The battle between Grace Nweke (left) and Kelly Jackson should be pivotal. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Analysis - With goal margins of 18 and 19 in the last two grand-finals of New Zealand's domestic netball competition, the sport could do with a cliff-hanger.
Last year's ANZ Premiership grand final finished with a whimper, when the Mystics beat the Stars 74-56 in the neutral venue of Hamilton.
* RNZ will live blog the final Sunday afternoon online.
In 2022 the biggest winning margin in seven ANZ Premiership grand finals was witnessed when the Pulse walloped the Stars by 19 goals in Wellington 56-37.
Netball New Zealand will be hoping the final between the Mystics and Pulse in Wellington on Sunday can deliver more in what is the sport's showpiece domestic event, at a time when netball is competing for eyeballs with other codes.
The New Zealand competition also inevitably gets compared to the Australian SSN league, which will have its grand final tonight. Just one goal was the difference in last weekend's preliminary final across the ditch.
The SSN finals series was off the chain last year, with the last three games of the season having score margins of just one and two goals.
Pulse co-captain Kelly Jackson believes the two sides are well matched.
"Absolutely and I think on the night anyone's going to be able to take it. We've got great match-ups right across the court, you know myself and Grace [Nweke], and Tiana [Metuarau] and Phoenix [Karaka] and both teams have got really experienced international players and have also had finals experience so it's going to be a really exciting battle," Jackson said.
The Pulse after winning their third title in 2022. Photo:
The Pulse have two players, who have been part of their three ANZ Premiership title teams in 2019, 2020 and 2022: Tiana Metuarau and Maddy Gordon.
The Mystics have five players, who have been part of both previous title victories in 2021 and 2023: Grace Nweke, Peta Toeava, Tayla Earle, Filda Vui and Phoenix Karaka.
The Mystics probably go in as favourites but home advantage could play a significant role for the Pulse. In seven home matches this season the Pulse have lost just three quarters.
When the teams last met last in round 14 the Mystics claimed a 68-58 win in Auckland but Mystics coach Tia Winikerei said finals netball was a completely different beast and did not expect anything less than a tight game.
"They'll have the home advantage, they've had the break and the prep time leading into the finals and they've got a very very strong team across the board so we're under no illusions that this game won't be heavily fought and tightly battled out for the whole 60 minutes," Winikerei said.
The Mystics defeated the Tactix 68-64 in the elimination final last week to book their spot in the final and Winikerei was pleased with how her side dealt with everything the Tactix threw at them.
"One of the things that I noticed particularly in the fourth quarter ... our team has got a lot of experience of finals and playing under pressure and I saw everybody go out and do their jobs very well and in the moments that really mattered.
"I think when you're playing finals netball you rely on the individuals in each team to do their jobs to the best of their ability in the critical moments and that's what I saw in the Tactix game. So I would expect to see that under pressure and we will be under a lot of pressure on Sunday from those players, particularly who have experienced that multiple times."
Carys Stythe and Amelia Walmsley, Mystics v Pulse. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
If the Mystics can go back-to-back for the first time in their history, they will also equal the Pulse's record of three domestic netball titles.
Jackson is preparing for her third grand final with the Pulse.
"I think because you know what the feeling is like to win and whenever you win you just want to win more so I definitely want to get that feeling back. That win in 2022 was an awesome night and just such an incredible game and feeling to take that season out so yeah we just want to do it all over again," Jackson said.
The Pulse have the best defensive record in the competition, while the Mystics are the most dangerous on attack.
Nweke shot 60/70 at 86 percent against the Tactix in the Elimination Final - the highest individual score this season and the fourth time Nweke has shot 50 or more goals in 2024.
Nweke was sidelined for a chunk of the season due to injury, which meant Jackson only came up against the Silver Ferns shooter in the third round when Nweke got the upper hand.
The Mystics are looking to go back to back. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
"I love the challenge against Grace, I also love seeing the match up between Peta and Fa'amu [Ioane] ...just really looking forward to the big battle. I know there's going to be lots of eyes on us and seeing who will come out on top, fingers crossed the Pulse will."
Jackson said assistant coach Kim Howard, who joined the Pulse this season, had been invaluable as a specialist defensive coach.
"She's been incredible, great netball knowledge, she came from Australia and spent some time working at the Sunshine Coast Lightning so also brings that kind of Australian vibe, even though she is originally from the central zone but she's got some great ideas, and just always pushing us to be better."
The Pulse also have the benefit of tapping into the knowledge of former Silver Ferns coach Wai Taumaunu, another defensive guru.
"When we put all our brains together we can work through things and Wai is obviously very wise and knows her netball so you always walk away feeling like you've got the right answer."
Jackson knows if the Pulse lose focus for just one minute, the Mystics will punish them.
"Defensively we want to really showcase some suffocating defence, we can't let them have one easy pass because they can just bullet it into Grace and once you give them space they run with it so really shutting that down and slowing the ball down."
Hopefully the Pulse can do just that and fans get the down-to-the wire grand final they yearn and a game they can remember for years to come.
