Fever pitched out in Magic show (+pics)

In one quarter of netball, the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic showed their slow start to the season was simply a blip on the radar and they have not been over-rated.

In their first visit to Mystery Creek Events Centre, the Magic cleaned up the West Coast Fever 61-47 on Saturday and finally gave their supporters the show they've been waiting for.

After two so-so wins and a poor performance in their loss last week in Australia, the Magic needed a strong showing and they delivered.

A defensively dominating second quarter, where the Magic picked off nearly every attacking play the Fever tried, changed the game completely and stretched the lead from three to 12.

Coach Noeline Taurua was still reluctant to use her bench and while opting for a change in defence, chose to swap Jodi Tod and Joline Henry instead of using reserve defender Rachel Beale.

Defensively the Magic have been mediocre all season. The terrible twosome of Henry and Casey Williams have done okay, but have been far from their best and weren't dominating oppositions.

The personnel swap worked. Williams giving away height to Caitlin Bassett picked up seven intercepts as did Henry and the Fever had no answers.

Taurua said moving Henry was to help the attack and her plan received the pass mark after the Magic reached their highest score of the season and the second top of the competition.

"When I looked at last week's games, I noticed all the games are defensively dominated. All the pressure is going to be put on the attack so in regards to that Jodi (Tod) went home to her goal defence position and all it was was moving Jols (Henry) to the middle to provide more attacking support through the midcourt," Taurua said.

Twelve goals up with a quarter to go, Taurua opted not to give her bench a run four of whom haven't played in four hours instead choosing to finish strongly and carry momentum into the coming weeks.

Taurua said it was more important to win well, but said Beale, Nic Pettit, Keshia Grant, Halana Leith and Brigette Tapene were unlikely to see any action this week against the struggling Central Pulse either.

"We haven't properly carved out our own way in the competition and set our foundations. I think I would like for us next week to have another performance that is better than this week then maybe after then if the option is open, but it wasn't the time and place this week," she said.

Taurua continues to say those bench players will be important later in the four-month season, but if they are called in as injury replacements, the fact they've had no court time could be a telling factor.

One player lucky to escape injury was shooter Irene van Dyk.

One of the biggest cheers of the game came when van Dyk had enough of being pushed around by Fever keeper Susan Fuhrmann, and gave her some of her own medicine.

Fuhrmann, obviously frustrated her teammates couldn't support her efforts, took to the physical game, but van Dyk's experience and the nous of Maria Tutaia to stay wide countered anything the West Australian tried. Fever coach Sue Gaudion said she felt her team were just as strong as the Magic, but their failure to do the basics well ended any chance of the game being a competitive match.

In the other two weekend games, the Queensland Firebirds served up the Northern Mystics' fourth loss of the season, beating them 46-40, and the Adelaide Thunderbirds comfortably beat the Southern Steel 54-41.

The Canterbury Tactix play the Melbourne Vixens and the New South Wales Swifts host the Central Pulse tonight.

Quarter scores: 17-14, 33-21, 48-36, 61-47. Shooting statistics: Magic: Irene van Dyk 35/37 95 per cent, Maria Tutaia 26/33 79 per cent. Fever: Caitlin Bassett 35/38 92 per cent, Nikala Smith 4/5 80 per cent, Bianca Franklin 8/10 80 per cent.

- © Fairfax NZ News