Magic coach may have a trick or two up her sleeve for Firebirds match | Rotorua Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Rotorua

Bay of Plenty Magic coach Noeline Taurua looks set to pull another rabbit or two out of her hat when her team plays the visiting Queensland Firebirds in Rotorua on Monday night.

She has hinted at more changes as she tries to work out the best possible combination following the loss of midcourter Peta Scholz through injury and she hasn't settled on anything yet.

In terms of the ANZ Championship rules she has another couple of weeks up her sleeve, and when asked if she was planning more changes or would be playing anyone out of their normal position against the Firebirds, all she would say was "both".

Taurua has become known for surprising her fans and opposing teams by playing squad members in new positions.

"That's what I do, it's the Magic way, it's my way."

However, Taurua said she never made any decision to move a player lightly or off the cuff. While such moves may be considered risky to some, they are "managed risks".

"I have a checklist and each of the items on that checklist need to be ticked off before I would risk either an individual player or the team," Taurua explained.

First on the checklist if she is considering playing someone in a new position is whether they have the skills for that particular role.

If they do, Taurua then considers whether they have some natural aptitude there.

Third on the checklist is whether the individual player is emotionally and mentally stable in their new role and fourth is whether the players around that person are stable as well.

"If not all those are ticked off, I won't do it ... it's not worth it if all is not in place ... because if I make a wrong call on an individual it could be the end of the season for them because they lose confidence," Taurua said.

She pointed out she had a "pretty good success rate" so far in moving players around.

One player she said she was loath to move anywhere, although she remained a solid backup wing defence, was centre and captain Laura Langman who has been outstanding this season, both in attack mode and defensively.

"She's been playing beautiful netball so I would hate to do that ... but I can't rule it out," Taurua said.

She's expecting Monday night's round 11 match against the Firebirds to suit Magic's backline defenders, given the visitors' aerial style of attack.

"They've got quite a bit of height throughout and I'm expecting the usual Aussie style of game - tight man-on-man defence, aggressive and tenacious."

In other round 11 matches Northern Mystics will face Swifts today, while tomorrow Adelaide Thunderbirds host Canterbury Tactix and Southern Steel are at home against Melbourne Vixens. Central Pulse will travel to Perth to play West Coast Fever on Monday night.

 
 * Magic's game on Monday night starts at 7.20pm at Rotorua's Energy Events Centre.