Surviving a late scare, Wait膩kere 1 celebrated a second straight 91色情片 U18 Champs title after shading Wellington Black 37-35 in the final at the Ng膩 Puna Wai sports hub in Christchurch on Thursday.
After a measured first half where Wellington Black held a slim one-goal lead (9-8) at the first break, the roles were reversed in the second quarter, which finished with a 20-19 lead to Wait膩kere 1 before momentum swung wildly in the second half of the clash between the top two sides.
Piling on the pressure, Wait膩kere 1 delivered a forceful third stanza, keeping Wellington scoreless for over five minutes and restricting them to just two goals overall while scoring 10 of their own, to turn the game in the defending champions' favour when leading 30-21 at the last break.
Not to be outdone, Wellington Black provided a storming finish to outscore their rivals 8-1 in the closing minutes of the final stanza while eating into the deficit. In the end, time ran out for Wellington's gallant revival as Wait膩kere 1 became the first team to win the Margaret Forsyth Cup in back-to-back years.
In an exciting showcase, the emerging young talent gave every evidence that netball is in good heart through their skillsets and athletic endeavours during an entertaining finale.
"It's super exciting for this playing group," Wait膩kere 1 coach Di Pakau said.
"We had five returning from last year and we've got a whole group of newbies and I'm just really proud of their effort and their growth, not only this week, but from the eight weeks, 10 weeks ago when we started.
"And two (titles) in a row... we've been in three finals in a row, first time (finished second) was bittersweet, last year at home (winning) was really special, but to do it again on the road in the deep south in Christchurch with this particular playing group is super special. I still don't actually have the right words.
"I'm blessed I was able to put 12 players out right up until the semifinals and I can't go past both ends. We've been shooting in the high 90 percent all week and defensively we've been turning the ball over quite successfully. I'd say our shooters and our defence units were outstanding this whole week."
Earlier in the day, Wait膩kere 1 and Wellington Black enjoyed comfortable wins to progress to the final. Wait膩kere 1 ended the gallant run of Manawat奴 46-34 while Wellington Black prevailed 44-33 over Dunedin.
However, Manawat奴 ended their tournament on a high with a tight 45-43 win over Dunedin to cement third place and their highest-ever finish at the event. A late surge gave Manawat奴 a 13-9 lead at the first break, but the outcome remained on a knife-edge throughout.
In an entertaining contest, Dunedin came back effectively time and again, leaving Manawat奴 with a slim 23-22 lead at halftime before levelling the scores early in the third quarter. Manawat奴 kept their noses just in front when leading 34-32 at three-quarter time.
From four goals down in the run home, the dogged Dunedin side levelled up with under four minutes to go but couldn't nail the decisive blow. Manawat奴, as they had done throughout, holding their nerve to execute a strong finish in an exciting drawn final quarter.
In the men's U18 final, Howick Pakuranga turned the form book on its head when posting a well-merited 34-25 win over the high-flying Wait膩kere.
On course for a third successive title, Wait膩kere, who were undefeated coming into the final, were kept to single-digit scores through all four quarters. After a tight first half where Howick Pakuranga led 7-6 and 13-12 at the quarter breaks, the tide turned in their favour in the second half.
Having lost twice to Wait膩kere during the tournament (44-30 and 35-31), Howick Pakuranga made it third time lucky when forging a 25-19 lead at three-quarter time and increasing their advantage by fulltime.
"Wait膩kere's been the standout for the past four years and to come down here and win it off them, it feels real good," Howick Pakuranga captain Wiremu Taka said.
"What I'm most proud of is overcoming the challenges. We've beaten Wait膩kere once in four years out of how many games I can't count - and to come out here and put that performance on the biggest stage, that's what I'm most proud of."
For Howick Pakuranga coach Kylie Grey it was a special moment.
"For the past few years, we haven't even been able to make a final," he said. "It was only last year we made finals and we were versing Wait膩kere again, we lost by five. And this time round, we came in and we played our round robins and we lost both those games against them. It's our first win for Howick Pakuranga Netball Centre men and I'm just so excited.
"I'm proud of the boys. Some of them don't have any male figures, the father figures in their life and they worked really hard to get here and overcome a massive amount of challenges. I'm very proud of all of us."