# 2020 ANZ Premiership season

The 2020 ANZ Premiership season was the fourth season of Netball New Zealand's ANZ Premiership. With a team coached by Yvette McCausland-Durie, captained by Katrina Rore and featuring Karin Burger, Aliyah Dunn and Ameliaranne Ekenasio, Central Pulse finished the regular season as minor premiers. In the grand final, Pulse defeated Mainland Tactix 43–31, winning their second consecutive premiership. Throughout the season, Netball New Zealand had to deal with considerable disruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This initially saw the league suspended for April and May. On its return in June, Round 2 through to Round 7 matches were all played behind closed doors at a single venue. In August, all Round 10 and two Final Series matches were cancelled and the Grand final was played behind closed doors.

## Transfers

| Player | 2019 team | 2020 team |
| Kelly Jury | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Central Pulse |
| Te Paea Selby-Rickit | Southern Steel | Mainland Tactix |
| Courtney Elliot | Southern Steel | Northern Mystics |
| Sulu Fitzpatrick | Central Pulse | Northern Mystics |
| Saviour Tui | Central Manawa | Northern Mystics |
| Jamie Hume | Northern Mystics | Northern Stars |
| Vika Koloto | Northern Comets | Northern Stars |
| Lisa Mather | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Northern Stars |
| Daystar Swift | | Northern Stars |
| Ellen Halpenny | Northern Stars | Southern Steel |
| Kalifa McCollin | Celtic Dragons | Southern Steel |
| Holly Fowler | Northern Stars | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Georgia Marshall | Canberra Giants | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Erena Mikaere | Northern Mystics | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Whitney Souness | Central Pulse | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
| Kayla Cullen | Northern Stars | New South Wales Swifts |
| Charlee Hodges | Northern Stars | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Lenize Potgieter | Southern Steel Queensland Firebirds | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
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## Head coaches and captains

| Team | Head coach | Captain |
| Central Pulse | Yvette McCausland-Durie | Katrina Grant |
| Mainland Tactix | Marianne Delaney-Hoshek | Jane Watson |
| Northern Mystics | Helene Wilson | Phoenix Karaka |
| Northern Stars | Kiri Wills | Grace Kara |
| Southern Steel | Reinga Bloxham | Gina Crampton Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Amigene Metcalfe | Samantha Winders |
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## Pre-season
### 2019 Super Club

In December 2019 all six ANZ Premiership teams plus Collingwood Magpies from Suncorp Super Netball and Wasps Netball from the Netball Superleague competed in the 2019 Netball New Zealand Super Club. The staging of the 2019 Super Club was delayed because of the 2019 Netball World Cup. This effectively made it a pre-2020 season tournament for the teams involved. Magpies won the 2019 tournament after defeating Northern Mystics 49–42 in the final.

### Otaki tournament

The official pre-season tournament was held at Te Wānanga o Raukawa in Otaki between 28 February and 1 March, with all six teams competing.

#### Day 1

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#### Day 2

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#### Day 3

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## Impact of COVID-19 pandemic
### Season suspended

On 16 March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final match of Round 1, between Southern Steel and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, was played in an empty arena. On 20 March it was announced that Rounds 2 and 3 had been suspended. and on 26 March, Netball New Zealand announced that the whole season was suspended indefinitely.

### Return

In May, Netball New Zealand announced that the season would resume in June. Rounds 2 to 7 would all subsequently be played behind closed doors at a single venue, Auckland Netball Centre. On the leagues return, some changes to the format were introduced, partly because of the pandemic. Matches would now feature 12 minute quarters with 10 minute half-time breaks. There was also a change to the points system. A win was now worth 4 points, a draw would equal 2 points and there was a bonus point for teams that only lost matches by 5 or less goals. The Finals Series was also due to feature 5th/6th and 3rd/4th place playoff matches as well as a Grand final. The season restarted on 19 June with a match between Northern Mystics and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.

## Regular season
### Round 10

On 12 August, after a change in the COVID-19 alert levels in New Zealand, Netball New Zealand announced that all five Round 10 matches would be cancelled. The five matches, which had no bearing on the final placings for the Finals Series, where all declared draws and each team was awarded two points.
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## Final ladder

2020 ANZ Premiership laddervte :
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | G% | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Central Pulse | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 594 | 474 | 120 | 125.3 | 1 | 49 |
| 2 | Mainland Tactix | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 606 | 566 | 40 | 107.1 | 2 | 42 |
| 3 | Northern Mystics | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 582 | 475 | 7 | 101.2 | 3 | 35 |
| 4 | Northern Stars | 15 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 590 | 626 | -36 | 94.2 | 3 | 29 |
| 5 | Southern Steel | 15 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 578 | 637 | -59 | 90.7 | 3 | 21 |
| 6 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 520 | 592 | -72 | 87.8 | 3 | 19 |
Qualified for Grand final Qualified for 3rd/4th place match Qualified for 5th/6th place match

### Point System

* Win = 4 points
* Draw = 2 points
* Loss of 5 or less goals = 1 point
* Loss of more than 5 goals = 0 points
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## Finals Series

The Finals Series was due to feature 5th/6th and 3rd/4th place playoff matches as well as a Grand final. However, the two Auckland Region-based teams, Northern Mystics and Northern Stars, were unable to travel because the region was in lockdown. Both playoff matches were subsequently cancelled and the Grand final was played behind closed doors.

### Grand final

| Sun 23 Aug 6.45pm | Stats | Central Pulse | 43–31 | Mainland Tactix | Stadium Southland | Sky Sport |
| Sky Sport |||
| Sun 23 Aug 6.45pm | Stats | Aliyah Dunn 28/30 (93%) Ameliaranne Ekenasio 15/18 (83%) | | Ellie Bird 19/23 (83%) Te Paea Selby-Rickit 12/13 (92%) | Stadium Southland | Sky Sport |
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## Award winners
### New Zealand Netball Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| ANZ Premiership Player of the Year | Jane Watson | Mainland Tactix |
| ANZ Premiership Coach of the Year | Yvette McCausland-Durie | Central Pulse |
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### ANZ Premiership Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Grand Final MVP | Maddy Gordon | Central Pulse |
| ANZ Premiership Coach of the Year | Yvette McCausland-Durie | Central Pulse |
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### Team of the season

Brendon Egan selected Stuff's team of the season.
| Position | Player | Team |
| GS | Maia Wilson | Northern Stars |
| GA | Ameliaranne Ekenasio | Central Pulse |
| WA | Gina Crampton | Southern Steel |
| C | Claire Kersten | Central Pulse |
| WD | Karin Burger | Central Pulse |
| GD | Jane Watson | Mainland Tactix |
| GK | Temalisi Fakahokotau | Mainland Tactix |
| Coach | Marianne Delaney-Hoshek | Mainland Tactix |
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## Season statistics

Goal Shooters (by Goals Scored) :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Goals (%) |
| 1 | Grace Nweke | Northern Mystics | 471/527 (89%) |
| 2 | Maia Wilson | Northern Stars | 461/513 (90%) |
| 3 | Ellie Bird | Mainland Tactix | 421/489 (86%) |
| 4 | Aliyah Dunn | Central Pulse | 340/372 (91%) |
| 5 | Kelsey McPhee | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 270/343 (79%) |
| 6 | Kalifa McCollin | Southern Steel | 262/313 (84%) |
Circle Feeds :
| Pos. | Player | Team | CF |
| 1 | Gina Crampton | Southern Steel | 434 |
| 2 | Grace Kara | Northern Stars | 394 |
| 3 | Whitney Souness | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 393 |
| 4 | Erikana Pedersen | Mainland Tactix | 384 |
| 5 | Peta Toeava | Northern Mystics | 368 |
| 6 | Claire Kersten | Central Pulse | 293 |
Deflections :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Def |
| 1 | Jane Watson | Mainland Tactix | 72 |
| 2 | Sulu Fitzpatrick | Northern Mystics | 58 |
| 3 | Erena Mikaere | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 53 |
| 4 | Kate Burley | Northern Stars | 49 |
| 5 | Kelly Jury | Central Pulse | 47 |
| 6 | Taneisha Fifita | Southern Steel | 37 |
Intercepts :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Inter. |
| 1 | Kelly Jury | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 26 |
| 2 | Temalisi Fakahokotau | Mainland Tactix | 22 |
| 2 | Phoenix Karaka | Northern Mystics | 22 |
| 2 | Kate Burley | Northern Stars | 22 |
| 5 | Kate Heffernan | Southern Steel | 18 |
| 6 | Erena Mikaere | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 12 |
| 6 | Sam Winders | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 12 |
Rebounds :
| Pos. | Player | Team | Reb. |
| 1 | Sulu Fitzpatrick | Northern Mystics | 23 |
| 2 | Erena Mikaere | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 21 |
| 3 | Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit | Southern Steel | 18 |
| 4 | Temalisi Fakahokotau | Mainland Tactix | 16 |
| 5 | Katrina Rore | Central Pulse | 16 |
| 6 | Holly Fowler | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 10 |
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