Pulse Re-Set For Big Clash

A quick bounce-back is front and centre for Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse when they square off against the table-topping Tactix in a key ANZ Premiership netball league match-up in Christchurch on Sunday.

Effectively dismantled to the tune of 13 goals in their most recent outing by the Mystics, the Pulse have slipped to third in the pecking order and with time marching on, the importance of the trip to Christchurch cannot be under-stated.

With just the one loss, the Tactix have been bubbling along nicely to set the pace in the first half of the season, the pressure now on all teams to rise a notch or two with five rounds remaining in the race to the Finals Series (top three teams).

``In the whole scheme of our season this game is really important,’’ Pulse coach Anna Andrews-Tasola said. ``Every game’s a must-win for us and we haven’t played them yet, so we’re going there with fresh eyes and making sure that we’re ready to compete.

``They’re (Tactix) doing a really good job, sitting top of the table at the moment and they’ve earnt that, so it’s a really important one for us. They’re going to bring their best game as well at home, so it’s vital that we go out there and do the hard work towards winning.’’

Failing to respond to what the Mystics threw at them left the Pulse in damage control mode, always chasing the game and disjointed. With a perfect 38 from 38, shooter Amelia Walmsley showed what she can do with ball in hand for the Pulse but lacked the consistent volume needed to make a decent dent.

At the defensive end, the Pulse struggled to tame a slick and fluid Mystics attack line and paid the price.

``Full credit to the Mystics, they really brough it to us and we were really disappointed with our performance and the way that we showed up,’’ Andrews-Tasola said.

``We’re all very disappointed, especially in front of an amazing sold-out home crowd to play the way we did. But Mystics put us in that situation and highlighted some gaps for us and we’ve been working hard to address those this week.

``We all just got disconnected in that game. They played an aggressive but skilful game, competed really hard and we didn’t respond quick enough.

``We didn’t get the strong start we’ve enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. They targeted that factor as well, so we need to make sure we respond to those situations a lot quicker. We responded in the second half but by then the score had already blown out.’’

Prior to the Mystics, the Pulse had enjoyed profitable returns from scoring off their own possession and applying strong defensive pressure throughout the court, the focus now being a quick return to that way of play.

Tweaks and attitude as opposed to a massive dissection of the game plan remain at the forefront.

``We’ve had a look at everything and it was really important we executed what we had planned to do and stuck to that,’’ Andrews-Tasola said. ``So, it’s really important that we are disciplined with that and stay connected. Staying connected is what we want to make sure we bring this week, as units and as a team.

``It’s a big game for both teams. Over the last couple of years we’ve had some close games with the Tactix so we’re looking forward to making this a competitive spectacle.’’

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