July 29, 2025 • 43 mins
This week, Tactix coach Donna Wilkins and captain Erikana Pedersen join the podcast following their ANZ Premiership title winning celebrations!
They reflect on their season and the pride in their team for winning the franchise' first ever premiership title.
Plus, the Inside Netball team discuss their picks for the 2025 Silver Ferns squad, additional test matches in 2025 for the Ferns and a new free to air TV broadcast deal for the ANZ Premiership!
Inside Netball is the podcast to get you closer to the game you love!
Former Silver Ferns Adine Wilson and Anna Stanley along with commentator Jenny Woods drill down on the big issues and celebrate the big moments.
Three of the biggest names in netball scrutinise every shot, both on and off the court!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
On Inside, therefore getting you closer to the game you love.
With Nadine Wilson, Annah Stanley and Jenny Woods sward By
News talks that'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good and welcome to Inside Netball Well. In today's episode,
we're diving into a historic moment as the Tactics are
your twenty twenty five am Zed Premiership champions for the
very first time. Jenny A. Dean and I will break
down that Grand Final game and chat with their super
coach Donna Wilkins and captain Eric Kanna Patterson. In breaking
news overnight, Netwle New Zealand announcing a new partnership agreement
(00:30):
with TV and Z a one year broadcast deal, so
after close to two decades with sky Netbell goes back
to free to air. Plus, the Silver Ferns add an
extra five tests onto the international calendar in twenty twenty five,
a Northern tour in November with two tests against the
Scotland Thistles November ninth and eleventh, and three tests against
the English fifteenth, sixteenth and nineteenth of November. We'll get
(00:53):
into that a little bit later. Plus, with the Silver
Ferns squad set to be announced on August, the eleventh,
we will run you through our possible squad betweenty twenty five.
But first of all, ladies, Adeena and I, we may
have got our picks wrong all year, but the one
pick we got right was the tactics to work. Go
back to May and there's a social media post to
prove it. We chose the technics. We have redeemed ourselves
(01:16):
well and truly.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Jenny on the other hand, well, I know, and I'm
very I've always been useless a seconds well they were second,
but you know what happened, what happened to the magic?
Really and truly, but.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, we all had the tactics in the final, me
and a Dean, Oh, and.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I had the mystics.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Things you did?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, no, that gives me points.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah yeah, so I think we did well. But how
good was that final? Amazing?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, it was all it was all over, really, wasn't it?
After that first quarter seventeen eight? I mean, who saw
that coming? And really, if you look at the breakdowns afterwards,
really close, really close, you know, nothing in it, but boy,
you could see that they had fire in their belly.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It was just they just came out with such force?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
For all? And then they just took off, but the
mystics were still in it. That last quarter. There were
times I thought they're coming, They're coming. They created turnover,
but then they coughed it up again and again we
go back that two point shot. Having that in there
in that last five minutes meant it wasn't all over,
So there was an opportunity there. But yes, you've got
(02:20):
to give it to the tactics. There was this sterely
look in their eye and it was almost like they
weren't arrogant, that they knew they were going to win.
They had confidence that we are going to win this.
We've got belief in ourselves.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I thought, what was interesting was it that Donna Wilkins
made one change, like one force change, and it was
a force change the cramp, whereas old tear everything as
you would. But yeah, no, gosh to know, Evail.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, I'm sure the party is still going in christ Church.
They have so much to be proud of. Two ladies
in particular, they coach Donna Wilkins and her first year coach,
and she takes the title with her captain, Hannah Pederson,
and they both join us. Now inside, Welcome to Inside
Netball our twenty twenty five champions. Firstly, ladies, Donna Kanna
has the enormity of the wind sunk in and how
(03:12):
you're both feeling Donzu first.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
Probably not, if I'm honest, if it's going to take
a little bit to probably reflect on their whole season.
You know, right from the get go, I knew they
had had it in them, but actually achieving it and
coming off with a twelve goal one, Yeah, it hasn't
fully sunken in.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Yeah, honestly, it feels a little bit surreal. I don't
think it's really hit hit home yet. I think over
probably the next couple of weeks, when we kind of
wind down, it will kind of kick in.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
But yeah, I'm so so happy.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
We've spent some time as a team together yesterday and
that was really cool celebrating. So yeah, just stoked.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Take us through the last few hours before the game,
will you commn?
Speaker 6 (04:04):
I was confident.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
We actually went to Auckland a day earlier as well,
so I think that was really nice being settled in
as a team and as a collective. We had our
management team as well travel from christ Church and I
loved having them around. They were on the same floor
as us in the hotel room as well, so it
felt like home. We had a lot of familiar faces
(04:30):
around us, which made us, I think, feel at ease
as well. We had a cool video that got played
before we went to the courts of all our families
and friends just wishing us luck, and if you looked around,
there are a few tears in people's eyes, so it
was kind of like a bit emotional, but you could
feel like.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
The fire and I had full belief that we could
do it.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And Don's for you, obviously, you have been a champion
as a player this time as a coach. Does winning
feel any different with that coaching hat.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
On, No, not really, because you know, like you just
that's what you do. You go out to win, whether
you're a player, whether your coach. But it may even
felt a little bit better in the fact that seeing
everything come together, like we we performed so hard at
trainings and for patches of games, but to do it
(05:21):
when it really mattered over the last two weeks was massive,
So it probably you know, like I just felt so
excited for the girls, especially the ones that have been
coming back to win a championship and not quite getting there.
So it was pretty emotional. Was very very.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Proud, Connie. Your side came out of the block so
well in that first quarter, which really did win you
the game. Were you surprised after the end of that
first quarter that you were nine goals up?
Speaker 6 (05:48):
Was I surprised slightly? Like I had full belief that
we could do that.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I did was expecting it to be tight, honestly out
the whole game, and we were expecting that.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
But the way that we were playing, like from.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
The first whistle, I could feel our energy looking across
the court, everyone was on the same page or connected.
So I wasn't surprised because of our performance out there.
Was I thought really consistent and great.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Was there a moment and Donna, I'll ask you this,
that you felt it had turned You've got it.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Minutes to go? I think I went down and hugged
the bench players so I could just sit back and
watch that last minute. Trying to keep Karner on the
court for the last quarter was probably the biggest stress.
You know, It's not that easy to call a time
out when none of your players are looking at you,
and it got quite loud at the end, and I
was trying to give another one, so she could rest,
(06:50):
and I really wanted her to be on the court
for the end. I think she earned that right, but
her body just couldn't cope, So I thought that would
have been any moment for her. So yeah, probably three minutes.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
To go kinda did you not have the pickle juice?
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Was that?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
What was missing?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Is that?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Cramps? Is that what forced you from the court in
the end?
Speaker 6 (07:11):
Yeah? I had.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I've been having pickle joice this whole season. I had
the most pickle juice I've ever.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Had in that game.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
But it just, yeah, just whole body cramps.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Yeah, like my toes were cramping, were cramping, My my hurts.
Everything was just going. I literally could not walk by
the end of it.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Oh my god. It's oh yeah, well that hurts as well.
But John's you have mentioned now you've already just mentioned
in our pard and I heard you at the end
of the game as well, mention it about the players
that potentially this is their last season. How much of
that played into the wind, into the win, that it
was just everything out there for those players, and perhaps
(07:53):
you might even elaborate on who those players might be.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Oh, like, I think for the those players it's nothing new.
Like you know, Tapias wanted a championship, you know, late
last year. They got very very close, and I think
if they had to pit the Mystics in that elimination final,
they would have won last year. So that's how close
they were, you know. So those players, it's just really
(08:20):
huge to be able to get the win for them
and Jane and Cartner, you know, and now Allie. She
had already announced it that she was leaving at the
end of this so to be able to get that
championship for those ones is pretty special. I haven't talked
to Jane yet, so I can't elaborate on that with
what she's doing. I'm still working on Karna and tire Is.
(08:40):
You never know what those girls are going to do.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
We wanted to focus on the Grand Final, so we
haven't had those conversations yet about next year. They'll be
happening this week.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
When you look back on your season, and it's hard
to do after you've had your big night out Dawns
and you're feeling a little bit wary. But when you
reflect back, I guess on the program and how you
ran the season, are there things that you'd do differently.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Oh, we probably should have won round two and that
might have given us our home Grand final. No, probably not.
We're really lucky that we had some management crew that
were already in place, so Mark ran a pretty tight
shit with the scheduling for our trainings. I think we
had a really good balance. We had to submit them
(09:27):
in to the Players Association. Ours came back with the
big tech, so we made those adjustments. We made sure
the girls got their recovery days. Yeah, I would have
liked to have probably had them a bit longer, but
the rules state that you can't for some more court
related trainings, but that's the program now, so you have
to make the adjustments, and I think with Mark's help
(09:48):
with that, we really nailed it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
How many court trainings do you have a week?
Speaker 5 (09:53):
Sometimes we do a double day on a Wednesday, so
we have a morning session and afternoon session, so we
normally try and get three in, but it just depends
on the structure of when we're playing. We only had
one short week, which was the lead into the Mystics.
In round ten. We played Monday Sunday, so that was
the only one that we didn't get the full week,
so there was only a couple of weeks that we
(10:14):
had to change.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
So Donald, tell me, what do you know about how
it's going to play out next year.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
I know there's a competition, I know the dates. I
have no idea what's on offer on the table for
the players, So it's going to make contracting quite hard.
We can tell players that we want them to come,
but I don't know what happens after that.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Don's changed texts slightly. You and I both got to
play for someone very special to us. Robbie brought in
how much has what you have put into the game
this year been what you learned from Robbie? Because watching
from the sideline, there were so many moments like, oh,
there's Robbie. There's Robbie.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Look, she was a huge part of my netball, like
you know for this sting. She coached me for ten years.
You know, I followed her. I would have gone a
year earlier, but I was pregnant with Maya, so I
changed and stayed down with the Steal before going to
the Pulse. So I got, you know, those last two
years with her out there, which was really neat but massive.
(11:21):
I spoke to Robbie, I've brought a I've got a
picture of her with with me that we had from
playing the reunion game, which was another special occasion, so
I brought that up to christ Church with me. So
I made sure that I spoke to her leading into
every home game, which to Auckland, because I thought maybe
that was it because I'm quite superstitious. So we won
(11:43):
every home game, so I thought maybe if I take
her to Auckland with me, it will help. So that helped.
I'm superstitious. But also Knna not touching the trophy was
massive as well.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And Connah, what's going to help you and your decision
to come back next year?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh, I'm not sure if John stayed maybe also like
for me, I still love it, like I'm very passionate
about it.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Still.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
It's really just like my body honestly, and if I
had like a twenty one year old body still, I
would probably be.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
Like a definite years. So that's just in the back
of my mind. I think.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
So you retire, retuired, retired twice. Now what brought you
back those earlier times?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Well, the first one was for as a replacement player
for the Pulse and that was when why called me.
I've just thought I can't say no to why. And
you know, the Pulse was a team that I never
thought i'd play for as well, but just to have
the opportunity to be coached by the likes of Yvert
Sandy Edge as well, why as well? So that was
(12:54):
like a big factor for me, and I just thought
why not. And then the second time when it's reached out,
I thought, oh, I do want to win a trophy
for like with Tactics because I have been them, been
with them for a while and they hold a special
place in my heart.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
So that was also in the back of my mind.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And you spoke, both of you. She spoke about the
lead up years to this win, you know, and you
and you both were very kindly spoke about how important
those other years and the other people that have come
before we played in this win. But what was it
about the mental fortitude of this team kind of that
got you over the edge, because you that's to me
(13:36):
what looked different. It was like we're gonna win, like
it was just almost a given.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You know, you were confident, Yeah, exactly, And like you said,
like from when I first arrived here at Tactics, I
think we won like three or four games in my
first two or three years here, so to see the
growth of this franchise has been pretty outstanding.
Speaker 6 (14:01):
I think having.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Like a core group of people stay together really really
helps with connections and everything. But and I say I've
said this a lot in interviews recently, like what Donna
has brought to this team, Like, there's just no words.
You guys obviously know her. She's very passionate, and she's
(14:22):
a very like she's a great leader, gives us confidence
to just go out there and play, and just bought
a winning mentality I think, which we obviously needed this season.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You talk about that the core people, I mean, Donna,
you flew home that night after the win, and there
are a few former Cantabs there at the airport. We
saw Julie Seymour, Leslie Murder, Anna Galvin. When you think
of core people that have been sort of at the
forefront of that Canary netball sporting kind of legacy, they
are the people. How cool is it to see them there?
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (14:55):
Look, it was really cool and nice for them as well,
because it has been a long time coming, right, And
I also mentioned in an interview this is where I
started my netbook. So how cool is it now that
we've won a championship here. You know, Canterbury people are
so proud. You go down to the courts at Hagley,
(15:15):
there's so many kids playing still there as well as
napoun Why. There's so many people that play the sport
and it's just nice to be able to bring something
back for them as well to enjoy. Donna.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You said to us earlier in the season that you
know you didn't expect to find the coaching side head
coach so hard. How has it changed you this season?
Do you think?
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I don't think it's changed me, and but it's hard
in the fact that there's so much more to it,
Like you know you're going to be busy, but you know,
I've been here in christ Church and I thought it
would be a great opportunity to see family. I think
I've seen my brother twice since Debrie and he lives
twenty minutes.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Down the road.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
You know, there is no time. You're always doing something,
whether you're writing session plans, when you're doing reflections, whether
you're massaging people because they haven't been on the court
or they're not getting out of a training what they want,
or that I've got injury there's so much to it,
washing the bibs, sorting the umpires, getting the men to
come every week at training, you know, you're constantly busy,
(16:16):
so you know you're not just turning up to a
court session and running a netball training. You're doing all
this other stuff. But the hardest thing is being away
from my home, you know, like I've been back for
two days after we played the Steel down in v Cargo.
You know, luckily my husband can travel when he's up
here watching the kids most weekends during winter, but that's
(16:36):
been the hardest thing.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Cool to see the family in the background yesterday too,
it's very cool, and you're touching on that, you know,
washing the vibs, giving people massages. You also spoke about
at the end of the game about being these three
of six franchises that are basically run by net New
Zealand and the challenge that that creates and how proud
you were that you came away with the win in
(16:59):
that position. Just elaborate on that a little.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
So at the beginning of the year, as you're coming
into coaching, you have to do a campaign plan and
I did a little bit of research around the history
of the A and z And since twenty seventeen. I
found it quite interesting that it was only the Steal,
the Pulse and the Missteps that had won the competition. Clearly,
we all knew that, but the interesting thing for me
was that none of the three franchises that at our
(17:24):
owned bray Nebu New Zealand have taken out the trophy.
And it is a battle. It's hard, you know, staying afloat,
making money, bringing in sponsors, all of those bits, trying
to match players that come and approach us to want
to play, but we can't match sometimes what they're off
it so sometimes and in the end, because I came
(17:45):
into the contracting late last year, sometimes you just got
to get players that want to play. And so it's
not only us. The Stars and the Magic clearly must
have their own struggles. But it meant a little bit
more to finally have one of those three on the trophy.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
So you've won the campaign. What does the next month
look like for for Donna Wilkins.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
I'm actually going to stay in christ Church for a
little bit. That was Mike's decision, keep the rental for
a bit longer. We've got he's going to come up.
We're gonna to Nelson at the end of the month
to watch a week of basketball with tournament weeks, so
the kids have got a lot of sport on get
into the contract, and we're here for the next two
(18:26):
weeks anyway, see what that looks like. We've got our
breakup next next week, which will be interesting, I think,
maybe a wee bit more subdued than yesterday. And just enjoy,
just enjoy being around christ Church and around the people.
Like if you go out in tactics top at the moment,
it's crazy, Like the support that we've had here is massive,
(18:47):
and everyone wants to talk to you about it. I mean,
Carter will be the same. We have so many messages,
like I had probably nearly two hundred. My husband had
over two hundred messages like it's just massive and it's
really cool.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah. Sorry, my sister might have been one of those.
She text me and she said, can you give me
Donna's mobile? I said, don't give it out, Rachel, So
you've probably got one from Rach robes in there. Hey,
last time I spoke to at the end of the game,
you said that you had a bet with Meyer at
the beginning of the season that if you were going
to win that she could you could take her anywhere
in the world on it on it did on a holiday.
How's that bet going?
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
So Annie. The problem with that was that was after
our loss against the Stars in round two and she
was sulting because her brother was going to America and
I was like, don't worry, Maya, if we win this,
I'll take you anywhere in the world. So that was
round two and I actually completely forgot about it in
the moment when we got the win until she came
up to me and we gre grease.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Greece seems to be the place.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Yeah, So it just got a little bit of working
on that to sort out. Maybe we could push it
back till she's sixteen. Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Good luck with that. Yeah, oh wow, Hey, thanks so
much guys for coming on pot And it's been a
busy last forty eight hours for you guys, and we're
just so proud that you could do it. Don's and Connor.
I thought you were amazing out there on court, your leadership.
You had the best game I've ever seen you play.
So well done for what you did for your side.
(20:16):
And Don's as a teammate with Adean and I couldn't
be more proud of what you've achieved with the Technics.
So well done.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Thanks guys, Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
The Inside Netball podcast Inside Netball on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, good to see those girls are looking tired because
they deserved a well celebration, which they clearly had yesterday.
So good for Donna, Adean, for you and I. I mean,
she was such a great teammate and that passion I
think really came through in that final because at the
start of that game, the Tactics looked like they were
They actually looked like they were hungrier, and I think
(20:52):
a lot of that's got to come down to the
belief that Donna gave them. Donna is a winner and
Donna will make sure she brings everyone up with her
to win. You know, so many people talk about winning
being a habit. She has won a lot in her life.
That's not a coincidence. That is her personality. She will
drag others up with her, and she will happily bring
(21:13):
them with you. She will let you know when you're
not reaching her standard. But as you hear from all
of those players, they have a huge amount of respect
for her and it's work.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Gen Well it has, and I'm going to go out
and buy shares and divileges because before the season I'd
never heard of it. I didn't realize it was a thing.
And it is a thing, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
For the thing?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, for I get cramped quite a lot in bed,
my toes, my car. The thing that's called certain agepause.
So I dis blame everything on perimenopause. Now, well, let's
go back to that game, because I mean I did
some of the numbers. When you look at you know,
the big key for the Mystics was that connection between
Peter toy Java and Wallam. You know, they have been
(21:55):
sensational all year. To think that Walain was out for
four weeks with a rist injury, they still had that relationship.
But you look at the numbers and actually Petter's feeds
were down eight or nine per game than what we've
seen in previous games. And that's, you know, essentially the scoreline.
They lost by eleven and much to lose by. They
(22:15):
lost by twelve, and that was the strength of Burger
Watson Locatiowy. They suffocated that space and just that doubt
crept in in the first quarter and when that doubt
crept in Peta wasn't turning and firing it into Wallom,
and I think that's what was the main difference in
that first quarter. And they adjusted because they didn't do
that in the game only two weeks ago. The tactics
(22:37):
I'm saying against Wallem Wallam was all over them and
shot was she shot fifty something in that game, whereas
this time she only shot I shouldn't say, only ninety
three percent thirty eight from forty one. But they certainly
starved the ball into her far better. They learned from
two weeks ago. They adjusted and it worked. But you
know you again, I go back to the tactics. They
(22:59):
scored eighty percent of the cinder passes. I mean, that's
outstanding and a finals match to score such a high
percentage of your cinder pass and seventy seven percent of
any turnovers they created they turned into points. Those are
good numbers.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yeah, they're great numbers. And I can't help but wonder,
or well, not worry if Petaty I ever almost tried
to do too much. She was trying to save the day,
and look imagine if she had it had worked and
they'd come right back but all credit to the tactics
and particularly you mentioned her Lockertuy. I thought that was
(23:38):
a really strong wind defense.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Got critical inter set two in that last quarter.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Speaking of intercepts, what about Ali birds too?
Speaker 3 (23:48):
As a golf shoot, I was dying on the.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Side, just going, this is the best.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I think I'd never go. I'd never go onto a
network court again if I was Eli Bert, because you know,
you'd never probably play like that again. She was absolutely outstanding.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Well, she's basically said she won't go one, and we
spread in an article that she's basically said, who you know?
Her dad and her brother said, you're remembered by the
last game. Well that's it. That's her last game. She's
off to Australia for a wellness creating a wellness retreat
or something along those. Shame because I thought she had
her best season well last year as well, and this
(24:22):
year was absolutely sensational.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
But didn't she said the same sort of thing, didn't she?
I read it somewhere, you know, same thing as Tapias
Selby Rickett was saying, you know, it's a mental thing.
You just decide that actually, you know, I'm not going
to you know, she went to the UK played up
there and that competition came back with a whole different mentality.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
We had perspective, don't you how to respect it?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
And you know it's, oh gosh, good on them.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, I think it's fabulous. Catherine Hall was a player
that we talked about a lot throughout the season talking
of intercepts. She was in top five for deflections intercepts
for me, the standout goalkeep of this of the year.
The challenge for Hall in that final was to be
able to front in a final and absorb the pressure
and rise to the challenge. Do we think she did
that well?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I think I thought she got better and better. I
also think she suffered for not having a constant gold
offense partner, like you know, Watson and Burger, Well, they're like,
I don't know what do we like? I can't think
of a peer. You know, they're so good, they've played
(25:27):
so long. But you know, sometimes it was Micati socoleos
beats and other times it was Holly Ray so manly,
Charlotte Manny. Yes she came on, so I wonder, but
you know, I thought that was a game that Catherine Hall.
She didn't start with a bang, but she got better.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, but that was I think because Ali Bird and
that whole attack end from the Tactics were just we're
just humming. So I think I think we all agree
that it was really lost in that first quarter for
the Mystics because really, when you look at the quarter
scores after that, fourteen all won the third quarter by
two and there's only one in it in that fourth quarter,
so the damage was done. And then the Tactics just
(26:07):
got their heckels up and the way they went. So
it was an impressive performance from the Tactics, and you've
got to give credit to Tia. As you said, Jen,
she put out a lot of changes and tried everything.
Was very humble in her postmatch interviews. I thought she
acknowledged that they weren't good enough in that first quarter.
But what's impressed me throughout the whole season with Tia
is that as a coach, she's been one that's actually
(26:28):
bought in her younger players, her inn and our players
we've seen mainly take the court. We saw lafay Lely
come in and she sat on the bench. Who now,
because of that and had that time with the Mystics
could make the n Z under twenty one. God, so
I think that's been a real strength of tears.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, I agree, and I sort of think that A
feature for me for this year's whole competition has been
the coaching tactical speeches, you know, because Wendy Frew, Timmy
Potter Bailey, obviously Donald Wilkins, They've all brought something to
the party, and I've actually almost found myself looking forward to, oh, now,
(27:07):
what are they going to say?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
What are they going to say? Now? The technical timeouts meticular? Yeah, yeah,
because you do you get to hear You're in the
moment and you're getting to hear all those and you
get to see the personality of the coaches and their
mentality and what they're thinking. But you know, I thought
it was brilliant. I was also really impressed speaking about
postmap speeches or during MICHAELA. Sokolic beats in, I really
think she showed her leadership. She is really eloquent in
(27:31):
her how she speaks, and she can really pinpoint what
she's viewing on the court. So I think she was
someone also for me I was impressed with for the mystics.
Let's switch across the ditch now, because speaking of tactical timeouts.
Can we just talk about Simone mckinnis's in that last
quarter the Vixens versus the Swifts. It was the major
semi final. The Vixens were going into that last quarter
(27:53):
ten or eleven goals, ten goals down, eleven down, eleven down,
and here comes some moment she pulled them all in.
It was a brilliant what she said, because most coaches
would think, you know, you'd be hold on to the ball,
don't do this, don't do that. She just sat down
and said, let the ball go, shoot those shots, go
for the ball and fly. She just gave them free
(28:14):
rein to do whatever they wanted and they went out
there and won the game by one.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
It was absolutely brilliant. And I thought, look, and she
is stepping down. She was just about to you know
that she knew that she didn't have much time left.
You know, just amazing. And those also, I thought, you know,
it was a brilliant lesson in how to use the supershot.
I mean, Kira Austin came on three super shots right
(28:38):
at the end, so these you know, six points, and
the Swifts were I mean it was close, it was
really close, and you know Wicky, the ball came down
and you thought, oh my god, she's going to get
the ball. But I think she was off balance, so
she offloaded to Howsby. Howsby. Miss Danna was all over
And it will be the Vixen's going forward to fight there.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
And that played at Rod laver Arenas. That's a home
home court advantage for the Vicxens and in a grand crowd. Yeah,
so I guess the Swifts will be lamenting there. I
mean eight weeks in a row, they're at the top
of the table. No one could touch them. People were thinking,
you know, they're going to go through and win, and
then they don't make the finals. It just goes to show.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
But a lot of contrast, you know, ten points down here,
the mystics just well, I felt never looked like getting
up over there. Boom.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But isn't it interesting listening to Eric Khna She said
in that first quarter she knew it. She could look
people in the eyes and knew that they had that
connection and those invisible threads. And I mean even when
I interviewed Donna during the game, Donna had those eyes
that I remember when I was a player, with that
she was locked in and you know I used to
look at Donner and go catch my balls and shoot
(29:47):
those goals. She had that lock on her face. I
saw it in that game. I thought, Oh, here we go.
The technics are on. So yeah, sad for old Grace Nuiki.
I guess she'll just have to come back and perform
for the Silver Ferns now with the eligibility role rule. Well,
speaking of the Silver Ferns, the squad is going to
be announced on August the eleventh. So what we do
(30:07):
know is that the coach, Noline tato I can name
up to eighteen generally sixteen to eighteen in the Silver
Ferns squad, eight to ten in the development squad after that.
So we thought we'd go through after the season that
we've had and get away list together of who we
think could be potentials in that Silver Ferns squad. So
let's start with the mid court, because they're they're the
(30:30):
best course.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
The most of I yes, all right.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So Dean, run me through, Run me through your middies. Well,
the obvious ones start with Scott to be to the other.
To me, that's the obvious. I know it hasn't been
the obvious in the past. Because she hasn't always made it,
but she would be the first one I'll put in
my squad. I'll put Miela, Rulu Buchanan. She's my only
stars play it in the whole squad that I would
(30:55):
put in. I loved Edgekim Magic, Georgia k what a
season she's had. Maddy Gordon for me, stepped up in
that wing attack position and adding that to her bag
of tricks, so we now know she can play center
and wing attacks so effectively. Kate Heavenon in a team
that's had a you know, still had a real mixed
(31:17):
bag of a season, she's had injuries. And then I'm
going to throw my last one in there because I
know you love this player. Jen Paris Lockertoy. She got
the critical intercept in that game. If you want someone
to come out and just be so dogged on your
wing attack, you'd take Paris too.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
And doesn't she She has just so much going so
that drop my pen is my mid.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Court might drop. Have you got anyone in there that
a Dean didn't? And so do I.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
So I have got O'Brien, who I thought started quietly
but then came good and also got Sooners.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yes, I know, I love Sooner, but she had a quiet.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Season, I think it has to be said.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
And injuries.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Ye no, no, that's right.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
She's a defender, so I had I had Sooner as well,
and I actually had Poi in there as well, so
I didn't have Clara O'Brien in mine. There's just no
no room for her for me. Yeah, so potentially all
the players that we said could be in there, but
I think we're along the right track shooting end. Now,
(32:25):
this is interesting, Jenny, have you got.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Well say, well, no, let's just start with the obvious
Grace wiki who you know, Amelia Warmsley And I think
Noline Tura was saying something today, wasn't she about she'll
miss the first series because she's away with the enteraltar.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
She'd miss the whole tiny jammachos and to be available.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
But that's that's okay, that's good.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
She should be on the bench anyway, right because Grace
will be starting it and as long as she gets
the contract because you want the Silver Firm contract as well.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yes, well, yes, savior to it like when she's been
you know, she's just a joy to watch. Then I
started to struggle a little bit salmon. But then we
didn't see much of salmon, did we, because obviously tactics chose,
you know, started choosing Ellie Bird over salmon, and I thought,
well there must be reasons for that, but we don't
(33:17):
know them. So and then Georgia Heffnan because we need
quite a few players.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes, well, of course no Echinaco and no Topassal we
Recket who you'd argue are that have been the two
best goal attacks in the leg. So that puts a
real question mark on who would be your next goal attack. Well,
I've had all the players that you had as well,
but I'd have to put Voueye in there. Even though
she had a very quiet final, I thought she's just
been chugging along. Okay. Big question mark for her for
(33:44):
me is whether she can stand up at that international
level because she's been in the Fens before, hasn't she
But we haven't really seen her take.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Well, she was and they took her to I think
it was the Nation in UK and I just remember
hearing something that you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Only one. We both don't have Denny as the stars
goal shooter. And I haven't left her out my Wilson.
I've put Salmon in the head of Wilson because I
think just the time has come now for Wilson, perhaps
that she's hit her peak and Salmon is the young
one coming through, and so that's why I've put Salmon in. Yep,
me too, I match you both. I had a Vouy
(34:19):
in there as well, because I think this is especially
now hearing that Warmsley is out for that tiny Jamison.
You know, that's the opportunity we need a goal attack. Sorry,
we don't have a Kinas who don't have TP so.
I really like Georgia Heaffnon. I like what she can
do in there. So, but Vouie and Heaven and if
they have that opportunity in that series, I think that
(34:41):
will be, you know, a great option working in with
Grace and Wiki. Obviously Voueye has that connection already with Wiki,
so perhaps that will also see her sneaking because of
that that connection she's had in the past. And then defensively,
Kellie Jackson obviously the pulse. Catherine Hall standout defender for
me for the mistake. She's got youthfulness on her side.
(35:03):
We saw her come out at gold Defense as well
in that final, so she's got a bit of versatility.
Carden Berger stand out in that Grand Final. Kristythe she
had a good season, had a great season. That was
a good decision for her to go south and get
regular court time. And then we need another gold offense
in there. So I've put Paris Mason and so have
I and I've put Locker Toy down in my defensive end.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Well, I've put Kate Burley with an asterisk because I'm
not quite sure how long she's out for.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
We saw her for how long half a game thout
the whole season?
Speaker 4 (35:38):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (35:39):
She was very good?
Speaker 2 (35:41):
No interesting to see what Nooles does there because she
literally went down with that plant of fashion in that
first game.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
And we haven't seen her since. And that's very true.
And the other one I wondered about was Gria Cincla
because I think when she was fit, she was on
the brink.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
I think she's in competition now with Edgecombe and Locker
Tooy the other week defense wing defenses that are coming through.
Who did you have Dane similar Again, I'm the same,
but I actually snuck Mikaelasokles Beets in there, and I
think I did that for one her leadership because you
need some of these players, you know, when a lot
of these players we're talking about are quite young or
new to the sial Urn environment. Yes, she hasn't played
(36:19):
a lot in the Silfern environment, but I've been impressed
with her leadership. She also can swing quite easily between
that wing defense gold defense role, and that is the
hard one when you're picking a team. Just as you
just put lockertoy, one puts her in her defense and
one puts her in a MIDI. It depends on your
makeup of your team if you need that almost that
swing player, and she would be in there for me
(36:39):
because of because of those two things. Would she be
your captain? Well, that's the next question. Who's going to
be to everyone's saying, Kelly Jackson or Kate Heffernan. I mean,
could they be two of the players that I hope
playing in Australia.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Well, I hope she doesn't do co captains because I
never I'm never comfortable with co captains because I always
think when it comes down to it, you know, somebody's
got to make a call. I mean, you've both been captains.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
That must be Well, you have a captain and then
a leadership group. Under them, and if you captain is
not on the court, then one of those leadership yeah
to step up and be the on court captain that day.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Right, So who's who's a captain and waiting? I mean
there is Maddy Gordon a potential captain. I mean you've
got to look a few years down the track, don't
she Well.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
They've got kom Off Games next year, so you kind
of want someone.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Yeah, I mean Wiki was in the leadership group.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, yeah, she could be. You wouldn't want to put
that pressure on. I think I'd leave Wicked. She's had
She's stood enough ground this year, breaking ground and breaking,
you know, changing rules. So I think we leave Wiki.
I think heffen and Jackson are probably the front runners.
And it's the players that vote, isn't it at the
end of the day. Well that's what we've heard, we're not.
You know, that's something that Noles has brought in. I'm
(37:48):
sure it's not the end of the vote, but I
imagine it gives a huge amount of sway if the
players are signaling a particular person. But obviously no Watson.
You know, she had had a quiet season, but oh
my goodness, you played well, but you can kind of
understand too, you know, and Gin we talked about it earlier.
You get gets a point in your life you're like,
I've won a championship, I've won this, I've won that.
(38:09):
I'm happy, and it's harder for Donna to try and
convince those girls to stay those you know, those three girls,
Knna Watson. Well, we know birds go on TP because
they've just won a title. They'll be like tick that off, next,
good thing, that's right.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
And it's not as though you can't just throw money
at them because you don't know that you've got the money.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Maybe Watson might go over to Australia. Would be quite
hard because she's been doing her study and she has
a child. But you know she doesn't even have to
apply for one of these eligibility exemptions slash criteria because
it won't apply to her. Well, we'll know a lot
more over the coming weeks. Of course, the Grand Final
has finished, which means contracting opens up, so over the
(38:47):
next two weeks players will be talking to agents and
working out where they're playing next year. Whether that's in
New Zealand or Australia, time will tell.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Inside the Ball powered by News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So and breaking news overnight the new broadcast deal gen
plenty of chadar over the last twenty four hours. What
are your initial thoughts?
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Well, I actually went to bed with a smile on
my face. I mean, I was thinking, yes, netball is saved,
because you know, I'm cautiously optimistic about the whole thing
because how many times over the last little while have
we been saying, oh, you know, get back to Free
to wear. And I know, well you and I any
(39:28):
we're there back in two thousand and seven, two thousand
and seven, the caravan and the car park. But you know,
it was a great It's been a great ride with Sky.
But I have sort of felt that, you know, in
the last few years they've kind of lost interest.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
Well, I don't know if it's losing interest. I think
I think a change was needed. And as you say,
I think a lot, a lot, a lot of time
on this podcast, we've talked about you know, if you've
got to see it to be it, and you know,
to have more eyeballs on our product will be amazing.
And we're removing those barriers because a lot of people
(40:09):
don't have Sky and a lot of people can't watch
the game, so we're removing those barriers, which is fantastic.
The one question mark I have is the sustainability model,
the funding model. So twenty years ago when I was playing,
it could be on TVNZ because we weren't getting paid
to play. You know, fast forward twenty years players are
getting paid. So my big question mark is, you know,
(40:31):
how are we going to pay these players and win.
New Zealand have alluded to the fact that they are
going to be dipping into their reserves. They're going to
have to look at their funding model moving forward. They're
going to rely on heavily on commercial partners. How sustainable
is that because if they don't have the money, our
netbullers will be very quick to turn to England, turn
to Australia and.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Go yeah, and that's absolutely right. I mean we should
emphasize this deal is a year. Yeah, like it's one year.
Sky will still do the tests, the shares. We've got
the tiny Jamison coming up against South Africa, Constellation Cup
against Australia. But then you know it's it's well, who
knows what is over to because.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
We don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
But I think you know, Noline Tahua is pleased or
says she's pleased, delighted with those five tests. So two
in Scotland, three against England. So that's in November, heading
up to the Northern Hemisphere. And I mean that's a
hell of a lot better preparation for the Common Games
next year and you know World Cup in twenty twenty
(41:37):
seven and then thereafter every two years. I mean, so
much in the sporting landscape has changed and I think,
you know, Netbun New Zealand is probably desperately trying to
be a bit more nimble.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
And yeah, and they needed to. You know the fact
that we've now added five more test matches for the
Silver fans, it's more time out on court. It's great,
great for Scotland. You know, we're doing our heart as
well for international netball to be playing against them. We
even't played against them since twenty fourteen, so that's got
to be good for the Silver Ferns. Yeah, I guess
(42:12):
it's quite a lot to digest and I guess, yeah,
the big question mark for me is how Netbull New
Zealand know. I'm sure this is what they've been beavering
away over of the last few months, if not twelve months.
That they think this is the long term model, and
I hope they are right because I think it's fantastic
that we're going back to free to air. Everyone can
(42:34):
watch it. You know, it's going to be great for
the younger generation to see our players out on court.
But we just need to make sure that they're getting
paid the same and that they don't take a pay cut.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
That's exactly right, and I mean, that's what we don't know.
But in honor of our time, our eighteen years with Sky,
I wore the scarf that I know you can't see it,
but I think Andrew McVeigh helped me choose the scarf.
So anyway, what a ride eighteen years.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
It was jan two thousand and seven. My now eighteen
year old child was a baby at the time when
I was breastfeeding while running and commentating games. And now
fast forward eighteen years and you've got to give it
to Sky. They've done a fantastic job showcasing our sport
and taking it to that next level. And now it's
TVNZ's ten. Well plenty to digest and I'm sure plenty
(43:25):
more news over the coming months as we see netball
in this country move in a new direction. Well that's
it from us. Once again, a big congrats to the
Tactics taking out their first a Z Premiership title and
with it the hearts of all those one eyed Ken
taps so well deserved. The Inside Needty team will be
back in two weeks time as we dissect that fun
squad that is set for announcement on August the eleven.
(43:47):
Until then, Marti Wa
On Inside, therefore getting you closer to the game you love.
With Nadine Wilson, Annah Stanley and Jenny Woods sward By
News talks that'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good and welcome to Inside Netball Well. In today's episode,
we're diving into a historic moment as the Tactics are
your twenty twenty five am Zed Premiership champions for the
very first time. Jenny A. Dean and I will break
down that Grand Final game and chat with their super
coach Donna Wilkins and captain Eric Kanna Patterson. In breaking
news overnight, Netwle New Zealand announcing a new partnership agreement
(00:30):
with TV and Z a one year broadcast deal, so
after close to two decades with sky Netbell goes back
to free to air. Plus, the Silver Ferns add an
extra five tests onto the international calendar in twenty twenty five,
a Northern tour in November with two tests against the
Scotland Thistles November ninth and eleventh, and three tests against
the English fifteenth, sixteenth and nineteenth of November. We'll get
(00:53):
into that a little bit later. Plus, with the Silver
Ferns squad set to be announced on August, the eleventh,
we will run you through our possible squad betweenty twenty five.
But first of all, ladies, Adeena and I, we may
have got our picks wrong all year, but the one
pick we got right was the tactics to work. Go
back to May and there's a social media post to
prove it. We chose the technics. We have redeemed ourselves
(01:16):
well and truly.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Jenny on the other hand, well, I know, and I'm
very I've always been useless a seconds well they were second,
but you know what happened, what happened to the magic?
Really and truly, but.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, we all had the tactics in the final, me
and a Dean, Oh, and.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I had the mystics.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Things you did?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, no, that gives me points.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah yeah, so I think we did well. But how
good was that final? Amazing?
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Well, it was all it was all over, really, wasn't it?
After that first quarter seventeen eight? I mean, who saw
that coming? And really, if you look at the breakdowns afterwards,
really close, really close, you know, nothing in it, but boy,
you could see that they had fire in their belly.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It was just they just came out with such force?
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Was it?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
For all? And then they just took off, but the
mystics were still in it. That last quarter. There were
times I thought they're coming, They're coming. They created turnover,
but then they coughed it up again and again we
go back that two point shot. Having that in there
in that last five minutes meant it wasn't all over,
So there was an opportunity there. But yes, you've got
(02:20):
to give it to the tactics. There was this sterely
look in their eye and it was almost like they
weren't arrogant, that they knew they were going to win.
They had confidence that we are going to win this.
We've got belief in ourselves.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
I thought, what was interesting was it that Donna Wilkins
made one change, like one force change, and it was
a force change the cramp, whereas old tear everything as
you would. But yeah, no, gosh to know, Evail.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, I'm sure the party is still going in christ Church.
They have so much to be proud of. Two ladies
in particular, they coach Donna Wilkins and her first year coach,
and she takes the title with her captain, Hannah Pederson,
and they both join us. Now inside, Welcome to Inside
Netball our twenty twenty five champions. Firstly, ladies, Donna Kanna
has the enormity of the wind sunk in and how
(03:12):
you're both feeling Donzu first.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
Probably not, if I'm honest, if it's going to take
a little bit to probably reflect on their whole season.
You know, right from the get go, I knew they
had had it in them, but actually achieving it and
coming off with a twelve goal one, Yeah, it hasn't
fully sunken in.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Yeah, honestly, it feels a little bit surreal. I don't
think it's really hit hit home yet. I think over
probably the next couple of weeks, when we kind of
wind down, it will kind of kick in.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
But yeah, I'm so so happy.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
We've spent some time as a team together yesterday and
that was really cool celebrating. So yeah, just stoked.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Take us through the last few hours before the game,
will you commn?
Speaker 6 (04:04):
I was confident.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
We actually went to Auckland a day earlier as well,
so I think that was really nice being settled in
as a team and as a collective. We had our
management team as well travel from christ Church and I
loved having them around. They were on the same floor
as us in the hotel room as well, so it
felt like home. We had a lot of familiar faces
(04:30):
around us, which made us, I think, feel at ease
as well. We had a cool video that got played
before we went to the courts of all our families
and friends just wishing us luck, and if you looked around,
there are a few tears in people's eyes, so it
was kind of like a bit emotional, but you could
feel like.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
The fire and I had full belief that we could
do it.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
And Don's for you, obviously, you have been a champion
as a player this time as a coach. Does winning
feel any different with that coaching hat.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
On, No, not really, because you know, like you just
that's what you do. You go out to win, whether
you're a player, whether your coach. But it may even
felt a little bit better in the fact that seeing
everything come together, like we we performed so hard at
trainings and for patches of games, but to do it
(05:21):
when it really mattered over the last two weeks was massive,
So it probably you know, like I just felt so
excited for the girls, especially the ones that have been
coming back to win a championship and not quite getting there.
So it was pretty emotional. Was very very.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Proud, Connie. Your side came out of the block so
well in that first quarter, which really did win you
the game. Were you surprised after the end of that
first quarter that you were nine goals up?
Speaker 6 (05:48):
Was I surprised slightly? Like I had full belief that
we could do that.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
I did was expecting it to be tight, honestly out
the whole game, and we were expecting that.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
But the way that we were playing, like from.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
The first whistle, I could feel our energy looking across
the court, everyone was on the same page or connected.
So I wasn't surprised because of our performance out there.
Was I thought really consistent and great.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Was there a moment and Donna, I'll ask you this,
that you felt it had turned You've got it.
Speaker 5 (06:28):
Minutes to go? I think I went down and hugged
the bench players so I could just sit back and
watch that last minute. Trying to keep Karner on the
court for the last quarter was probably the biggest stress.
You know, It's not that easy to call a time
out when none of your players are looking at you,
and it got quite loud at the end, and I
was trying to give another one, so she could rest,
(06:50):
and I really wanted her to be on the court
for the end. I think she earned that right, but
her body just couldn't cope, So I thought that would
have been any moment for her. So yeah, probably three minutes.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
To go kinda did you not have the pickle juice?
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Was that?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
What was missing?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Is that?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
What was it?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Cramps? Is that what forced you from the court in
the end?
Speaker 6 (07:11):
Yeah? I had.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I've been having pickle joice this whole season. I had
the most pickle juice I've ever.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Had in that game.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
But it just, yeah, just whole body cramps.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Yeah, like my toes were cramping, were cramping, My my hurts.
Everything was just going. I literally could not walk by
the end of it.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Oh my god. It's oh yeah, well that hurts as well.
But John's you have mentioned now you've already just mentioned
in our pard and I heard you at the end
of the game as well, mention it about the players
that potentially this is their last season. How much of
that played into the wind, into the win, that it
was just everything out there for those players, and perhaps
(07:53):
you might even elaborate on who those players might be.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Oh, like, I think for the those players it's nothing new.
Like you know, Tapias wanted a championship, you know, late
last year. They got very very close, and I think
if they had to pit the Mystics in that elimination final,
they would have won last year. So that's how close
they were, you know. So those players, it's just really
(08:20):
huge to be able to get the win for them
and Jane and Cartner, you know, and now Allie. She
had already announced it that she was leaving at the
end of this so to be able to get that
championship for those ones is pretty special. I haven't talked
to Jane yet, so I can't elaborate on that with
what she's doing. I'm still working on Karna and tire Is.
(08:40):
You never know what those girls are going to do.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
You know.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
We wanted to focus on the Grand Final, so we
haven't had those conversations yet about next year. They'll be
happening this week.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
When you look back on your season, and it's hard
to do after you've had your big night out Dawns
and you're feeling a little bit wary. But when you
reflect back, I guess on the program and how you
ran the season, are there things that you'd do differently.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Oh, we probably should have won round two and that
might have given us our home Grand final. No, probably not.
We're really lucky that we had some management crew that
were already in place, so Mark ran a pretty tight
shit with the scheduling for our trainings. I think we
had a really good balance. We had to submit them
(09:27):
in to the Players Association. Ours came back with the
big tech, so we made those adjustments. We made sure
the girls got their recovery days. Yeah, I would have
liked to have probably had them a bit longer, but
the rules state that you can't for some more court
related trainings, but that's the program now, so you have
to make the adjustments, and I think with Mark's help
(09:48):
with that, we really nailed it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
How many court trainings do you have a week?
Speaker 5 (09:53):
Sometimes we do a double day on a Wednesday, so
we have a morning session and afternoon session, so we
normally try and get three in, but it just depends
on the structure of when we're playing. We only had
one short week, which was the lead into the Mystics.
In round ten. We played Monday Sunday, so that was
the only one that we didn't get the full week,
so there was only a couple of weeks that we
(10:14):
had to change.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
So Donald, tell me, what do you know about how
it's going to play out next year.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
I know there's a competition, I know the dates. I
have no idea what's on offer on the table for
the players, So it's going to make contracting quite hard.
We can tell players that we want them to come,
but I don't know what happens after that.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Don's changed texts slightly. You and I both got to
play for someone very special to us. Robbie brought in
how much has what you have put into the game
this year been what you learned from Robbie? Because watching
from the sideline, there were so many moments like, oh,
there's Robbie. There's Robbie.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
Look, she was a huge part of my netball, like
you know for this sting. She coached me for ten years.
You know, I followed her. I would have gone a
year earlier, but I was pregnant with Maya, so I
changed and stayed down with the Steal before going to
the Pulse. So I got, you know, those last two
years with her out there, which was really neat but massive.
(11:21):
I spoke to Robbie, I've brought a I've got a
picture of her with with me that we had from
playing the reunion game, which was another special occasion, so
I brought that up to christ Church with me. So
I made sure that I spoke to her leading into
every home game, which to Auckland, because I thought maybe
that was it because I'm quite superstitious. So we won
(11:43):
every home game, so I thought maybe if I take
her to Auckland with me, it will help. So that helped.
I'm superstitious. But also Knna not touching the trophy was
massive as well.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
And Connah, what's going to help you and your decision
to come back next year?
Speaker 4 (12:00):
Oh, I'm not sure if John stayed maybe also like
for me, I still love it, like I'm very passionate
about it.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
Still.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
It's really just like my body honestly, and if I
had like a twenty one year old body still, I
would probably be.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
Like a definite years. So that's just in the back
of my mind. I think.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
So you retire, retuired, retired twice. Now what brought you
back those earlier times?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
Well, the first one was for as a replacement player
for the Pulse and that was when why called me.
I've just thought I can't say no to why. And
you know, the Pulse was a team that I never
thought i'd play for as well, but just to have
the opportunity to be coached by the likes of Yvert
Sandy Edge as well, why as well? So that was
(12:54):
like a big factor for me, and I just thought
why not. And then the second time when it's reached out,
I thought, oh, I do want to win a trophy
for like with Tactics because I have been them, been
with them for a while and they hold a special
place in my heart.
Speaker 6 (13:10):
So that was also in the back of my mind.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And you spoke, both of you. She spoke about the
lead up years to this win, you know, and you
and you both were very kindly spoke about how important
those other years and the other people that have come
before we played in this win. But what was it
about the mental fortitude of this team kind of that
got you over the edge, because you that's to me
(13:36):
what looked different. It was like we're gonna win, like
it was just almost a given.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You know, you were confident, Yeah, exactly, And like you said,
like from when I first arrived here at Tactics, I
think we won like three or four games in my
first two or three years here, so to see the
growth of this franchise has been pretty outstanding.
Speaker 6 (14:01):
I think having.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Like a core group of people stay together really really
helps with connections and everything. But and I say I've
said this a lot in interviews recently, like what Donna
has brought to this team, Like, there's just no words.
You guys obviously know her. She's very passionate, and she's
(14:22):
a very like she's a great leader, gives us confidence
to just go out there and play, and just bought
a winning mentality I think, which we obviously needed this season.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
You talk about that the core people, I mean, Donna,
you flew home that night after the win, and there
are a few former Cantabs there at the airport. We
saw Julie Seymour, Leslie Murder, Anna Galvin. When you think
of core people that have been sort of at the
forefront of that Canary netball sporting kind of legacy, they
are the people. How cool is it to see them there?
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (14:55):
Look, it was really cool and nice for them as well,
because it has been a long time coming, right, And
I also mentioned in an interview this is where I
started my netbook. So how cool is it now that
we've won a championship here. You know, Canterbury people are
so proud. You go down to the courts at Hagley,
(15:15):
there's so many kids playing still there as well as
napoun Why. There's so many people that play the sport
and it's just nice to be able to bring something
back for them as well to enjoy. Donna.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
You said to us earlier in the season that you
know you didn't expect to find the coaching side head
coach so hard. How has it changed you this season?
Do you think?
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I don't think it's changed me, and but it's hard
in the fact that there's so much more to it,
Like you know you're going to be busy, but you know,
I've been here in christ Church and I thought it
would be a great opportunity to see family. I think
I've seen my brother twice since Debrie and he lives
twenty minutes.
Speaker 6 (15:53):
Down the road.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
You know, there is no time. You're always doing something,
whether you're writing session plans, when you're doing reflections, whether
you're massaging people because they haven't been on the court
or they're not getting out of a training what they want,
or that I've got injury there's so much to it,
washing the bibs, sorting the umpires, getting the men to
come every week at training, you know, you're constantly busy,
(16:16):
so you know you're not just turning up to a
court session and running a netball training. You're doing all
this other stuff. But the hardest thing is being away
from my home, you know, like I've been back for
two days after we played the Steel down in v Cargo.
You know, luckily my husband can travel when he's up
here watching the kids most weekends during winter, but that's
(16:36):
been the hardest thing.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Cool to see the family in the background yesterday too,
it's very cool, and you're touching on that, you know,
washing the vibs, giving people massages. You also spoke about
at the end of the game about being these three
of six franchises that are basically run by net New
Zealand and the challenge that that creates and how proud
you were that you came away with the win in
(16:59):
that position. Just elaborate on that a little.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
So at the beginning of the year, as you're coming
into coaching, you have to do a campaign plan and
I did a little bit of research around the history
of the A and z And since twenty seventeen. I
found it quite interesting that it was only the Steal,
the Pulse and the Missteps that had won the competition. Clearly,
we all knew that, but the interesting thing for me
was that none of the three franchises that at our
(17:24):
owned bray Nebu New Zealand have taken out the trophy.
And it is a battle. It's hard, you know, staying afloat,
making money, bringing in sponsors, all of those bits, trying
to match players that come and approach us to want
to play, but we can't match sometimes what they're off
it so sometimes and in the end, because I came
(17:45):
into the contracting late last year, sometimes you just got
to get players that want to play. And so it's
not only us. The Stars and the Magic clearly must
have their own struggles. But it meant a little bit
more to finally have one of those three on the trophy.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
So you've won the campaign. What does the next month
look like for for Donna Wilkins.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
I'm actually going to stay in christ Church for a
little bit. That was Mike's decision, keep the rental for
a bit longer. We've got he's going to come up.
We're gonna to Nelson at the end of the month
to watch a week of basketball with tournament weeks, so
the kids have got a lot of sport on get
into the contract, and we're here for the next two
(18:26):
weeks anyway, see what that looks like. We've got our
breakup next next week, which will be interesting, I think,
maybe a wee bit more subdued than yesterday. And just enjoy,
just enjoy being around christ Church and around the people.
Like if you go out in tactics top at the moment,
it's crazy, Like the support that we've had here is massive,
(18:47):
and everyone wants to talk to you about it. I mean,
Carter will be the same. We have so many messages,
like I had probably nearly two hundred. My husband had
over two hundred messages like it's just massive and it's
really cool.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Yeah. Sorry, my sister might have been one of those.
She text me and she said, can you give me
Donna's mobile? I said, don't give it out, Rachel, So
you've probably got one from Rach robes in there. Hey,
last time I spoke to at the end of the game,
you said that you had a bet with Meyer at
the beginning of the season that if you were going
to win that she could you could take her anywhere
in the world on it on it did on a holiday.
How's that bet going?
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (19:22):
So Annie. The problem with that was that was after
our loss against the Stars in round two and she
was sulting because her brother was going to America and
I was like, don't worry, Maya, if we win this,
I'll take you anywhere in the world. So that was
round two and I actually completely forgot about it in
the moment when we got the win until she came
up to me and we gre grease.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Greece seems to be the place.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Yeah, So it just got a little bit of working
on that to sort out. Maybe we could push it
back till she's sixteen. Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Good luck with that. Yeah, oh wow, Hey, thanks so
much guys for coming on pot And it's been a
busy last forty eight hours for you guys, and we're
just so proud that you could do it. Don's and Connor.
I thought you were amazing out there on court, your leadership.
You had the best game I've ever seen you play.
So well done for what you did for your side.
(20:16):
And Don's as a teammate with Adean and I couldn't
be more proud of what you've achieved with the Technics.
So well done.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
Thanks guys, Thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
The Inside Netball podcast Inside Netball on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Well, good to see those girls are looking tired because
they deserved a well celebration, which they clearly had yesterday.
So good for Donna, Adean, for you and I. I mean,
she was such a great teammate and that passion I
think really came through in that final because at the
start of that game, the Tactics looked like they were
They actually looked like they were hungrier, and I think
(20:52):
a lot of that's got to come down to the
belief that Donna gave them. Donna is a winner and
Donna will make sure she brings everyone up with her
to win. You know, so many people talk about winning
being a habit. She has won a lot in her life.
That's not a coincidence. That is her personality. She will
drag others up with her, and she will happily bring
(21:13):
them with you. She will let you know when you're
not reaching her standard. But as you hear from all
of those players, they have a huge amount of respect
for her and it's work.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Gen Well it has, and I'm going to go out
and buy shares and divileges because before the season I'd
never heard of it. I didn't realize it was a thing.
And it is a thing, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
For the thing?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, for I get cramped quite a lot in bed,
my toes, my car. The thing that's called certain agepause.
So I dis blame everything on perimenopause. Now, well, let's
go back to that game, because I mean I did
some of the numbers. When you look at you know,
the big key for the Mystics was that connection between
Peter toy Java and Wallam. You know, they have been
(21:55):
sensational all year. To think that Walain was out for
four weeks with a rist injury, they still had that relationship.
But you look at the numbers and actually Petter's feeds
were down eight or nine per game than what we've
seen in previous games. And that's, you know, essentially the scoreline.
They lost by eleven and much to lose by. They
(22:15):
lost by twelve, and that was the strength of Burger
Watson Locatiowy. They suffocated that space and just that doubt
crept in in the first quarter and when that doubt
crept in Peta wasn't turning and firing it into Wallom,
and I think that's what was the main difference in
that first quarter. And they adjusted because they didn't do
that in the game only two weeks ago. The tactics
(22:37):
I'm saying against Wallem Wallam was all over them and
shot was she shot fifty something in that game, whereas
this time she only shot I shouldn't say, only ninety
three percent thirty eight from forty one. But they certainly
starved the ball into her far better. They learned from
two weeks ago. They adjusted and it worked. But you
know you again, I go back to the tactics. They
(22:59):
scored eighty percent of the cinder passes. I mean, that's
outstanding and a finals match to score such a high
percentage of your cinder pass and seventy seven percent of
any turnovers they created they turned into points. Those are
good numbers.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
Yeah, they're great numbers. And I can't help but wonder,
or well, not worry if Petaty I ever almost tried
to do too much. She was trying to save the day,
and look imagine if she had it had worked and
they'd come right back but all credit to the tactics
and particularly you mentioned her Lockertuy. I thought that was
(23:38):
a really strong wind defense.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Got critical inter set two in that last quarter.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Speaking of intercepts, what about Ali birds too?
Speaker 3 (23:48):
As a golf shoot, I was dying on the.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Side, just going, this is the best.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
I think I'd never go. I'd never go onto a
network court again if I was Eli Bert, because you know,
you'd never probably play like that again. She was absolutely outstanding.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Well, she's basically said she won't go one, and we
spread in an article that she's basically said, who you know?
Her dad and her brother said, you're remembered by the
last game. Well that's it. That's her last game. She's
off to Australia for a wellness creating a wellness retreat
or something along those. Shame because I thought she had
her best season well last year as well, and this
(24:22):
year was absolutely sensational.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
But didn't she said the same sort of thing, didn't she?
I read it somewhere, you know, same thing as Tapias
Selby Rickett was saying, you know, it's a mental thing.
You just decide that actually, you know, I'm not going
to you know, she went to the UK played up
there and that competition came back with a whole different mentality.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
We had perspective, don't you how to respect it?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
And you know it's, oh gosh, good on them.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, I think it's fabulous. Catherine Hall was a player
that we talked about a lot throughout the season talking
of intercepts. She was in top five for deflections intercepts
for me, the standout goalkeep of this of the year.
The challenge for Hall in that final was to be
able to front in a final and absorb the pressure
and rise to the challenge. Do we think she did
that well?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I think I thought she got better and better. I
also think she suffered for not having a constant gold
offense partner, like you know, Watson and Burger, Well, they're like,
I don't know what do we like? I can't think
of a peer. You know, they're so good, they've played
(25:27):
so long. But you know, sometimes it was Micati socoleos
beats and other times it was Holly Ray so manly,
Charlotte Manny. Yes she came on, so I wonder, but
you know, I thought that was a game that Catherine Hall.
She didn't start with a bang, but she got better.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, but that was I think because Ali Bird and
that whole attack end from the Tactics were just we're
just humming. So I think I think we all agree
that it was really lost in that first quarter for
the Mystics because really, when you look at the quarter
scores after that, fourteen all won the third quarter by
two and there's only one in it in that fourth quarter,
so the damage was done. And then the Tactics just
(26:07):
got their heckels up and the way they went. So
it was an impressive performance from the Tactics, and you've
got to give credit to Tia. As you said, Jen,
she put out a lot of changes and tried everything.
Was very humble in her postmatch interviews. I thought she
acknowledged that they weren't good enough in that first quarter.
But what's impressed me throughout the whole season with Tia
is that as a coach, she's been one that's actually
(26:28):
bought in her younger players, her inn and our players
we've seen mainly take the court. We saw lafay Lely
come in and she sat on the bench. Who now,
because of that and had that time with the Mystics
could make the n Z under twenty one. God, so
I think that's been a real strength of tears.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, I agree, and I sort of think that A
feature for me for this year's whole competition has been
the coaching tactical speeches, you know, because Wendy Frew, Timmy
Potter Bailey, obviously Donald Wilkins, They've all brought something to
the party, and I've actually almost found myself looking forward to, oh, now,
(27:07):
what are they going to say?
Speaker 2 (27:08):
What are they going to say? Now? The technical timeouts meticular? Yeah, yeah,
because you do you get to hear You're in the
moment and you're getting to hear all those and you
get to see the personality of the coaches and their
mentality and what they're thinking. But you know, I thought
it was brilliant. I was also really impressed speaking about
postmap speeches or during MICHAELA. Sokolic beats in, I really
think she showed her leadership. She is really eloquent in
(27:31):
her how she speaks, and she can really pinpoint what
she's viewing on the court. So I think she was
someone also for me I was impressed with for the mystics.
Let's switch across the ditch now, because speaking of tactical timeouts.
Can we just talk about Simone mckinnis's in that last
quarter the Vixens versus the Swifts. It was the major
semi final. The Vixens were going into that last quarter
(27:53):
ten or eleven goals, ten goals down, eleven down, eleven down,
and here comes some moment she pulled them all in.
It was a brilliant what she said, because most coaches
would think, you know, you'd be hold on to the ball,
don't do this, don't do that. She just sat down
and said, let the ball go, shoot those shots, go
for the ball and fly. She just gave them free
(28:14):
rein to do whatever they wanted and they went out
there and won the game by one.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
It was absolutely brilliant. And I thought, look, and she
is stepping down. She was just about to you know
that she knew that she didn't have much time left.
You know, just amazing. And those also, I thought, you know,
it was a brilliant lesson in how to use the supershot.
I mean, Kira Austin came on three super shots right
(28:38):
at the end, so these you know, six points, and
the Swifts were I mean it was close, it was
really close, and you know Wicky, the ball came down
and you thought, oh my god, she's going to get
the ball. But I think she was off balance, so
she offloaded to Howsby. Howsby. Miss Danna was all over
And it will be the Vixen's going forward to fight there.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
And that played at Rod laver Arenas. That's a home
home court advantage for the Vicxens and in a grand crowd. Yeah,
so I guess the Swifts will be lamenting there. I
mean eight weeks in a row, they're at the top
of the table. No one could touch them. People were thinking,
you know, they're going to go through and win, and
then they don't make the finals. It just goes to show.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
But a lot of contrast, you know, ten points down here,
the mystics just well, I felt never looked like getting
up over there. Boom.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But isn't it interesting listening to Eric Khna She said
in that first quarter she knew it. She could look
people in the eyes and knew that they had that
connection and those invisible threads. And I mean even when
I interviewed Donna during the game, Donna had those eyes
that I remember when I was a player, with that
she was locked in and you know I used to
look at Donner and go catch my balls and shoot
(29:47):
those goals. She had that lock on her face. I
saw it in that game. I thought, Oh, here we go.
The technics are on. So yeah, sad for old Grace Nuiki.
I guess she'll just have to come back and perform
for the Silver Ferns now with the eligibility role rule. Well,
speaking of the Silver Ferns, the squad is going to
be announced on August the eleventh. So what we do
(30:07):
know is that the coach, Noline tato I can name
up to eighteen generally sixteen to eighteen in the Silver
Ferns squad, eight to ten in the development squad after that.
So we thought we'd go through after the season that
we've had and get away list together of who we
think could be potentials in that Silver Ferns squad. So
let's start with the mid court, because they're they're the
(30:30):
best course.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
The most of I yes, all right.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
So Dean, run me through, Run me through your middies. Well,
the obvious ones start with Scott to be to the other.
To me, that's the obvious. I know it hasn't been
the obvious in the past. Because she hasn't always made it,
but she would be the first one I'll put in
my squad. I'll put Miela, Rulu Buchanan. She's my only
stars play it in the whole squad that I would
(30:55):
put in. I loved Edgekim Magic, Georgia k what a
season she's had. Maddy Gordon for me, stepped up in
that wing attack position and adding that to her bag
of tricks, so we now know she can play center
and wing attacks so effectively. Kate Heavenon in a team
that's had a you know, still had a real mixed
(31:17):
bag of a season, she's had injuries. And then I'm
going to throw my last one in there because I
know you love this player. Jen Paris Lockertoy. She got
the critical intercept in that game. If you want someone
to come out and just be so dogged on your
wing attack, you'd take Paris too.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
And doesn't she She has just so much going so
that drop my pen is my mid.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Court might drop. Have you got anyone in there that
a Dean didn't? And so do I.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
So I have got O'Brien, who I thought started quietly
but then came good and also got Sooners.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
Yes, I know, I love Sooner, but she had a quiet.
Speaker 3 (31:57):
Season, I think it has to be said.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
And injuries.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
Ye no, no, that's right.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
She's a defender, so I had I had Sooner as well,
and I actually had Poi in there as well, so
I didn't have Clara O'Brien in mine. There's just no
no room for her for me. Yeah, so potentially all
the players that we said could be in there, but
I think we're along the right track shooting end. Now,
(32:25):
this is interesting, Jenny, have you got.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Well say, well, no, let's just start with the obvious
Grace wiki who you know, Amelia Warmsley And I think
Noline Tura was saying something today, wasn't she about she'll
miss the first series because she's away with the enteraltar.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
She'd miss the whole tiny jammachos and to be available.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
But that's that's okay, that's good.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
She should be on the bench anyway, right because Grace
will be starting it and as long as she gets
the contract because you want the Silver Firm contract as well.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yes, well, yes, savior to it like when she's been
you know, she's just a joy to watch. Then I
started to struggle a little bit salmon. But then we
didn't see much of salmon, did we, because obviously tactics chose,
you know, started choosing Ellie Bird over salmon, and I thought,
well there must be reasons for that, but we don't
(33:17):
know them. So and then Georgia Heffnan because we need
quite a few players.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes, well, of course no Echinaco and no Topassal we
Recket who you'd argue are that have been the two
best goal attacks in the leg. So that puts a
real question mark on who would be your next goal attack. Well,
I've had all the players that you had as well,
but I'd have to put Voueye in there. Even though
she had a very quiet final, I thought she's just
been chugging along. Okay. Big question mark for her for
(33:44):
me is whether she can stand up at that international
level because she's been in the Fens before, hasn't she
But we haven't really seen her take.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Well, she was and they took her to I think
it was the Nation in UK and I just remember
hearing something that you know, yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Only one. We both don't have Denny as the stars
goal shooter. And I haven't left her out my Wilson.
I've put Salmon in the head of Wilson because I
think just the time has come now for Wilson, perhaps
that she's hit her peak and Salmon is the young
one coming through, and so that's why I've put Salmon in. Yep,
me too, I match you both. I had a Vouy
(34:19):
in there as well, because I think this is especially
now hearing that Warmsley is out for that tiny Jamison.
You know, that's the opportunity we need a goal attack. Sorry,
we don't have a Kinas who don't have TP so.
I really like Georgia Heaffnon. I like what she can
do in there. So, but Vouie and Heaven and if
they have that opportunity in that series, I think that
(34:41):
will be, you know, a great option working in with
Grace and Wiki. Obviously Voueye has that connection already with Wiki,
so perhaps that will also see her sneaking because of
that that connection she's had in the past. And then defensively,
Kellie Jackson obviously the pulse. Catherine Hall standout defender for
me for the mistake. She's got youthfulness on her side.
(35:03):
We saw her come out at gold Defense as well
in that final, so she's got a bit of versatility.
Carden Berger stand out in that Grand Final. Kristythe she
had a good season, had a great season. That was
a good decision for her to go south and get
regular court time. And then we need another gold offense
in there. So I've put Paris Mason and so have
I and I've put Locker Toy down in my defensive end.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Well, I've put Kate Burley with an asterisk because I'm
not quite sure how long she's out for.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
We saw her for how long half a game thout
the whole season?
Speaker 4 (35:38):
Was it?
Speaker 3 (35:39):
She was very good?
Speaker 2 (35:41):
No interesting to see what Nooles does there because she
literally went down with that plant of fashion in that
first game.
Speaker 3 (35:47):
And we haven't seen her since. And that's very true.
And the other one I wondered about was Gria Cincla
because I think when she was fit, she was on
the brink.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
I think she's in competition now with Edgecombe and Locker
Tooy the other week defense wing defenses that are coming through.
Who did you have Dane similar Again, I'm the same,
but I actually snuck Mikaelasokles Beets in there, and I
think I did that for one her leadership because you
need some of these players, you know, when a lot
of these players we're talking about are quite young or
new to the sial Urn environment. Yes, she hasn't played
(36:19):
a lot in the Silfern environment, but I've been impressed
with her leadership. She also can swing quite easily between
that wing defense gold defense role, and that is the
hard one when you're picking a team. Just as you
just put lockertoy, one puts her in her defense and
one puts her in a MIDI. It depends on your
makeup of your team if you need that almost that
swing player, and she would be in there for me
(36:39):
because of because of those two things. Would she be
your captain? Well, that's the next question. Who's going to
be to everyone's saying, Kelly Jackson or Kate Heffernan. I mean,
could they be two of the players that I hope
playing in Australia.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Well, I hope she doesn't do co captains because I
never I'm never comfortable with co captains because I always
think when it comes down to it, you know, somebody's
got to make a call. I mean, you've both been captains.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
That must be Well, you have a captain and then
a leadership group. Under them, and if you captain is
not on the court, then one of those leadership yeah
to step up and be the on court captain that day.
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Right, So who's who's a captain and waiting? I mean
there is Maddy Gordon a potential captain. I mean you've
got to look a few years down the track, don't
she Well.
Speaker 2 (37:20):
They've got kom Off Games next year, so you kind
of want someone.
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Yeah, I mean Wiki was in the leadership group.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Yeah, yeah, she could be. You wouldn't want to put
that pressure on. I think I'd leave Wicked. She's had
She's stood enough ground this year, breaking ground and breaking,
you know, changing rules. So I think we leave Wiki.
I think heffen and Jackson are probably the front runners.
And it's the players that vote, isn't it at the
end of the day. Well that's what we've heard, we're not.
You know, that's something that Noles has brought in. I'm
(37:48):
sure it's not the end of the vote, but I
imagine it gives a huge amount of sway if the
players are signaling a particular person. But obviously no Watson.
You know, she had had a quiet season, but oh
my goodness, you played well, but you can kind of
understand too, you know, and Gin we talked about it earlier.
You get gets a point in your life you're like,
I've won a championship, I've won this, I've won that.
(38:09):
I'm happy, and it's harder for Donna to try and
convince those girls to stay those you know, those three girls,
Knna Watson. Well, we know birds go on TP because
they've just won a title. They'll be like tick that off, next,
good thing, that's right.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
And it's not as though you can't just throw money
at them because you don't know that you've got the money.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Maybe Watson might go over to Australia. Would be quite
hard because she's been doing her study and she has
a child. But you know she doesn't even have to
apply for one of these eligibility exemptions slash criteria because
it won't apply to her. Well, we'll know a lot
more over the coming weeks. Of course, the Grand Final
has finished, which means contracting opens up, so over the
(38:47):
next two weeks players will be talking to agents and
working out where they're playing next year. Whether that's in
New Zealand or Australia, time will tell.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Inside the Ball powered by News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So and breaking news overnight the new broadcast deal gen
plenty of chadar over the last twenty four hours. What
are your initial thoughts?
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Well, I actually went to bed with a smile on
my face. I mean, I was thinking, yes, netball is saved,
because you know, I'm cautiously optimistic about the whole thing
because how many times over the last little while have
we been saying, oh, you know, get back to Free
to wear. And I know, well you and I any
(39:28):
we're there back in two thousand and seven, two thousand
and seven, the caravan and the car park. But you know,
it was a great It's been a great ride with Sky.
But I have sort of felt that, you know, in
the last few years they've kind of lost interest.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
Well, I don't know if it's losing interest. I think
I think a change was needed. And as you say,
I think a lot, a lot, a lot of time
on this podcast, we've talked about you know, if you've
got to see it to be it, and you know,
to have more eyeballs on our product will be amazing.
And we're removing those barriers because a lot of people
(40:09):
don't have Sky and a lot of people can't watch
the game, so we're removing those barriers, which is fantastic.
The one question mark I have is the sustainability model,
the funding model. So twenty years ago when I was playing,
it could be on TVNZ because we weren't getting paid
to play. You know, fast forward twenty years players are
getting paid. So my big question mark is, you know,
(40:31):
how are we going to pay these players and win.
New Zealand have alluded to the fact that they are
going to be dipping into their reserves. They're going to
have to look at their funding model moving forward. They're
going to rely on heavily on commercial partners. How sustainable
is that because if they don't have the money, our
netbullers will be very quick to turn to England, turn
to Australia and.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Go yeah, and that's absolutely right. I mean we should
emphasize this deal is a year. Yeah, like it's one year.
Sky will still do the tests, the shares. We've got
the tiny Jamison coming up against South Africa, Constellation Cup
against Australia. But then you know it's it's well, who
knows what is over to because.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
We don't know.
Speaker 3 (41:13):
But I think you know, Noline Tahua is pleased or
says she's pleased, delighted with those five tests. So two
in Scotland, three against England. So that's in November, heading
up to the Northern Hemisphere. And I mean that's a
hell of a lot better preparation for the Common Games
next year and you know World Cup in twenty twenty
(41:37):
seven and then thereafter every two years. I mean, so
much in the sporting landscape has changed and I think,
you know, Netbun New Zealand is probably desperately trying to
be a bit more nimble.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
And yeah, and they needed to. You know the fact
that we've now added five more test matches for the
Silver fans, it's more time out on court. It's great,
great for Scotland. You know, we're doing our heart as
well for international netball to be playing against them. We
even't played against them since twenty fourteen, so that's got
to be good for the Silver Ferns. Yeah, I guess
(42:12):
it's quite a lot to digest and I guess, yeah,
the big question mark for me is how Netbull New
Zealand know. I'm sure this is what they've been beavering
away over of the last few months, if not twelve months.
That they think this is the long term model, and
I hope they are right because I think it's fantastic
that we're going back to free to air. Everyone can
(42:34):
watch it. You know, it's going to be great for
the younger generation to see our players out on court.
But we just need to make sure that they're getting
paid the same and that they don't take a pay cut.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
That's exactly right, and I mean, that's what we don't know.
But in honor of our time, our eighteen years with Sky,
I wore the scarf that I know you can't see it,
but I think Andrew McVeigh helped me choose the scarf.
So anyway, what a ride eighteen years.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
It was jan two thousand and seven. My now eighteen
year old child was a baby at the time when
I was breastfeeding while running and commentating games. And now
fast forward eighteen years and you've got to give it
to Sky. They've done a fantastic job showcasing our sport
and taking it to that next level. And now it's
TVNZ's ten. Well plenty to digest and I'm sure plenty
(43:25):
more news over the coming months as we see netball
in this country move in a new direction. Well that's
it from us. Once again, a big congrats to the
Tactics taking out their first a Z Premiership title and
with it the hearts of all those one eyed Ken
taps so well deserved. The Inside Needty team will be
back in two weeks time as we dissect that fun
squad that is set for announcement on August the eleven.
(43:47):
Until then, Marti Wa
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