Thunderbirds are go for Magic clash

Aussie coach touts young side as favourites

Adelaide Thunderbirds netball coach Jane Woodlands won't go as far as claiming favouritism for next week's trans-Tasman preliminary final, but she's making confident noises.

Her Thunderbirds side face the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic in the penultimate ANZ Championship match of the season at Hamilton's Mystery Creek on Monday night and Woodlands believes they have what it takes and are peaking at the right time.

"I think the Magic have gone on a steady course of improvement, however, we've been the younger and less experienced side who have a bit of an exponential improvement curve."

She claimed the Magic start and end the season as a team full of experience and said her side could be at an advantage because they had to "grow and learn along the way".

With specific, scientific preparation, Woodlands said her team's testing showed they had done everything right for them to peak at the best part of the season. She also said the longer season may play into the Australian side's hands.

"We're used to this length of season. Plus the Magic have played the bottom half of the table twice pretty much and we've had the top half of the table twice so we've had a grand final for the last eight weeks. The combination of those two things; them not being used to a long season and them having a lot easier draw, whether that's a plus or a minus either way I guess we won't know until after the game, but both teams arrive at this stage of the season in completely different shape and preparation."

The above "advantages", and Woodlands believing her side match up across the court, are enough to think the South Australian considers her side as favourites.

"I wouldn't go as far as calling us favourites, particularly in Hamilton where you have fantastic crowds. But we've been as good on the road as at home this season."

When the two teams met in the competition's opening round, the Magic came away with a 46-42 win, but Woodlands said her side was a different one from the April 7 encounter.

The Magic will be hoping the Thunderbirds continue their long trend of being bridesmaids.

In Australia's domestic competition, the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, the Thunderbirds have finished second or third for the last eight years.

They are in the top three again, but with a very different side since the new transtasman competition cut Australian's 10 sides to just five, Woodlands and her team are hoping to break that trend with two wins over the next 11 days.

- © Fairfax NZ News