Northern Force
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| Founded | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Disbanded | 2007 |
| Based in | Auckland |
| Regions | Auckland, Northland |
| Home venue | North Shore Events Centre |
| Head coach | Yvonne Willering |
| Captain | Temepara George |
| League | National Bank Cup |
| 2007 placing | 2nd |
The Northern Force were the northern-most team in Netball New Zealand's former premier competition - the National Bank Cup. For the 2008 ANZ Championship the Force merged with the Auckland Diamonds to create the Northern Mystics.
Based at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland, the Force region included North Harbour and Northland, with the majority of its players being based in Auckland. The playing colours of the team were Maroon and Black, and were sponsored by Fujifilm.
Perhaps the perennial under-achievers of the competition, the team had always been blessed with many talented sportswomen, yet were unable to win the competition.
Coached by former Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering, the Force were renowned for their formidable defensive line-ups which have included players such as Linda Vagana, Leana de Bruin and Sheryl Scanlan. The Force's midcourt was led by dynamic and inspirational captain and Silver Fern Temepara "the pocket-rocket" George. In the shooting circle, the Force boasted one of the tallest shooters in New Zealand netball at the time, Catherine Latu (at 189 cm).
The Northern Force were filled with New Zealand talent. The defensive line was always strong and included the likes of Leana De-Bruin, Linda Vagana, Lorna Suofoa, Villimina Davu, Sheryl Scanlin, Sharlene Smith-Wolfgramm, Kate Dowling all former or current NZ players. The mid-court included world class Silver fern Temepara George, Angelina Yates and Sonya Hardcastle, all highly rated New Zealand players. Often, the shooting circle would crumble, the shooters were known for drifting in and out of the match. It included Daneka Wipiiti (Silver Fern) and Megan Dehn (former Australian Netball team) but lost them both to the Southern Sting and their new team Southern Steel. Other shooters included Catherine Latu (Samoa), Teresa Tairi (Silver Ferns), Tania Dalton (Silver Ferns) who were all former Internationals.
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