschwager had a nightmare of a start, missing her first two shots on goal and suffering a crisis of confidence early on.
Altschwager was kept under close guard by uncompromising Tactix goal keep Sonia Mkloma, and New Zealand under-21 goal defence Charlotte Kight did well to track vastly experienced goal attack Natalie Medhurst closely.
At the other end of the court, Tactix goal shoot Jodi Brown was looking strong, but it was the performance of Silver Ferns squad member Anna Thompson that really caught the eye.
Thompson shot superbly, and her work rate around the circle really eased the pressure on Brown, whose strong holding came was operating at peak efficiency.
However, Adelaide came thundering back in the second spell. Coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson benched Altschwager, who shot just five from nine, and brought on the steady head and fast-moving feet of Australian goal shoot Kate Beveridge.
The Thunderbirds looked a more settled team with Beveridge at the back, but it was Mo'onia Gerrard's shift from wing defence to goal defence which really asked questions of the Tactix shooters.
Thompson was restricted to only two shots in the entire 15-minute spell, sinking just one, as the Thunderbirds worked their way back to go into the halftime break up 25-23.
The Tactix came showed real grit to come out firing in the third quarter, sinking the first four goals to snatch the lead back, as the vaunted Thunderbirds midcourt looked increasingly hesitant.
In contrast, the Tactix midcourt, marshalled by Silver Ferns Julie Seymour and Maree Bowden, had probably their best game of the league to date.
The Thunderbirds favoured fast-moving, flat-passing game wasn't working, disrupted by a concerted effort from the Tactix on defence through the court. Former West Coast Fever wing defence Larissa Willcox was particularly impressive, harassing former Australian representative Laura von Bertouch ceaselessly, and providing superb linking play on attack.
And so the Tactix went into the final quarter 35-33 up, urged on by an increasingly vocal home crowd. They edged out to a five-goal lead at one stage only to see the Thunderbirds battle back and tie the scores 42-42 and send the game into extra time.
Captain Seymour afterwards paid tribute to her players, and credit to the opposition.
"We've shown we can push those top teams, but we've got to look after the ball we get and score. Their defence was just so tough, and well done to them for putting pressure on us for the whole game," she told Sky Sport.
"Defensively we put a lot of pressure on and we didn't let them get their speed up and their flow on, which was pleasing."
An exhausted Thunderbirds captain Natalie von Bertouch was happy her team's fightback was enough to secure the win.
"We didn't quite put it together for the 60 minutes but the girls fought out a hard-fought win."
Adelaide Thunderbirds 53 (Kate Beveridge 28/36, Natalie Medhurst 20/29, Jane Altschwager 5/9) Canterbury Tactix 48 (Jodi Brown 37/47. Anna Thompson 11/15). Fulltime: 42-42. Halftime: 25-23.
