Needing a gritty fourth quarter performance, the Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse have opened their ANZ Premiership campaign with a thrilling one-goal victory over a never-say-die Avis Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.
Playing with flair and precision, the MG Mystics opened their 2023 season with a 64-38 win over the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel in Auckland on Saturday.
Shooting recruit Joyce Mvula presents the new face in an otherwise familiar attack line for defending champions Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse albeit with some positional shuffling for 2023.
With the backdrop of familiarity, Tia Winikerei couldn’t have asked for a better foundation as she ushers in a new era as head coach of the MG Mystics in 2023.
Not many have experienced the unusually high attrition rate ahead of a new season as much as the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel have, but as is their way, adversity could well prove their galvanising factor.