June 6, 2025 • 7 mins
The Southern Steel are looking to redeem themselves after last week’s ANZ Premiership fixture.
They were defeated by the Pulse, falling 45-70 in Invercargill.
Assistant Coach Liana Leota joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to preview the clash.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning, how are you.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I'm good looking forward to another bonds a weekend of sport,
and of course you are as well. I expect your
focus is only in one direction right now, though, and
that is the direction of the Tactics, who are going
to turn up this afternoon and try and steal some
points off you.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, I know they are, definitely, so we know it's
still die. They beat us in round one and we
need some redemption from last week's performance, but also just
to get out there and get that one on the scoreboard.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Do you focus on that? I often have athletes and
coaches on talking about whether they clear the decks or
they actually look back at what happened and try and
get some kind of revenge. I'm not quite sure what
the right path is. I mean, do you know, I.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Think it's a little bit of both. I think when
we play Tactics round one, we had a few niggles
people were on return to play. So now I feel
like we're nearly at full strength, so I know we've
got that in our back pocket, but also last week's
performance we went happy with. I think that's been a
kick in the bump for us, and I think there's
real avengeance to put out a good performance because we
(01:18):
had a sellout crowd last week and we're hoping for
the same today.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
You can't go on with any form of anger. You've
got to go on with information that you've collected. Now
you got down Trout by what was I think fifteen goals, Yeah,
so you got to rewind that, get rid of the rage.
What happened, what went wrong? What can you change?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, I think Pulse really brought it to us, the
physicality from the start. I think we didn't expect it
to be that physical, and probably on hindsight, we should
have done more during the week. But again, I think
they were just out to prove a point. They haven't
they haven't been consistently performing the last couple of weeks
and they really needed to do that and they did
it against us, which, Yeah, we went ready for that,
(01:59):
and I think for us it's given us the right
kickup the bum to be able to put a better
foot forward for this game and make sure we prepare,
cross everything off and make sure we're ready for today.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I don't believe you didn't see it coming. Come on,
it's netball. This is what happens that non contact gentle sport. No,
it's not. And you look at the Australian competition. You
know what's going on, surely.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah, But between New Zealand and Australia and England it's
officiated so differently. So here in New Zealand, I feel
like it's a bit more reserved. We play the game
with space. Our defenders like to play space when war cleanly.
Whereas I thought Pulse and they did their homework, they
played that man to man Aussie style against us and
we just weren't ready for it.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
How much do you take on board coaching this as
it far to carrying blame.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, I think huge responsibility. I focus on the attacking
and Wendy focuses on the d and I really thought
we didn't turn up attacking wise against the Pulse. I
thought we had a really good game plan. Obviously I've
played for the Pulse no some of the structures inside out,
So for me, I felt like we were ready, were
armed with the tools, but we just didn't realize the
(03:12):
physicality that would come with it. And that's hindsight on
me not being back in New Zealand long enough seeing
the Pulse live and it their best.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Careful, don't beat yourself up too much now you're not
going to show yourself some love, show yourself some care.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Please not when you lose that much and you go
in thinking that you've done everything you need. So yeah,
for me, big learning, and we made sure we crossed
off all the tea started the eyes this week to
make sure that we left no stone unturned.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, you're not the only team that got slapped about
last week. Did you check out what the Magic did
to the Stars. This was a strange weekend, wasn't it.
Fat I think even the Tactics managed to win by
quite a lot over the Mystics. I can pull my
memory back that far. It was quite a lot sided weekend.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, I just think it's again that two point game.
How everyone's playing that. But also there's been lots of
injuries people in and out. We're having to use training
partners and replacement players. So I think, Yeah, the teams
you had at the start of pre season aren't the
teams you're now seeing now.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
As far as your injury told, how does that looking
have you lost many bodies since last week? Are you
waiting on the return of some more?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, so we're waiting on Kate Heffernan so to have
a silver firm sitting on the beach just watching. I
think she's ready to come back. But again, she's on
return to play, and I think it's just we've got niggles.
We've had niggles all pre season. With the short preseason
that we've had, so people haven't been able to get
fully fit or fully right. We're just having to wake
(04:51):
up every Monday or Tuesday and attack the week with
whoever we've got. So, yeah, that's been That's been a
hard one to get used to.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You brought it up before. I'll carry on with it's
my favorite subject of recent times in the audience, going
on not again, but this three and a half meter
two points. How's that working for you? Because it's I
suppose currently for all of the players and the coaches,
been quite a hard thing to unpack and apply efficiently.
(05:19):
It is it getting easy to do? Is it getting better?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So this is a hard one for me. I grew
up playing indoor netborn outdoor netball, so with indoor netball,
we were able to shoot the twos or from range
as a mid quarter. So I've got tactics and skills
around that. But then again it goes to what are
the defensive structures doing shooters have been I feel like
for the last ten years worried about their stats and
(05:44):
keeping that range really close to the hope. So we've
lost that those long range feeders, so you're definitely going
to take time for them to go that confidence and
have that courage to turn and shoot. Were lucky enough
in our team we've got three shooters that can shoot,
but again, it's just trying to find that consistency week
after week.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Well, I'd suggest you get a riggle on and do
it for everybody else in the competition. Tactics currently up
the top, and well yourselves, you're tied up, aren't you.
We're with one win for what the steel, the magic
and the stars and then you got that burst above you,
so you better start dragging them back in again, Leona.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, it's such a hard one. I think for us
having that short preseason and having fifty percent of new intake,
I suppose new coaching staff, everything's new to our girls. So yeah,
I don't think you're going to see the fruition of
us till this next round or probably six, seven or eight.
But no, I think there's excitement there. We've got the
(06:46):
team to do it. It's just the consistency of playing
for that whole sixty minutes as every coach always asks
for that consistency.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Absolutely, and if you want excitement, doesn't come much more
than the crowd at the Ilt Stadium in South Now
that is excitement. Four PM, Center Pass still taking on
the tactics. You actually find that on TV and Z
plus Live and it's on Channel two TV and Z
plus Lives. I get a bit last that all this. Hey,
Leani Lotta, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You go well, oh, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
Listen live to News Talk set B on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good morning, how are you.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I'm good looking forward to another bonds a weekend of sport,
and of course you are as well. I expect your
focus is only in one direction right now, though, and
that is the direction of the Tactics, who are going
to turn up this afternoon and try and steal some
points off you.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, I know they are, definitely, so we know it's
still die. They beat us in round one and we
need some redemption from last week's performance, but also just
to get out there and get that one on the scoreboard.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Do you focus on that? I often have athletes and
coaches on talking about whether they clear the decks or
they actually look back at what happened and try and
get some kind of revenge. I'm not quite sure what
the right path is. I mean, do you know, I.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Think it's a little bit of both. I think when
we play Tactics round one, we had a few niggles
people were on return to play. So now I feel
like we're nearly at full strength, so I know we've
got that in our back pocket, but also last week's
performance we went happy with. I think that's been a
kick in the bump for us, and I think there's
real avengeance to put out a good performance because we
(01:18):
had a sellout crowd last week and we're hoping for
the same today.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
You can't go on with any form of anger. You've
got to go on with information that you've collected. Now
you got down Trout by what was I think fifteen goals, Yeah,
so you got to rewind that, get rid of the rage.
What happened, what went wrong? What can you change?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, I think Pulse really brought it to us, the
physicality from the start. I think we didn't expect it
to be that physical, and probably on hindsight, we should
have done more during the week. But again, I think
they were just out to prove a point. They haven't
they haven't been consistently performing the last couple of weeks
and they really needed to do that and they did
it against us, which, Yeah, we went ready for that,
(01:59):
and I think for us it's given us the right
kickup the bum to be able to put a better
foot forward for this game and make sure we prepare,
cross everything off and make sure we're ready for today.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I don't believe you didn't see it coming. Come on,
it's netball. This is what happens that non contact gentle sport. No,
it's not. And you look at the Australian competition. You
know what's going on, surely.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yeah, But between New Zealand and Australia and England it's
officiated so differently. So here in New Zealand, I feel
like it's a bit more reserved. We play the game
with space. Our defenders like to play space when war cleanly.
Whereas I thought Pulse and they did their homework, they
played that man to man Aussie style against us and
we just weren't ready for it.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
How much do you take on board coaching this as
it far to carrying blame.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yeah, I think huge responsibility. I focus on the attacking
and Wendy focuses on the d and I really thought
we didn't turn up attacking wise against the Pulse. I
thought we had a really good game plan. Obviously I've
played for the Pulse no some of the structures inside out,
So for me, I felt like we were ready, were
armed with the tools, but we just didn't realize the
(03:12):
physicality that would come with it. And that's hindsight on
me not being back in New Zealand long enough seeing
the Pulse live and it their best.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Careful, don't beat yourself up too much now you're not
going to show yourself some love, show yourself some care.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Please not when you lose that much and you go
in thinking that you've done everything you need. So yeah,
for me, big learning, and we made sure we crossed
off all the tea started the eyes this week to
make sure that we left no stone unturned.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, you're not the only team that got slapped about
last week. Did you check out what the Magic did
to the Stars. This was a strange weekend, wasn't it.
Fat I think even the Tactics managed to win by
quite a lot over the Mystics. I can pull my
memory back that far. It was quite a lot sided weekend.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, I just think it's again that two point game.
How everyone's playing that. But also there's been lots of
injuries people in and out. We're having to use training
partners and replacement players. So I think, Yeah, the teams
you had at the start of pre season aren't the
teams you're now seeing now.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
As far as your injury told, how does that looking
have you lost many bodies since last week? Are you
waiting on the return of some more?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, so we're waiting on Kate Heffernan so to have
a silver firm sitting on the beach just watching. I
think she's ready to come back. But again, she's on
return to play, and I think it's just we've got niggles.
We've had niggles all pre season. With the short preseason
that we've had, so people haven't been able to get
fully fit or fully right. We're just having to wake
(04:51):
up every Monday or Tuesday and attack the week with
whoever we've got. So, yeah, that's been That's been a
hard one to get used to.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
You brought it up before. I'll carry on with it's
my favorite subject of recent times in the audience, going
on not again, but this three and a half meter
two points. How's that working for you? Because it's I
suppose currently for all of the players and the coaches,
been quite a hard thing to unpack and apply efficiently.
(05:19):
It is it getting easy to do? Is it getting better?
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So this is a hard one for me. I grew
up playing indoor netborn outdoor netball, so with indoor netball,
we were able to shoot the twos or from range
as a mid quarter. So I've got tactics and skills
around that. But then again it goes to what are
the defensive structures doing shooters have been I feel like
for the last ten years worried about their stats and
(05:44):
keeping that range really close to the hope. So we've
lost that those long range feeders, so you're definitely going
to take time for them to go that confidence and
have that courage to turn and shoot. Were lucky enough
in our team we've got three shooters that can shoot,
but again, it's just trying to find that consistency week
after week.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Well, I'd suggest you get a riggle on and do
it for everybody else in the competition. Tactics currently up
the top, and well yourselves, you're tied up, aren't you.
We're with one win for what the steel, the magic
and the stars and then you got that burst above you,
so you better start dragging them back in again, Leona.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, it's such a hard one. I think for us
having that short preseason and having fifty percent of new intake,
I suppose new coaching staff, everything's new to our girls. So yeah,
I don't think you're going to see the fruition of
us till this next round or probably six, seven or eight.
But no, I think there's excitement there. We've got the
(06:46):
team to do it. It's just the consistency of playing
for that whole sixty minutes as every coach always asks
for that consistency.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Absolutely, and if you want excitement, doesn't come much more
than the crowd at the Ilt Stadium in South Now
that is excitement. Four PM, Center Pass still taking on
the tactics. You actually find that on TV and Z
plus Live and it's on Channel two TV and Z
plus Lives. I get a bit last that all this. Hey,
Leani Lotta, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
You go well, oh, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
Listen live to News Talk set B on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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