Two South Island and two North Island teams will clash in the semi-finals of the Netball New Zealand U18 Champs following two rounds of post-pool play at the Waitākere Netball Centre in Auckland on Wednesday.
The semi-finals will take place tomorrow (Thursday) morning ahead of the 2.10pm final, with Christchurch Red squaring off against Dunedin, and Waitākere 1 up against Wellington Black. As a result, a North Island versus South Island final is guaranteed.
Of the eight unbeaten teams heading into today’s play, Howick Pakuranga had their hopes dashed when falling 32-27 to Hutt Valley. In the crunch afternoon games, Christchurch Red knocked out defending champions Auckland’s chances of successive titles with a 30-25 win.
Waitākere 1 got past Hamilton City A 36-31, Wellington Black delivered a tense 28-27 win over North Harbour A, and Dunedin accounted for the morning’s giant-killers Hutt Valley 42-9.
"The standard of play has been amazing and I think tomorrow’s semi-finals are going to be good battles," Netball New Zealand Programs Manager Nicky Cattermoul said.
"It’s been pretty intense and we’ve seen some real physical battles out on court but there’s also been some lovely skills. And, in the men’s division there have been some amazing skills and fantastic games to watch."
With teams having a mix of school players and those who have just left college, Cattermoul has enjoyed being able to get a gauge on those who are still in the frame for New Zealand Secondary Schools (NZSS) squad selection.
With NZSS Head Coach Jo Morrison and the NNZ Emerging Talent Panel selectors present throughout the tournament, "It’s been great just to be able to track those players who have been identified from the national development camp and invited players camp to see how they’re coming along in a different environment. But also to see new players raise their hands for potential selection," she said.
"It’s quite a short campaign for these players and they’re engaging with a different group, so it’s not the same as their school team and is a good challenge for some of them."
Jo Morrison and the Emerging Talent Panel will get to observe players again when they go on to play in their regional secondary school tournaments in September before the NZSS squad is selected.
The young players have faced a hectic schedule of two games a day and Cattermoul is pleased with what she’s seen from the game management side.
"It has highlighted just how important it is to have depth on the bench," she said. "Coaches have been managing the load really well and teams have been using the interchange rule well."
The freshness of players is likely to play an important role in the final day’s play-off matches.
"It is a big few days for some of these girls, who may not be used to the physicality, but also having a couple of games a day, so it’s been a good challenge for the coaches, as well."
Defending champions Waitākere 1 continued their strong form, remaining unbeaten after polishing off Kerikeri 40-16 to advance to the men’s final, which will be played at 12.00pm tomorrow.
Coming into today’s play with one loss, Howick Pakuranga delivered when it counted to upset the previously unbeaten Dannevirke and earn their spot in the all-Auckland final.