Grace Nweke: Mystics goal shoot ahead of the ANZ Premiership Grand Final against the Pulse

A high level of confidence from Mystics goal shoot Grace Nweke that her team can win back-to-back ANZ Premierships in this afternoon's decider against the Pulse in Wellington. 

The defending champions are riding a five-game winning streak into the grand final. 

Nweke says the faith in her team's ability has never wavered throughout the campaign. 

D'Arcy Waldegrave catches up with the goal shoot ahead of the grand final.  

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Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Let's talk the A n Z Premiership. It is finals
time tomorrowg ST after four o'clock. The Pulse are saying
hi Mystics and they're turning up to town to take
a title away. We're joined by Mystics player of course
Silver Fun as well Grace Wecker. Grace, welcome to the program.
Great to have you on board. Excited much because after

(00:34):
your comeback and the comeback of other members of your team,
your team's flying. You really have hit the ground running.
You must be confident.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Yeah, hey, yeah, we are so confident. We're so excited.
A lot of the group's actually really nervous. It's like
that nervous excitement, you know. We know we absolutely have
to go to when tomorrow. We also know that the
Pulse too, so really will be a matter of pleasure
on the day. Who been really, really and hungry enough
to take the win.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
When it comes to having that confidence, there's something you
carry and run with well because other players, sometimes other
teams that don't like to talk of that, but you've
never been afraid of voicing that it's important to you.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, definitely. In the preseason, I was halving on about,
you know, how good our team was and you know
how well the season is going to go through us,
and I guess, you know, you have to earn the
right to speak like that. And I spoke so confidently
because of our history, because of the speccess of our
team over the past couple of years, and because of
the quality of the playing group that we have. And
I still feel the same way. You know, that confidence

(01:35):
comes from knowing how hard we work at training week in,
week out and knowing what we're putting out there. I
think there's an element of that took copy that people
don't feel like they can really speak confidently or you know,
really you know, pun't their team up. But you know,
with the mispects, absolutely believe in the group we've gotten,
So that confidence will help us.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
If anything, What did you gain out of the tactics
when last week, look, you went down to their backyard
and managed to beat them. They have been wobbly, to
be fair, to be honest, over the last four or
five rounds. But I suppose visiting and defeating them in
their own backyard's got to give you some form of
more confidence going to the TSP Arena to take on
the Pulse.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah. Absolutely. I think our past two games. You know,
we played against the Stars and we were a bit shaky.
They were able to hold on get the win. And
that game against Tactics last week was matter for us.
You know, we were losing that game for a lot
of it. It was ebbing and flowing. You know, they
had their home arena cheering on to them. We had
our small groups Domestics fans, and so we really had to,

(02:36):
you know, get ourselves out of that emotional factor when
you're losing in an important game, when you're losing in
a must win. We really had to figure out how
to play finals met ball together. What that looks like
looks like for us, and I think it was a
great practice for us going into this week. We know
what it's going to feel like. Both teams are hungry,
and we had that practice to be able to play

(02:57):
ourselves out of a picky situation.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
I think, Grace, last time we played the Pulse, you
had a pretty comfortable win over them. Is there any
point looking back a few rounds to that and what worked?

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Oh yeah, I don't think so. I think obviously, we
want to keep doing what we're doing, and you know,
we can take a lot out of that game. And
I guess, yes, like what you're saying, the successes of
that game. But there'll be a completely different team the
Pulse and Finals netball. They'll be hungrier, they'll be even
more prisical than they were and saying that so are we,

(03:28):
and so that you know, we did beat them by
quite a few but I don't anticipate the margin being
that big tomorrow. I think it'll be a tight battle
all the way to the end.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
And I like the talk of physicality. You always laugh
with deep ball. I say it's non contact sport like basketball,
but you revel that on your left's face. It it's
part of the game that I think a lot of
the players enjoy.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yeah, the physicality has absolutely become part of the game,
you know, i'd say, especially in that shooting circle. You know,
it's debatable, you know who's doing what and how bad
it is in there. But I think you know, we're
all giving as good as we're getting and it's up
to the umpires to control gamingly decide what they deem
to be dangerous, what they deem to be you know,
a blatant contact, but yeah, it's actually it's part of it.

(04:13):
And with Kelly in there, I know that it'll be
you know, take to take, really tight, but I'm looking
forward to that contest. It's really enjoyable playing against such
a physical preference in there.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
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