Mojo Pulse Prepped to Step Up Against Firebirds   5 Mar 2015

Mojo Pulse Prepped to Step Up Against Firebirds

Media Release
5 March 2015

Well off the boil first-up, the Mojo Pulse strike another tricky obstacle in an equally desperate Queensland Firebirds in second round ANZ Championship netball action in Porirua on Sunday.

Playing their first competition game away in Australia, the Pulse had a horror start to their campaign when comprehensively outplayed 64-40 by defending champions the Melbourne Vixens.

The early season draw has done few favours for the Pulse, who faced the prospect of squaring off against last year’s finalists in the first two weeks of the 2015 edition. They did not fare well against the Vixens and are intent on rebounding against the Firebirds who were sent packing by a rejuvenated West Coast Fever last week.

“This is a challenge for us and we don’t want to perform like that again,” Pulse coach Robyn Broughton said of last week’s efforts. “We’ve got to get above it. There was a hump in the road that stopped us last week and now we’ve just got to get on with it.

“Everyone has stayed very positive and they’ve been back training well this week. It’s often a fine line between winning and losing at this level and the finer detail plays such an important role.”

Broughton was reasonably happy with the team’s defensive efforts last week but execution through the attacking end with a cleaner delivery to the shooters will be a prime focus against the Firebirds.

Having beaten the Vixens twice in the pre-season, the Pulse learnt a valuable lesson when it came to the season proper and just how important it is to have the right mindset.

“The players beat themselves up a bit because we just didn’t perform to our best and there’s nothing more frustrating for players of that ilk, so they’ll be looking to come out with a fresh look,” Broughton said.

“It’s a very competitive start to the competition for us this year and there’s no time to ease your way into it, you have to hit the ground running.

“They’re hurting and when you’re playing at that level and you’re coaching at that level, we’re all hurting. It’s an awful feeling because we just didn’t perform to what we’re capable of and now we have to go out there and fix it up.

“We’ve got to play with momentum and intensity throughout, you can’t just pick and choose.”

With their forgettable opener out of the way but not completely erased from the memory banks, Broughton has every faith her players can delivery a far improved and more productive outing in front of the home faithful.

With potent defenders Laura Geitz, Clare McMeniman and Rebecca Bulley in the opposition mix, Brought is expecting another physical outing against the Firebirds. At the other end of the court they have the league’s most prolific shooter in Romelda Aiken and a team also hell bent on securing their first win of the season.

“Our game plan’s fine, it just has to be executed,’’ Broughton said. “Our timing was out and we looked tired and flat when we shouldn’t have last week.

“A lot of this is mental but they’re all professional players, most have been a round a long time and that shouldn’t really knock you back.”

New recruit Ameliaranne Wells had a tough first outing for the Pulse but Broughton is expecting the former Firebird to rise to the occasion against her old team.

The Mojo Pulse play their first home game this Sunday 8 March against ANZ Championship competition runners-up, the Queensland Firebirds. The game takes place at Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena. Centre pass is 7.10pm. Tickets for this game can be purchased from Ticketdirect at www.ticketdirect.co.nz or by calling 0800 224 224.

Follow @PulseNetball on twitter and Instagram for regular score updates and ‘like’ facebook/NetballPulse to keep up to date with all things Mojo Pulse.

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