Winning all four quarters in their last match of the Synergy Hair Netball League regular season was an ideal dress rehearsal for the Robinhood Comets as they prepare for their campaign’s big dance.
The Comets beat Mainland 58-43 at Christchurch Arena in Christchurch on Sunday and now look ahead to next week’s Grand Final where they meet four-time defending champions Central Manawa.
Coach Michelle Parsons said it was a pleasing performance with her side having already booked their place in the final.
“There were some lovely moments, in fact I think I said ‘pretty’ a couple of times which is rare for me,” she said.
“We wanted to come off today knowing ‘are we proud of our performance’ and ‘did we represent purple as best as we can’ and I think we did both of those.”
“I think defensively we grew into the game much better. That’s something that we probably need to think about heading into next week, is the defence’s ability to adjust to what’s happening a little bit faster.”
Parsons said the team were carrying a couple of “niggles” into the game with MVP Jaelin Tulikaki hampered by a foot injury and Crystal Maro illness.
“That’s probably what I was most proud of, the changes we had to make were forced – not just me trying things – and they worked really well.”
Despite nothing riding on the result, both teams made a solid start with the goals locked at five apiece after five minutes.
The Comets were the first to make a move on the scoreboard but with the presence of Tactix shooter Vika Koloto providing a strong target for Mainland it wasn’t long for the hosts to level the scores again.
The connection at the other end of the court between feeders Paxton Maligi and Tori Kolose with Comets shooter Jaelin Tulikaki built into the game and proved difficult to shut down as the visitors opened a two-goal lead.
Mainland made changes with just over three minutes left in the quarter with Taiana Day sliding across to the wing and Emily Hargreaves replacing her in the shooting circle, while captain Emma Thompson picked up the centre bib – helping to come within one at the break, trailing 15-16.
The Comets again threatened to break the shackles and through the defensive efforts of both Lisa Putt and Lili Tokaduadua pushed out to a five-goal buffer with just under five minutes remaining in the half.
More changes were made by Mainland in a bid to stay within reach of the Comets with Julia Wynands moving into the defensive circle, making a positional switch with Lily Marshall, while Holly Munro teamed up with Wynands as the hosts went into the main break trailing 26-32.
It was a shift in gear from the Comets who made the most of their last outing before next week’s Grand Final – showcasing their links on attack and relentless defensive pressure, led by Putt.
Tulikaki continued to impress with her accuracy in the shooting circle, missing just one attempt in the third quarter and shooting at range.
The Comets also showed plenty of patience on attack waiting for the space to open in the circle, both Kolose and Marcia Jerram, who joined the action after halftime, making sure of their final passes into their shooters.
With a 13-goal buffer, Parson took the opportunity to make further changes on court with Tulikaki taking a well-deserved break on the bench with Maro moving back to shooter and Jerram moving to attack while Teuila Sotutu was injected in the game at centre.
A match-winning lead of 46-34 at the three-quarter mark allowed Parsons to make more personnel changes as the pressure mounted on Mainland to chip into the deficit.