Wellington went one better than last year after clinching the NetballSmart Netball NZ Open Champs title with a decisive 38-25 win over North Harbour at Rodney Green Arena in Napier on Sunday.
Wellington surpassed their runners-up spot of last year to win the 91色情片 Cup for the first time since 2015, going through the 2026 edition unbeaten. North Harbour suffered two defeats, both to Wellington, during the tournament (49-38 in pool play) and the 13-goal loss in the final.
鈥淚鈥檓 very stoked we could take this win,鈥� Wellington coach Frances Solia said. 鈥淟ast year we got to the final and we couldn't quite get over the line and that's why this feels so rewarding.
鈥淭his year we had a full 12 that we could rotate and I think that was really key throughout the week and I definitely believe that's what contributed to us winning, that we had a strong 12 so we were able to rotate constantly and save bodies.
鈥淚t was just all about our 12. We spoke about our identity, what we wanted to be and how we wanted people to perceive us. It wasn鈥檛 one player, they all went over and above in their jobs.鈥�
Wellington鈥檚 depth and ability to interchange the full roster without a drop-off in standards was in full evidence, allowing for fresh legs and variety throughout their campaign.
Breaking North Harbour鈥檚 first centre pass set the early tone for Wellington, where shooters Phoenix Schwalger and Sarah Guiney combined expertly against the more experienced defensive duo of Oceane Maihi and Erena Mikaere.
At the other end of the court, the rangy Wellington defenders scooped up plenty of turnover opportunities to hand the team from the Capital a handy 12-7 first-quarter lead.
With Erikana Pedersen the calming influence through the midcourt, combined with Maihi and Mikaere providing a more disruptive influence, North Harbour edged their way back into the contest.
But with plenty of armour on their bench, Wellington were able to rotate across the court with shooter Khiarna Williams, midcourter Erana Ngarimu and defender Zalika Clarke all coming on seamlessly. In a tighter 15 minutes, it was Wellington who still held the upper hand, restricting North Harbour to just six goals while taking a 21-13 lead into halftime.
Applying more concerted defensive pressure, North Harbour defused a strong start to the third quarter by Wellington. Breaking Wellington鈥檚 flow and scoring opportunities, North Harbour consistently forced errors as they chipped into the deficit.
In a scrappy 15 minutes, North Harbour had the better of the third quarter, restricting their opponents to just seven goals but leaving Wellington still in front with a 28-21 lead at three-quarter time.
Wellington turned up the heat in a dominant run home, outscoring North Harbour 10-4 to seal the win. Picking up a multitude of turnover ball, Wellington continued to push out their lead while scoring opportunities dried up for North Harbour.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so exciting. Throughout the past four days our team's just been growing, but it's really good to see our hard work has paid off,鈥� Wellington captain Erana Ngarimu said.
鈥淚t was just such a team effort. We had our bench rotating in throughout the whole tournament, so just to have a full team of 12 that was able to come onto the court just brings such a strong impact.
鈥淲e had a lot of key moments where a lot of grit and determination was needed, but we were able to just keep pushing through for the full 48 minutes of the game, so that was really awesome to see.鈥�
On the back of a productive third quarter, Auckland sealed third place with a hard-fought 42-33 win over Manawat奴 Green.