2009 ANZ Championship season

The 2009 ANZ Championship season was the second season of the ANZ Championship, commencing on 4 April 2009. The 2009 season comprised 69 matches played over 17 weeks. The format of the competition was unchanged from last year, starting with a 14-week round robin followed by a three-week finals series. After a very hectic transfer season, teams were confirmed and the competition began.

2009 ANZ Championship season
LeagueANZ Championship
SportNetball
Duration4 April 2009 – 26 July 2009
Number of teams10
TV partner(s)One HD (Australia, all games)
Network Ten (Australia, one live game a week)
SKY Sports (New Zealand, live)
TVNZ (New Zealand, delayed)
ChampionsMelbourne Vixens
Runners-upAdelaide Thunderbirds
Minor premiersMelbourne Vixens
Season MVPRomelda Aiken (Firebirds)

The top four teams from the round-robin stage progressed to the finals stage. The Melbourne Vixens finished the round robin as minor premiers, followed by the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, Adelaide Thunderbirds and Southern Steel.

The grand final was played on Sunday 26 July at Hisense Arena in Melbourne, contested between the Vixens and Thunderbirds. The Melbourne Vixens emerged as champions for the 2009 season after defeating the Thunderbirds by 54–46.

Format

The format of the 2009 season is identical to that of the 2008 season.[1] During the round-robin stage, played over 14 weeks, each team played every other team once, and played teams from their home country a second time, with one bye somewhere between Rounds 5–9. The top four teams from the round-robin stage progressed to the finals stage, played over three weeks in a Page-McIntyre System.

Round 1 matchups in 2008 were identical to the round 14 matchups in 2009. In addition, in trans-Tasman matches the home and away teams are switched around from 2008 to ensure that the teams get to play home and away games over two years: e.g., the Swifts hosted the Magic in round 3 in 2008, but the same game in 2009 will be hosted by the Magic. The 2009 season featured a "Rivalry Round" in Week 13, in which all matches were contested between teams from Australia and New Zealand. Round 4 matchups in 2008 were identical to the matchups in "Rivalry Round". The goals scored by each country were accumulated, with Australia winning the inaugural Rivalry Round Trophy.

Transfer Season

See the 2009 Transfer Season

The 2008 Off season, saw franchises working hard to sign up the best talent in the ANZ competition, while trying to remain under the Salary Cap. Several teams including the Southern Steel, Waikato/BOP Magic and the Queensland Firebirds looked like teams that improved their rosters the most, joining the NSW Swifts, Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Melbourne Vixens with potential to win the second edition of the competition. The Steel went out to sign all the old guns, picking up its former Southern Sting star duo of former Silver Ferns Adine Wilson and Donna Wilkins, while also inking international defender Sheryl Scanlan. The Waikato/BOP Magic added to its already five current internationals players by putting star backline player Leana de Bruin in the mix also. The Canterbury Tactix signed impressive defender Sonia Mkoloma from the Central Pulse, with the Wellington-based Pulse, just replacing her with another talent, Jamaican goal keeper Althea Byfield. Things were calmer in Australia, the Queensland Firebirds remained strong on paper, resigning 2008 MVP Romelda Aiken, English import Tamsin Greenway and Australian stars Lauren Nourse and Laura Geitz. The West Coast Fever could well of bought the best future talent in the game, signing midcourters Madison Browne and Shae Bolton from the Melbourne Vixens to bolster their midcourt.

Pre-season

Swifts vs Vixens in the 2009 SOPA Cup.

The first pre-season tournament was held in Queenstown in New Zealand from 20–22 February at the Queenstown Events Centre.[2] Several ANZ Championship teams participated, including the Steel, Mystics, Swifts and Pulse, and the Australian Institute of Sport also sent a team.[2] The Tactix were scheduled to attend as well, but pulled out due to lack of player availability.[3] The Mystics went through the tournament undefeated, beating defending ANZ Championship winners the Swifts 58–53 on the final day.[4]

The official pre-season tournament is the Sydney Olympic Park Netball Cup (SOPA Cup), held in Sydney from 6–8 March. Seven ANZ Championship franchises participated in the tournament, including the Firebirds, Swifts, Vixens, Thunderbirds, Fever, Magic and Steel, along with the Australian Institute of Sport.[5] In a replay of last year's grand final, the Swifts and Magic fought out a close draw. By the end of the tournament, the Swifts emerged as champions, receiving a winner's prize of $10,000.[6]

The Waipa Pre-Season Tournament was the third and last in the 2009 pre-season, held from 20–22 March at the Te AwamutuEvents Centre. This tournament featured the Magic, Mystics and Pulse from the ANZ Championship, as well as the New Zealand U21 team.[2] Hosted by the Magic, the home team took out the tournament.[7]

Fixtures

All listed times are local: New Zealand times are UTC+12; Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian times are UTC+10; South Australian times are UTC+9:30; and Western Australian times are UTC+8. Results in parentheses indicate tied scores at the end of regular time, with the final score after extra time given above them.

Round 1

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Southern Steel 5546 Central Pulse Saturday 4 April, 2:00 pm Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Melbourne Vixens 5744 West Coast Fever Saturday 4 April, 2:00 pm State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne
Queensland Firebirds 4860 Adelaide Thunderbirds Sunday 5 April, 2:30 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Northern Mystics 3851 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Monday 6 April, 7:00 pm Trusts Stadium, Auckland
New South Wales Swifts 6245 Canterbury Tactix Monday 6 April, 7:00 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

^ Due to daylight savings, New Zealand was UTC+13 and New South Wales and Victoria was UTC+11 during these games.

Round 2

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 5447 Southern Steel Saturday 11 April, 2:00 pm Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, Tauranga
Adelaide Thunderbirds 4847 New South Wales Swifts Sunday 12 April, 2:00 pm ETSA Park, Adelaide
Northern Mystics 5450 Central Pulse Sunday 12 April, 6:30 pm North Shore Events Centre, Auckland
Canterbury Tactix 5244 West Coast Fever Monday 13 April, 7:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
Queensland Firebirds 5154 Melbourne Vixens Monday 13 April, 7:00 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

Round 3

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Central Pulse 4658 Queensland Firebirds Saturday 18 April, 2:00 pm TSB Bank Arena, Wellington
Adelaide Thunderbirds 4349 Melbourne Vixens Sunday 19 April, 2:00 pm ETSA Park, Adelaide
Southern Steel 5248 Canterbury Tactix Sunday 19 April, 6:30 pm The Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 6345 New South Wales Swifts Monday 20 April, 7:00 pm Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton
West Coast Fever 5746 Northern Mystics Monday 20 April, 5:00 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth

Round 4

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Central Pulse 5460 West Coast Fever Saturday 25 April, 2:00 pm Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North
Melbourne Vixens 4831 Southern Steel Saturday 25 April, 2:00 pm State Netball and Hockey Centre, Melbourne
Queensland Firebirds 5342 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Sunday 26 April, 2:30 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Canterbury Tactix 4853
(4242)
Adelaide Thunderbirds Monday 27 April, 7:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
New South Wales Swifts 5955 Northern Mystics Monday 27 April, 7:00 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

Round 5

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Canterbury Tactix 4850 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Saturday 2 May, 2:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
Melbourne Vixens 5042 Adelaide Thunderbirds Sunday 3 May, 2:30 pm Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Central Pulse 6061
(5050)
Northern Mystics Monday 4 May, 7:00 pm TSB Bank Arena, Wellington
West Coast Fever 6766
(5454)
New South Wales Swifts Monday 4 May, 6:00 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth
BYES: Queensland Firebirds and Southern Steel

Round 6

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 5936 Central Pulse Saturday 9 May, 2:00 pm Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton
New South Wales Swifts 4051 Adelaide Thunderbirds Sunday 10 May, 2:30 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
Northern Mystics 5261 Southern Steel Monday 11 May, 7:00 pm Trusts Stadium, Auckland
Queensland Firebirds 5653 West Coast Fever Monday 11 May, 7:00 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
BYES: Canterbury Tactix and Melbourne Vixens

Round 7

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Canterbury Tactix 4748 Southern Steel Saturday 16 May, 2:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
West Coast Fever 4974 Melbourne Vixens Sunday 17 May, 12:30 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 5035 Northern Mystics Monday 18 May, 7:00 pm Energy Events Centre, Rotorua
New South Wales Swifts 5458 Queensland Firebirds Monday 18 May, 7:00 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
BYES: Adelaide Thunderbirds and Central Pulse

Round 8

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Canterbury Tactix 4946 Central Pulse Saturday 23 May, 2:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
Adelaide Thunderbirds 5150 Queensland Firebirds Sunday 24 May, 2:00 pm ETSA Park, Adelaide
Southern Steel 3948 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Monday 25 May, 7:00 pm Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Melbourne Vixens 6563
(5454)
New South Wales Swifts Monday 25 May, 7:00 pm Hisense Arena, Melbourne
BYES: Northern Mystics and West Coast Fever

Round 9

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Central Pulse 4466 Southern Steel Saturday 30 May, 2:00 pm TSB Bank Arena, Wellington
Melbourne Vixens 5753 Queensland Firebirds Sunday 31 May, 2:30 pm Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Northern Mystics 4746 Canterbury Tactix Monday 1 June, 7:00 pm Trusts Stadium, Auckland
West Coast Fever 4161 Adelaide Thunderbirds Monday 1 June, 6:00 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth
BYES: New South Wales Swifts and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

Round 10

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Central Pulse 4559 Canterbury Tactix Saturday 6 June, 2:00 pm Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Adelaide Thunderbirds 5834 Northern Mystics Saturday 6 June, 1:30 pm Adelaide Arena, Adelaide
Queensland Firebirds 6261 New South Wales Swifts Sunday 7 June, 2:30 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 5548 Melbourne Vixens Monday 8 June, 7:00 pm Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, Tauranga
West Coast Fever 5948 Southern Steel Monday 8 June, 5:00 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth

Round 11

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Canterbury Tactix 5346 Queensland Firebirds Saturday 13 June, 2:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
Adelaide Thunderbirds 5839 West Coast Fever Sunday 14 June, 2:00 pm ETSA Park, Adelaide
Central Pulse 3567 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Sunday 14 June, 6:30 pm TSB Bank Arena, Wellington
Southern Steel 5250 Northern Mystics Monday 15 June, 7:00 pm Stadium Southland, Invercargill
New South Wales Swifts 5263 Melbourne Vixens Monday 15 June, 7:00 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre

Round 12

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Northern Mystics 5761 Melbourne Vixens Saturday 20 June, 2:00 pm Trusts Stadium, Auckland
Adelaide Thunderbirds 7040 Central Pulse Saturday 20 June, 1:30 pm ETSA Park, Adelaide
New South Wales Swifts 6063 West Coast Fever Sunday 21 June, 2:30 pm Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 5046 Canterbury Tactix Monday 22 June, 7:00 pm Energy Events Centre, Rotorua
Queensland Firebirds 5250 Southern Steel Monday 22 June, 7:00 pm Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

Round 13: 'Rivalry Round'

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Northern Mystics 5759 Queensland Firebirds Saturday 27 June, 2:00 pm Trusts Stadium, Auckland
West Coast Fever 3849 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Sunday 28 June, 12:30 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth
Central Pulse 5352 New South Wales Swifts Sunday 28 June, 6:30 pm Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua
Southern Steel 5849 Adelaide Thunderbirds Monday 29 June, 7:00 pm The Edgar Centre, Dunedin
Melbourne Vixens 6335 Canterbury Tactix Monday 29 June, 7:00 pm Hisense Arena, Melbourne

All matches involved trans-Tasman clashes. Goals scored by Australian and New Zealand teams were accumulated, and the country with the most goals won. Despite New Zealand teams winning three of the five matches, Australia won the Rivalry Round Trophy by 261–252.

Round 14

Home team Score Away team Match Information
Date and time Venue
Southern Steel 5548 New South Wales Swifts Saturday 4 July, 2:00 pm Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Melbourne Vixens 8039 Central Pulse Saturday 4 July, 2:00 pm Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Adelaide Thunderbirds 5435 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Sunday 5 July, 2:00 pm Adelaide Arena, Adelaide
Canterbury Tactix 6356 Northern Mystics Monday 6 July, 7:00 pm Westpac Arena, Christchurch
West Coast Fever 5254 Queensland Firebirds Monday 6 July, 6:00 pm Challenge Stadium, Perth

Standings

2009 ANZ Championship ladder
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA G% Pts
1 Melbourne Vixens 131201769614125.2424
2 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 131102673562119.7522
3 Adelaide Thunderbirds 131003698579120.5520
4 Southern Steel 13805662645102.6416
5 Queensland Firebirds 13805700690101.4516
6 Canterbury Tactix 1350863966296.5310
7 West Coast Fever 1350866673590.6110
8 Northern Mystics 13301064272788.316
9 New South Wales Swifts 13201170974894.794
10 Central Pulse 13101259479075.192
Updated on 7 July 2009 (Round 14, Game 5)
Table legend
  • Pos = Position
  • Pld = Games played
  • W = Wins (2 points)
  • D = Draws (1 point)
  • L = Losses (0 points)
  • GF = Goals For (total goals scored)
  • GA = Goals Against (total goals conceded)
  • G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
  • Pts = Points (progressive tally)


    Major semi-final qualifying position
    Minor semi-final qualifying position

Finals

Semi-finals Preliminary final Grand final
Sunday 12 July Melbourne
1 Melbourne Vixens 58
2 Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 43
Sunday 19 July Hamilton Sunday 26 July Melbourne
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 37 Melbourne Vixens 54
Adelaide Thunderbirds 51 Adelaide Thunderbirds 46
Monday 13 July Adelaide
3 Adelaide Thunderbirds 51
4 Southern Steel 45 Key: Winning team advances Losing team advances

Major semi-final

Sunday 12 July
14:30 (UTC+10)
Report
Stats
Melbourne Vixens5843Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic    Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Scoring by quarter: 16-10, 14-14, 14-7, 14-12
Thwaites  35/41 (85%)
McMahon  21/22 (95%)
Howard  2/2 (100%)
van Dyk  24/25 (96%)
Tutaia  19/23 (83%)

Minor semi-final

Monday 13 July
18:30 (UTC+9:30)
Report
Stats
Adelaide Thunderbirds5145Southern Steel    ETSA Park, Adelaide
Scoring by quarter: 12-11, 15-11, 11-10, 13-13
Beveridge  31/36 (86%)
Medhurst  20/21 (95%)
Dehn  23/27 (85%)
Wilkins  22/24 (92%)

Preliminary final

Sunday 19 July
19:00 (UTC+12)
Report
Stats
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic3751Adelaide Thunderbirds    Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton
Scoring by quarter: 8-11, 10-13, 8-14, 11-13
van Dyk  25/26 (96%)
Tutaia  12/17 (71%)
Beveridge  28/30 (93%)
Medhurst  22/25 (88%)
Altschwager  1/2 (50%)

Grand final

Sunday 26 July
14:30 (UTC+10)
Report
Stats
Melbourne Vixens5446Adelaide Thunderbirds    Hisense Arena, Melbourne
Attendance: 9,500
Scoring by quarter: 13-13, 14-6, 14-13, 13-14
Thwaites  31/39 (79%)
McMahon  23/28 (82%)
Beveridge  28/34 (82%)
Medhurst  18/23 (78%)
Altschwager  1/2 (50%)

References

  1. "League stands firm on draw". Fox Sports (online). 13 November 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2008.
  2. "Pre-Season Tournaments to test teams" (Press release). Netball New Zealand. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  3. Seconi, Adrian (5 February 2009). "Tactix out of Queenstown pre-season tournament". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  4. Johannsen, Dana (23 February 2009). "Hard work pays off for unbeaten Mystics". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  5. "ANZ teams in action at pre-season tournament". SKY Sports (New Zealand). Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  6. Broun, Samantha (9 March 2009). "NSW Swifts win netball's pre-season cup". theroar.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  7. Newstalk ZB, ONE Sport (23 March 2009). "Magic beat Mystics in pre-season". TVNZ. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
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