Ameliaranne Ekenasio: Magic Captain previews their ANZ Premiership clash against the Southern Steel

The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic intend to shut down the Southern Steel's tried and tested connections in this afternoon's crucial ANZ Premiership matchup in Invercargill. 

The hosts have former Tactix teammates Aliyah Dunn and Kimiora Poi, plus Kate and Georgia Heffernan. 

Both sides are competing for the third playoff spot, with just three rounds to go in the regular season. 

Captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the clash.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Seven twenty one. Time for some snetty, some netball and
and Z Premiership. Southern Steel are hosting the Plenty Magic.
We're joined by Emila and Ekanacio. Good morning, How are you?

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Good morning? Good thanks?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hey you going yea and our good looking forward to
another massive weekend of netball. But you're big for you you're
in steel Land, you're down in the cargo. Was there
a scarier place to play netball away from home?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah? Look, I think in the Cargo definitely has a
bit of a feel that it's a fortress down here. However,
I think we're really looking forward to playing and coming
off the back of the last game when we've played them. Yeah,
we've got a bit to put to put out on court,
so regardless of where we're playing, we've just got to
be like a real tight knit unit. So yeah, looking
forward to getting out on court.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
You also want to turn things around. The last couple
of weeks haven't exactly been good to you have the
I mean you've got the stars, but then that ridiculous
slow scoring match against the Mystics, and then they got
you again last time out, so you'd be a bit sore.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, definitely, heart's a bit hurting after the last couple
of weeks. Yeah, I think the hardest thing is that
we're probably just not playing to our potential, which is
a really frustrating place to be as a probably as
you know, individual players, but also as a team. So
but the thing is is that we've been training really,
really well and we just really want to transfer it
out on court. So yeah, but I think also the

(01:40):
Steeler coming off the back of a really you know,
a really gutsy win for them, I think that's kind
of the the how they're known to play in it
for as well. So yeah, I think we're in for
a really big match, but I think we're really up
for it.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
How does the rest of the season look for you?
Because you're sitting down the bottom of the table. Wite
to say it, but it's true. You're just behind the
steel on the pulse. You look at top to the
to the tactics and the mystics, they've kind of a
much disappear. But you've got to back your else to
still get to playoffs.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
Yeah, well, look at the bottom of the table is
definitely ouphagas. I'm not on the very bottom, I will
tell you that much.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
No you're not.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
No, that's the stars do please?

Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, I know, but yeah, we take this game and
we take field. We're above steel, so that's all that
matters for us, and we just have to take it
a game at a time. That's all we can do.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Granted, that's a very standard sports reply, because that's what
you do. You look up right in front of you
and you go from there. When you look at being
disappointed with yourselves and what you haven't quite applied, is
there any facet of the game do you believe that
the team has let themselves down? And what about yourself
in your own form and what you bring?

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, look, I mean that's a pretty pretty big question,
I guess, but yeah, look, we just haven't really been
able to execute when we've got ball in hand, and
I think that that's been the biggest, biggest thing that's
really let us down as a team. And yeah, definitely
I would have liked to have a better season so
far for myself individually, but I can't carry that weight
the entire time, So all I can do is put

(03:10):
my best foot forward every single week for my team
and be the best I can and I try and
do that every single time that I get out there
on FOURT for training and just hope that it translates,
you know, for everybody.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Yeah, and really important, I think from my point of
view that you realize that that you can't carry the
way to the whole team every time. It's just not
humanly possible. So to be comfortable in that space to
see to it that is a real positive and I
think it shows maturity as a player as well.

Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, I mean, I guess it's really hard space to
be and sometimes because there's a leader, you want to
be able to, you know, to carry up left all
that kind of stuff when when you need to. But
at the end of the day, yeah, I can only
do it my job and I probably haven't even been
able to execute that sometimes. So and I think we
can probably all be a little bit guilty of that sometimes.
So we look, we can just be so much better,

(03:59):
And I think that's a really hard space that we're in,
is that we know we are. And yeah, it's just
hard not when you can't when you haven't been playing,
but you know you can play so much better. So
every single time. We just want to get out on court.
We kind of just really want to try and find
that flow. Even if we can't. We just want to
be able to keep the ball that we haven't score
our own, you know, and that's it's just netb one

(04:20):
on one and sometimes we haven't been doing it.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
But also you cannot underretipate the fact there is another
team on the court. They're getting in the way, right,
it's not all about you, That's exactly right.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
And I think I probably think that, you know, we're
so focused on ourselves and we just want to be better,
and we're doing so much hard work that you know,
sometimes you just have to pay respect to, you know,
the team you're coming up against. And honestly, every single
team we're playing has a totally different defensive style and
a different attacking style, so you have to be able
to be versatile.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
So yeah, hell, your athletes looking get a full quiver
of runs around?

Speaker 3 (04:56):
What was that?

Speaker 2 (04:56):
If you've got a full quiver of athletes? Is everybody there?

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Yeah? Everybody? And we've we've been lucky, we haven't, you know,
I think we you know, I mean you see teams
and you know they've got injuries and players down and
stuff like that. We're lucky we've got all of our
players fitting ready to go.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
It's great, one lasted thing for you. I'll keep asking
it one day or shot stop hours, the three and
a half meter two points going. How's it working it.

Speaker 3 (05:20):
For you all?

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Well, look, I think at the start of this isn't
you it's still quite novel. I think, you know, it's
still quite an exciting aspect of the game. And I think,
you know, as we've been playing, I think early on,
you know, we were like, oh yeah, Indias, we'll have
been you know, two points and it'll be fine. But
it's definitely yeah, I think we can probably go to
it a little bit more. I think it's just when

(05:42):
we haven't been playing well right, we don't want it,
you know. It's it is more risky, you know, to
take those take longer shots, and I think you've got
to just you know, weigh up the shot selection. If
you're going to go for it, you just got to
back yourself and go for it and bank it, you know.
I think there has been previous games where we've had
to really rely on it to close a gap and
we haven't been able to so I think a confident

(06:03):
things comes down to that, and you know, can you
do it even when you let ten down? You know,
I think that's the only option you've got. If you
make it, you're going to save the game. If you don't,
you double the margin. You know that you lose by.
So yeah, it's definitely a bit more to it. But yeah,
it's cool. It's cool. I think it's exciting. It's more
exciting to play, and I'm sure it's more exciting to.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
Watch as well, and you'll get used to it. The
big thing for me is the speed of decision making.
We know Neatpule's quick anyway, but when you've got to
work out very fast what you're going to do and
how are you going to do it, and if you
can convert it, that's a whole lot more precious. So
in time I'm sure that everyone will relax into meet
around Aikanasio, thanks so much for your time. Thanks for
joining us on the Your Sport Breakfast now cause a.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
Ruckus naha, no, thank you.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
Thanks for having me For more from the Your Sport
Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave. Listen live to News Talk said
V on Saturday mornings, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio,