Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You've been incredibly generous with your time to the media,
and I guess that's part of your job too. But
I remember on Sunday Rakana said that the game on
Sunday has set you up for this final. How has
that done that?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I think just the pressure, just the way you have
to push yourself in finals netball. You know, you know
that oppositions aren't just going to give you the ball.
You have to work hard for every possession. So having
that intensity and a must win does set us up.
And also I think the Pulse defense play very very
similar to the Mystics. So for us attacking wise, it
was a really good dress rehearsal.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
So can you break down that defensive work that your
team did not just in the second half, but the
first half which set it up.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Look, we just started going for ball. We started to
promote where they should pass it, but knowing that we
were going for that, and it's just a confidence saying, Look,
we do get ball, and we do turn over ball,
and we do put pressure for them to pass and
make errors. In finals, netball teams don't make those errors
as regularly as in the regular season. So it's having
that ability to go for ball, and I think once
(00:59):
we started getting our hands on it, we couldn't stop it,
just keep going. We're up and down out of our seats.
It was exciting to watch.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Certainly was in terms of finals though. It's a special mindset,
isn't it, because lots of things happen. It seems to
go quickly. You've got to get into the game mode.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, And that's something we addressed because in the first
quarter we didn't get into that game mode mentality. We
were kind of a little bit headed and had a
couple of sloppy eras, Like we didn't have many eras
across the game, but in reflection, in the second half
we only had two, So that that is massive for
a game that with that sort of pressure. So now
we have to make sure we start well and not
have those silly little errors that thenfore gives the mystics
(01:38):
upper hand. So we have to start strong.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Haven't been so good on the road, How can you
mitigate that? This week?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
We haven't been too bad on the road. But I
was just looking after our own ball and our own
processes and worrying about us, Like sometimes you can overthink
too much about your opposition, and we know the mistics
are good. We know they're going to vombit in and
we know Peter is going to be the one that's
passing it into to now at the but it's what
we can do. And if we can set our structures,
especially defensively right through the court, we can put a
(02:06):
lot of pressure and we showed that in the weekend.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So mainly in and Ol have already won this year,
so what can the tactics do. Can we make it too?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Oh that's a plan. Wouldn't that be awesome? All we
wanted to do this season was give ourselves an opportunity
to be in top three to then have a chance.
So we've looked after that and now we've given ourselves
a chance in the Grand Final. Yes it's going to
be difficult. Yes, the mystics are great. Yes it's an Auckland,
but sometimes the things can be against you and you
can still come out on top. So we're going to
give it our absolute best. I know the players are
(02:34):
ready there, pumped for this opportunity and you know, hopefully
we can bring that back.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
And just away from the final, I just can see
that I am very disappointed about eligibility rule or the
relaxation that Netball New Zealand seem to be applying. We've
got to look after the homegrown athletes, don't we.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
We do, But we've also got to remember that these athletes,
this is their livelihood, this is their career, and when
things are kind of put on hold, they get other
opportunities and I don't think that we can hold them back.
I don't think there's going to be a big exit
of players going because like Australia, I've already got imports
from other places. I've got their own talent that they
want to look after. You might be talking about half
(03:11):
a dozen. I don't know. I don't know how many
New Zealand athletes netballers are going to put in for
an exemption, and we don't even really know how they're
going to grade those exemptions. But we did know, if
we're brutally honest, that they were going to do it
because they were going to want Grace playing for the
Silver Fans. So it was just a matter of when
it was going to happen. So I guess we just
have to do the best we can and make sure
that we have a competition in New Zealand that keeps
(03:33):
some players here as well, because we can't lose that.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
From a different context, there's more people play netball in
this country than any other sport. It saddens me to
think that we can't, for a women's sport, have a
viable professional franchise because it seems to me that this
whole thing's come about because we just don't have enough
money in the game.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
But I think that's like a lot of sports, isn't it.
And things are tough for everybody, So you know, where's
that money going to come from? So we've got to
find out. We've got to find people to invest in
our sport to keep it going, and you know, like
and not having a TV, right, So that's just that's
part of it, Like why will they pay if nobody
else is paying? So I get all the sides of it,
but we're somehow. We've just got to keep working hard.
(04:11):
So we've got this product. So we've got these young kids,
like you know, my daughter's thirteen, give them something to
aspire to be. And if we don't have that and
we don't have games that they can go along and watch,
them going to go to other sports. So we have
to take care of our sport. And we can only
just do our partner. And I think our crowd and
our support that we've had in christ Church is phenomenal
and seeing all those kids with their you know, pieces
(04:32):
of paper getting the girls to sign is special. And
we don't want to lose that.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
We don't want to lose you, and we don't want
to lose the players, but all the best. We're with
you one hundred and twenty percent.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Thanks Lizzie.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
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