Balmer and Hall were teammates in defence for Baradene College, which won the Auckland premier one schools league in 2021, the year they graduated.<\/p>\n
Now they\u2019re the top two players in the ANZ Premiership for both deflections and intercepts. And Balmer\u2019s goal is to become a Silver Fern, as Hall did last year. She\u2019s already stamped her mark as a breakout player of the 2026 league.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, their franchises met each other on court in Auckland, with the Mystics stopping the unbeaten streak of the Tactix. The Mystics won 52-43, after a poor third quarter from the Tactix. But they stay on the top of the ladder with three wins, alongside fellow South Islanders, the Steel.<\/p>\n
Tactix defender Laura Balmer’s long reach has made her one of the top defenders in the ANZ Premiership in 2026. Photo \/ Michael Bradley Photography<\/p>\n
Balmer put her medical studies at Otago University on pause last year to move from Dunedin to Wellington to play for the Pulse \u2013 called up before the season to replace a pregnant Teneisha Tofa. But she wanted to find a way to return to the league and study again this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard,\u201d the 1.9m tall Balmer says. \u201cObviously, my dream is to become a high-performance netballer, but also I want to be a doctor,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had chats with different people, and the Tactix were amazing with their comms and flexibility. And they also train 200m from the hospital, so it was perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking all that out was a little bit stressful, but I just feel so blessed I can do both. I\u2019m loving playing netball in Christchurch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another thing that attracted Balmer to the Tactix was the coaching staff of head coach Donna Wilkins and her assistant, Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonna is amazing, she\u2019s so crack-up but such a good coach. She\u2019s got such a good balance between being a knowledgeable, amazing coach but also being personable with her players,\u201d says Balmer.<\/p>\n
Selby-Rickit played over 200 games at the national level as an in-circle defender, and Balmer was starstruck when she first met her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s an older, experienced player who you feel you can go to about everything. She\u2019s just so crazy knowledgeable, and has so many tactics and smarts,\u201d Balmer says.<\/p>\n
She learnt from two of the best last year, playing alongside Kelly Jackson and Parris Mason at the Pulse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I met Kelly I cried. It was so embarrassing, she was my idol,\u201d Balmer laughs.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Kelly and Mase [Mason] were both so great, they taught me so much. They were so patient with me, and when I\u2019d come on court, I felt so supported by them. I\u2019m so, so lucky to have been under those two, cause both of them are such smart players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura Balmer defends for the Pulse alongside Kelly Jackson in the 2025 ANZP. Photo \/ Michael Bradley Photography<\/p>\n
After two seasons with the Southern Blast in the NNL, Balmer played in just six matches for the Pulse in her premiership debut year, but overcame impostor syndrome with the help of experienced players in the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing into the Pulse environment and being surrounded by so many amazing players who had so much knowledge and expertise under their belt \u2026 they all just took me under their wing, and I just learnt and grew so much,\u201d Balmer says.<\/p>\n
Alongside the on-court teachings, Balmer also learned about being a high-performance athlete.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t really know the pressures and what\u2019s expected of you and what people expect of each other. So it was cool being in an environment where stuff is demanded of you and you have to step up,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
They are lessons she\u2019s been able to transfer to her studies and general life as well, especially taking on hard feedback.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m in the hospital and there\u2019s a scary consultant, knowing how to take that and communicate effectively. I feel like I learnt a lot in that way as well,\u201d says Balmer, who\u2019s on placement at Christchurch Hospital.<\/p>\n
From her first day with the Tactix, Balmer has loved the environment, and continues to enjoy showing up to training.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people are so lovely, and the coaches I just have so much respect for,\u201d she says. \u201cRespect is something I value and all the players respect our coaches so much because they have really good people skills, but they\u2019re also so crazy knowledgeable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balmer is building a formidable partnership with Australian Ash Barnett in the defensive circle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love Ash, she\u2019s such an intelligent player, so smart. And it\u2019s fun playing off her, cause we come with different ideas on how to do things,\u201d Balmer says.<\/p>\n
Primarily a goal keep, Balmer has played most of this season at goal defence \u2013 a position still relatively new to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI first learnt it last year under Parris, and I\u2019m actually really enjoying it. Sometimes I\u2019m like \u2018What the heck am I doing?\u2019, but for the most part, it\u2019s really fun,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing something different and adding that position to my tool kit so I can chop and change between the two bibs. There are so many different skillsets you need in goal defence which you don\u2019t have in goal keep.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the days get long and overwhelming, Balmer is grateful for her support system in both realms of her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got really cool people around me. The girls and the coaches in the Tactix are amazing so I love hanging out with them, and the people in med school are all really cool as well. It\u2019s nice being surrounded by people who will help you out.\u201d<\/p>\n
When things are particularly tough, Balmer can call her parents back in Auckland, or turn to her faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a Christian and I feel like I\u2019m doing what God wants me to do. My faith is so important to me too,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Her netball dream is to become a Silver Fern, and she had a taste of wearing the black dress at last year\u2019s Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, where New Zealand finished runner-up to Australia. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy whole life, I\u2019ve wanted to be a Silver Fern. But I also want to enjoy my netball at this high level, and just be the best netballer I can be,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so fun in Gibraltar, being able to play against different countries whose styles are so different \u2013 even just hearing different languages on court when you\u2019re playing is so crazy,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a fun experience and so good for my own confidence, because I had been in the environment for three years before we actually got selected in the team. It was really cool seeing my growth in those three years through my netball journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if she would ever pause her medical studies to pursue her netball dream, Balmer admits she would be willing to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m kind of just doing it year by year, and trusting God,\u201d she says. \u201cBut yes, I\u2019d drop everything to be a Silver Fern.\u201d<\/p>\n