The Robinhood Comets have booked their spot in the Synergy Hair Netball League Grand Final on the back of a storming finish over the Northern Marvels.
They won the decisive quarter by a massive 12 goals to secure the match 53-38 at Pulman Arena in Auckland, ensuring they will finish in the top two and meet the defending champion Central Manawa in the season finale in two weeks’ time.
Comets captain Tori Kolose said they delighted to finish strongly and book tickets to the 14 May final in Wellington.
“We’ve worked really hard to make this final, so I’m just really happy the team will be there in a couple of weeks time,” she said.
“Once we tidied up our basics and passed to our own team-mates it worked really well for us. It’s not a hard game netball, you’ve just got to pass to your mate and score your own goals.”
The Comets finished with 11 intercepts to the Marvels four with their defensive efforts – led by Lisa Putt – telling in the fourth quarter, along with the accuracy in the shooting circle from both Crystal Maro and Jaelin Tulikaki proving the difference.
There was just three goals that separated the two teams with one quarter to play, but an eight-goal run mid-way through the spell, put the Comets in the box seat.
Both teams settled into their work early on as they went goal for goal but the defensive efforts from Lili Tokaduadua, who picked up three gains in the opening five minutes, helped the Comets out to a six-goal advantage at the mid-way stage.
They dictated the tempo through court, showing great speed on transition but also the patience with the feed into the circle.
A couple of missed opportunities in the shooting circle however gave the Marvels the chance to narrow the gap, goal shooter Priscilla Rasmussen faultless with her nine attempts at goal as the visitors trailed 12-14 at the first break.
It was more of the same in the second stanza, both teams settling on the resumption of play but this time it was the Marvels to make the first break as they levelled the scores within five minutes of play.
They made one positional change mid-way through the quarter with Summer van Gelder injected a goal attack, to replace Alyssa Jean Savelio, to take some of the pressure of Rasmussen who was taking on the bulk of the shooting load – the Marvels missing Dani Binks who was called into the Mystics for the ANZ Premiership.
But with a finals berth in sight, the Comets worked relentlessly on defence to turn ball over and with Tulikaki netting all but one of her 12 attempts at goal, the hosts went into the halftime break with a 28-22 lead.
They made a number of personnel changes in the third quarter with Maro picking up the shooter bib and Caitlin Dowden coming off the bench to goal attack. At the other end of the court, Putt moved back to keeper and Khanye-Lii Munro-Nanoa slid across to goal defence with Abbie Leger returning to the wing.
The Marvels also changed their line in a bid to close the gap, with Serina Daukamakama picking up the wing attack bib and Charlotte Manley joining Catherine Hall in the defensive circle.
Finding their prolific shooter in Rasmussen proved difficult for the Marvels however as Putt continued to get her hand to ball.
But a late surge from the Marvels, which included a run of seven goals pushed the visitors to within striking distance as they turned into the last spell trailing 32-35.
Meanwhile, in the other SHNL match to be played over the weekend, Mainland upset the finals-bound Manawa in Wellington with a 42-40 victory.