ANZ Championship: Round 13 preview

With just two rounds remaining until the 2010 Finals Series, prepare for some seriously hot ANZ Championship action this weekend!

While the NSW Swifts locked away the Minor Premiership with their stunning win over the First Windows Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic last week, there are still several teams desperately fighting for a place in the final four.

Official statisticians Champion Data have run a special simulator to come up with their predictions for the top four, however the Firebirds, Thunderbirds, Steel, WBOP Magic and Mystics will be putting everything on the line as they attempt to defy the odds and secure those precious Championship and percentage points over the final two home and away rounds.

In the match of the round, the LG Mystics host the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in Auckland on Monday night. The Steel leapt to third position after their emphatic win over the Mercury Energy Tactix last week, but they face the ultimate challenge in Round 14 when they meet the superb Swifts in Sydney in Round 14. This could well be the match which decides the fate of the New Zealand contingent for the 2010 ANZ Championship.

You can catch every minute of the ANZ Championship action on Network Ten (TEN and ONE) in Australia and SKY Sport in New Zealand – check your local programming guide for details.

Saturday 12 June Haier Pulse v First Windows Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
2.20pm, Pettigrew Green Arena, Napier

Melbourne Vixens v NSW Swifts
2.20pm, Hisense Arena, Melbourne

Sunday 13 June Adelaide Thunderbirds v West Coast Fever
2.20pm, ETSA Park, Adelaide

Monday 14 June LG Mystics v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
7.20pm, The Trusts Stadium Arena, Auckland

Queensland Firebirds v Mercury Energy Tactix
7.05pm, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane

* All times shown are local times

LIVE SCORING – click here for live scoring – every game, every goal, LIVE!


Haier Pulse v First Windows Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
The Magic have won all five previous meetings between the sides.
When the sides last met the WBOP Magic defeated the Pulse 56-44 (Round 8 in Rotorua); that was the highest score the Pulse have met in any previous encounter with the Magic.
The Magic is just one win away from equalling its longest ANZ Championship losing run of four matches. They lost their Round 14 match last season, both Finals matches and Round 1 this season.
The Pulse is coming off an impressive but unsuccessful match against the Firebirds in Round 12. The Pulse led 13-8 at quarter time and trailed by just three goals at three quarter time before going down 42-52.
The Magic has the second best shooting accuracy in the ANZ Championship after Round 12, with a season average of 86.5%.
The Pulse recorded their first ever ANZ Championship victory in Round 13 last year, when they defeated the Swifts 53-52 in Porirua.
This is the second ever ANZ Championship match that will be played at the Pettigrew Green Arena in Napier. The Pulse played the Thunderbirds there in 2008, losing 32-44.
The Pulse has had the lowest number of attempts at goal than any other ANZ Championship team. They have had 630 shots at goal, 29 less than the next lowest, the Tactix with 659.
Magic shooter Jodi Brown is 23 goals away from scoring her 800th ANZ Championship goal, while Pulse shooter Paula Griffin is 22 goals away from scoring her 800th ANZ Championship goal.
Magic star Irene van Dyk is the most accurate shooter in the ANZ Championship after Round 12, with 360 goals at 94% accuracy. Van Dyk has missed just 23 shots at goal all season, which equates to an average of just 2.1 misses per match. She holds the all time ANZ Championship accuracy record with a career record of 1352 goals at 93.4%, missing just 96 goals in her entire ANZ Championship career. Van Dyk has shot 63% of the entire Magic goals this season.
England international Jade Clarke made her ANZ Championship debut for the Magic in Round 12. Clarke replaces injured former Australian international, Peta Scholz.


Melbourne Vixens v NSW Swifts
· Minor Premiers, the NSW Swifts will be looking to win their 12th consecutive match, an ANZ Championship record, when they head south to take on reigning premiers the Melbourne Vixens this weekend.

· Meanwhile, the Vixens are on their worst losing streak in ANZ Championship history, after suffering their sixth consecutive loss to the Thunderbirds at last week’s sell-out match at Hisense Arena.

· This will be the sixth time the two sides have met, with the current record Vixens three to the Swifts two. The Swifts will certainly be looking to balance the score as they attempt to go through the entire season undefeated.

· Swifts captain Catherine Cox will be celebrating her 200th national league game.

· Sonia Mkoloma sits third in the stats for intercepts, while team-mate Rebecca Bulley is ninth.

· In their must-win clash against the Thunderbirds last week, the Vixens introduced rookies Tegan Caldwell at goal attach and Kara Richards at goal defence; both are playing their first ANZ Championship season.


Adelaide Thunderbirds v West Coast Fever
· The Thunderbirds are flying. They have won their last five games and sit one game clear in second spot on the ladder. The Fever sit eighth on the ladder and had their last win in Round 11 against the Haier Pulse in Perth.

· This match will surely be a high-scoring affair with the league’s two highest goal scorers at opposite ends of the court. Thunderbird Carla Borrego leads the competition with 429 goals while Fever’s Caitlin Bassett is close behind on 417.

· With the Thunderbirds defensive combination of Geva Mentor and Mo’onia Gerrard in fine form, Fever goal attack Leah Shoard will have to make sure she is contributing to Bassett’s total.

· The Thunderbirds will need to win their last two remaining matches to guarantee a second-place finish – which gives them the valuable double chance in the Finals Series.

· The Thunderbirds centre Natalie von Bertouch and wing defence Sharni Layton will be out to shut down dominant Fever centre court Madison Browne to ensure there are no easy balls going into the Fever shooters.

· The Fever have never beaten the Thunderbirds and in front of a packed and parochial ETSA Park crowd, they will have their work cut out to break-through against the Adelaide side this weekend.


LG Mystics v Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel
When the sides last met the Mystics defeated the Steel 52-49 (Round 8 in Invercargill).
The sides have met five times with the Mystics winning three and the Steel two.
The Mystics are the first side to have defeated the Steel twice in the deep-south. The Mystics defeated the Steel in Invercargill in 2008 and then backed that up with their win in Round 8 this season.
The Mystics recorded their sixth win of the 2010 season when they defeated the Fever 62-53 in Round 12. This is the Mystics’ best return in any ANZ Championship season; they won five games in 2008 and just three last season.
The Mystics have the best shooting accuracy in the ANZ Championship after Round 12. They are converting at 86.7% accuracy, sitting just above the Magic’s return of 86.5%.
Mystics star Cathrine Latu continued her sensational 2010 form in Round 12 with 40 goals from 41 attempts at 98%. Latu has shot 60% of the entire Mystics goals this season, at a remarkable 91.8% accuracy.
The Mystics have the seventh best defensive record in the ANZ Championship, conceding 55 goals per match.
The Steel have the third best defensive record, conceding 45.36 goals per match. The Swifts have the best record (44.18) and the Thunderbirds the second best (44.18).
The Steel has the seventh best attacking record, scoring an average of 50.55 goals per match.
The Steel has the third best shooting accuracy in the ANZ Championship, with a season return of 83%.
Steel captain Megan Dehn is three goals away from scoring her 400th ANZ Championship goal.

Queensland Firebirds v Mercury Energy Tactix
· The Firebirds continue to storm home towards a place in the final four, while the Tactix remain at the bottom of the ladder with just one win this season.

· The Firebirds will be looking to score as many goals as possible in order to boost their percentage; having missed out on the Finals based on their percentage in both seasons 2008 and 2009.

· These sides have met twice previously, with one win apiece.

· The last time they met was in Round 11, 2009, with the Tactix winning 53-46 in Christchurch.

· Firebirds captain Lauren Nourse leads the competition for goal assists, sitting on 152, while the Tactix’ Maree Bowden is third with 144.

· While Romelda Aiken sits third in the stats for goals attempted (427), she is just outside the top ten for accuracy, sitting 11th with 81.3%.

· Tactix shooters Anna Thompson and Ellen Halpenny sit on 79.9% and 72.2% accuracy respectively.