Wellington A Black crowned Netball NZ U17 Champs

Wellington A Black crowned Netball NZ U17 Champs

Thursday 19
MEDIA UPDATE

Wellington Black A has netted a third straight Netball NZ U17 Champs crown in commanding form, delighting coach Dion Te Whetu.

They overcame a slow start to beat Auckland 1 41-29 at Vautier Park in Palmerston North on Thursday in what was the fourth straight year the two teams had met in the age-group Grand Final.

“I’m just so proud of the girls,” Te Whetu said after the final whistles. “We’ve got a new mid-court this year and while we had a few people back from last year, it was a different approach for this campaign.”

But they needed to absorb early pressure from Auckland before dominating in the second half to secure their third successive title.

“We were down in the first quarter but the girls didn’t panic,” Te Whetu said. “They kept the top two inches which is what we had talked about.

“We knew Auckland would come out hard, they’re a big physical side, so it was really pleasing to see that our team stuck to the game plan and kept building.”

Auckland made the early play for the Anna Rowberry Cup as they scored quickly from the first centre pass and a turnover gave them a 2-0 lead.

They looked the more composed team in the first spell and held a slender 11-8 advantage at quarter time.

But Wellington returned with intent in the second stanza as they levelled the scores at 13-13 mid-way through the quarter and a late turnover saw them take a one-goal lead at the main break.

They were bookended with impressive performances from Beko Netball League players Saviour Tui, at goal shooter, and Paris Lokotui, at goal keeper.

But it was their work as a unit, on both attack and defence, which saw Wellington jump out to a 23-18 lead as Auckland struggled to settle through the middle after a number of changes were made.

The defending champions led 28-23 going into the fourth quarter and with a commanding lead, Te Whetu turned to his bench in the late stages of the game, as they clinched the crown with a 12-goal win.

Auckland coach April Ieremia said she was proud of the performance of her team throughout the four days and in particular the Grand Final.

“The courage and the tenacity that they put out there today just warmed my heart,” she said. “I was really proud of the way the girls represented Auckland on the court and extremely proud of the way they got to the final, but it wasn’t our day.”

Wellington was primed for a tough Grand Final having pipped Howick Pakuranga 28-27 in a thrilling semi-final earlier in the day, while Auckland 1 had beaten Manawatu 54-30 to reach the last two.

Te Whetu, and assistant coach Irene van Dyk, had been pleased with how their squad had improved as the tournament progressed.

“We didn’t start our campaign well and we’ve just built and built and built which has been one of the most pleasing aspects for Irene and I,” he said.

“Now as coaches, we just want to see where this group of girls go on from here.”

Meanwhile, the play-off for third and fourth spot was won by Howick Pakuranga who beat Manawatu 49-25. Auckland 2 rounded out the top five with a 42-32 win over Waitakere 1.

Ends.

Final Placings
1st Wellington A Black 22nd Coastlands Kapiti
2nd Auckland 1 23rd Pukekohe
3rd Howick Pakuranga 24th Whangarei
4th Manawatu 25th Wellington B Gold
5th Auckland 2 26th North Harbour 2
6th Waitakere 1 27th Civil Quarries Taranaki B
7th Whanganui 28th Selwyn
8th Withers Coachlines Taranaki A 29th Nga Awa Hou
9th Hawke's Bay Black 30th Waitakere 2
10th Trust Waikato Hamilton City A 31st South Canterbury
11th Dunedin 32nd Marlborough
12th North Otago 33rd Eastern Southland
13th Eastern Waikato 34th Trust Waikato Hamilton City B
14th Eastern Bay of Plenty 35th Gisborne
15th North Harbour 1 36th Invercargill
16th Thames Valley 37th Mid Canterbury
17th Christchurch 38th Kapi Mana
18th North Canterbury 39th Nelson
19th Harbourside 40th Horowhenua
20th Mangere Otahuhu 41st Rotorua
21st Hutt Valley A Gold 42nd Hutt Valley B Green

Day 4 Results
Whangarei 24 v 28 Coastlands Kapiti
Hutt Valley A Gold 36 v 29 Pukekohe
North Harbour 2 40 v 27 Civil Quarries Taranaki B
Wellington B Gold 40 v 21 Selwyn
Waitakere 2 30 v 24 Marlborough
Nga Awa Hou 43 v 25 South Canterbury

Mangere Otahuhu 39 v 44 North Canterbury
Harbourside 29 v 33 Christchurch
North Otago 27 v 35 Hawke's Bay Black
Trust Waikato Hamilton City A 25 v 23 Dunedin
North Harbour 1 42 v 43 Eastern Waikato
Eastern Bay of Plenty 40 v 35 Thames Valley

Wellington A Black 28 v 27 Howick Pakuranga
Auckland 1 54 v 30 Manawatu
Auckland 2 36 v 29 Whanganui
Waitakere 1 37 v 30 Withers Coachlines Taranaki A
Eastern Southland 39 v 32 Gisborne
Rotorua 25 v 22 Hutt Valley B Green

Coastlands Kapiti 27 v 39 Hutt Valley A Gold
Whangarei 30 v 34 Pukekohe
North Harbour 2 33 v 37 Wellington B Gold
Civil Quarries Taranaki B 35 v 34 Selwyn
Nelson 31 v 25 Horowhenua
Kapi Mana 27 v 32 Mid Canterbury

Eastern Waikato 46 v 30 Eastern Bay of Plenty
North Harbour 1 45 v 23 Thames Valley
North Canterbury 22 v 29 Christchurch
Mangere Otahuhu 32 v 49 Harbourside
Waitakere 2 29 v 31 Nga Awa Hou
Marlborough 31 v 32 South Canterbury

Howick Pakuranga 49 v 25 Manawatu
Auckland 2 42 v 32 Waitakere 1
Whanganui 33 v 32 Withers Coachlines Taranaki A
Hawke's Bay Black 35 v 29 Trust Waikato Hamilton City A
North Otago 21 v 31 Dunedin
Invercargill 21 v 33 Gisborne
Trust Waikato Hamilton City B 34 v 35 Eastern Southland

Wellington A Black 41 v 29 Auckland 1

Tournament Team:
Madison Awahou Manawatu
Boston Falaniko Taranaki A
Maddie Feaunati Wellington A Black
Rochelle Fourie Manawatu
Vika Koloto Auckland 1
Paris Lokotui Wellington A Black
Parris Mason Taranaki A
Killarney Morey Auckland 1
Anahia Noble Hamilton City A
Charity Polu Wellington A Black
Lisa Putt Howick Pakuranga
Manaia Rapana Hamilton City A
Teuila Sotutu Howick Pakuranga
Meg Sycamore Dunedin
Katie Te Ao Auckland 1
Saviour Tui Wellington A Black
Nanise Waqaira Howick Pakuranga
Khiarna Williams Eastern Bay of Plenty

Digital Programme: here
Netball NZ U17 Champs website: here
For live score updates please visit Netball New Zealand's social media channels.

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