One form player can make a world of difference

OPINION: How much difference can one player make on the netball court? Just ask the Waikato-BOP Magic or the NSW Swifts.

One team's finals hopes are slipping away after the loss of one of their starting seven while the other's march to next month's ANZ Championship grand final looks unstoppable thanks to the inclusion of one international defender.

The Magic's one-goal loss to the Queensland Firebirds this week highlighted just how much they are missing the services of former Australian defender Peta Scholz.

The wing defence was forced off court with a season-ending knee injury last month and seemingly took with her the Magic's chances of making the final. On the other side of the Tasman, the Swifts' fortunes have dramatically changed – their pendulum taking major swings in the three seasons of trans-Tasman netball from inaugural winners to ninth-placed last year and now in the box seat to grab a second title.

The difference, on paper at least, between the capitulation last season and their unbeaten run this year has been the inclusion of English defender Sonia Mkoloma – although they can certainly look to more impact from players like Rebecca Bulley and Kimberlee Green in helping their resurgence.

It is hard to see them missing out on a grand final spot but who they meet remains a mystery with the Firebirds, Adelaide Thunderbirds and Magic the strongest contenders to challenge the Swifts for the spoils.

But the Magic need to get their defensive mix right and time has probably run out if they are looking outside their squad to fill the spot left vacant by Scholz.

Most of their problems against the Firebirds, however, came from their forward line – although it was Scholz's ability to bring the ball through court on attack which proved a valuable missing cog for the Magic's attack end.

The defending champion Melbourne Vixens' side also know only too well the difference one player can make, their unravelling season starting its decline when centre Natasha Chokljat injured herself.

Her departure only opened up more cracks in the Vixens armour with shooter Caitlin Thwaites' confidence and form taking a big hit after reported disciplinary action and defender Julie Corletto also out of the mix through injury.

For the Tactix it is more a case of how much difference two people could have made to their campaign and management must have been envious of the position of their latest rivals, the Thunderbirds, who boasted two import players in their 58-34 win over the Christchurch-based team last weekend.

How would the Tactix have travelled if their first import, Peta Stephens, had not been injured and they had been granted a second in English shooter Jo Harten?

And where would the Thunderbirds be sitting on the points table if they had to choose between fielding England's Geva Mentor or Jamaica's Carla Borrego?

Of course the Central Pulse have already proven that two imports does not necessarily equate to success – the numbers game making a difference to some sides dependent largely on the quality of those numbers.

- © Fairfax NZ News