Story and photos: Night out with the Stars

PJ TAYLOR took in the sporting experience of women’s national league netball as the Northern Stars faced up to crosstown rivals the Northern Mystics.

There’s a welcoming smell of hot cinnamon donuts at the entrance of Pulman Arena on Monday evening for the Auckland derby in the ANZ Premiership.

Is there any more comforting aroma on a cold winter’s night while watching top-class live sport indoors?

Throughout the evening, there’s a constant queue of punters at the Hot Donuts caravan outside, and the occasional reassuring waft of the sweet n’ tasty dough balls inside.

Pulman Arena in Papakura is a treasure on the Auckland sporting landscape, an important venue servicing the region’s south and east.

It has become over seven years the home court of the Northern Stars, the elite level grade for netball representing the Counties Manukau region which in the sport has always encompassed Howick and Pakuranga and all the southern Auckland associations.

For netball players and fans in the east, the Northern Stars are our representatives on the national scene.

It’s also pleasing to see the man himself, Bruce Pulman, who names the arena and graciously gifted the expansive parkland and venue for the people of Auckland to use for sport and recreation, in attendance as he always is.

Bruce Pulman is to the Northern Stars what the Mad Butcher Peter Leitch is to the New Zealand Warriors, their number one supporter, albeit a little quieter.

Taking in a Stars game is a good fun night out for families and netball supporters. It won’t break the household budget and as it is with most top-level sports events nowadays, there’s a strong entertainment element.

There’s a friendly vibe and welcome from all the people working and volunteering at Pulman Arena, which is easily accessible from all commuting directions even on a Monday night, and ample free car parking only a short walk from the doors.

Charities the Stars support were on show – the Middlemore Foundation’s Jammies for June with its ambassador Dame Valerie Adams in attendance, and Totara Hospice; and activities for the kids to have a go at on the way to courtside, such as netball shooting and jumping from a standing start.

The balloon man is also a popular stop-off, as he pumps them up and ties into purple-and-white-coloured crowns for (mostly) young ones to wear in support of the Stars.

The women greeting people at the court with Stars promotional signs and handing them out epitomise the true spirit of volunteers who love their sport.

They smile and are responsive to any requests or questions and make the beginning of your Stars night out experience a pleasant one.

There’s loud familiar music – cue YMCA and We Are Family – and flickering light displays, and MCs who get the crowd going with their cheering, but they aren’t over the top, and once you’ve settled into your seat, it’s time to take in some pro-standard netball.

The men’s curtainraiser between the Stars and Mystics is a good quality watch, with the visitors working hard to win the tight tussle by four points, 51-47.

Then it’s on to the main event, the women’s ANZ Premiership round eight encounter, the Stars’ last home game of the regular season.

The crowd noise is constant throughout, just varying in volume at different times, as the Mystics showed why they’re a competition front-runner in defeating the Stars 67-47, a winning margin that blew out in the Northern Challenge’s final quarter.

Until then, the Stars had kept in relative contact on the scoreboard with the earlier end-of-quarter tallies being 17-13 (first), 31-24 (halftime), and 49-35 (third) in favour of the Mystics.

But it was apparent from the first pass that the Mystics were there to do the business, striving to be top of the table by the final whistle.

The Stars have had a disrupted season because of injuries to key players and they, as well as the Mystics, used their bench players throughout, and to curb defensive woes especially in the first half.

The Mystics are a powerfully focused and cohesive unit and were just that more harder in their approach, with standout performances from captain Michaela Sokolich-Beatson (goal-defence), Elisapeta Toeava (wing-attack), Tayla Earle (centre), and Catherine Hall (goalkeeper).

They all contributed to a steady stream of possession getting through to imposing 1.93m tall Australian goal-shoot Donnell Wallam, who didn’t miss many shots at the hoop and would have provided Stars goal-keep Remi Kamo with plenty of headaches.

As for the home side, there’s no questioning the skill, effort and commitment, and there were times, although too briefly, that they had the Mystics under pressure.

Goal-shoots for the Stars, Charlie Bell (first half) and Maia Wilson, took their chances, and mid-courters Lisa Mather, Samon Nathan and Mila Reulu-Buchanan battled admirably.

But it was the night for the Mystics and with two rounds to go before the finals series they’re looking very determined with a sound game-plan and execution skills to back that up.