Latu confident she'll last full distance against Thunderbirds

CLEAR: Cathrine Latu.PHOTO/FILE

Cathrine Latu believes she is close to being considered a full-game option for the Mystics having managed a heavier than planned workload over the first couple of rounds of the ANZ Championship.

Latu is hopeful of getting the all-clear from medical staff to play 60 minutes, if required, in tomorrow's round three clash against the Thunderbirds in Adelaide after making strong progress in her fight to regain match fitness following a disrupted preseason.

The shooter went into this season severely underdone after missing much of the Mystics' build-up as she recovered from surgery to remove her appendix.

But after playing three quarters in each of the Mystics' opening two matches - a win over the Tactix in round one and a heavy loss to the Fever last week - Latu feels she is approaching full fitness. Not that her reintegration was planned that way.

The Mystics were forced to turn to their star shooter earlier than hoped in their opening round clash against the Tactix after finding themselves seven goals down at the first break as rookie shooter Elsa Brown struggled with the pace of the game in her transtasman league debut.

"Easing my way back into it was thrown out the window after that 45-minute game against the Tactix, but there's no other way to test it other than to get out on court and push as hard as I can," said Latu.

"Not many people saw how much I crashed afterwards, only my teammates really knew. I just had to go straight to bed after the game because it took so much out of me."

Since that initial shock to the system, Latu said she had been steadily improving and was feeling more comfortable with each training session.

"After the Fever game I know I had a lot more left, so that's a good step knowing there was a bit more in the tank."

Mystics coach Debbie Fuller will be hoping not to have to manage any players this weekend against the Thunderbirds, in what will be another tough away assignment for her side. The Auckland side produced a shambolic performance in Perth last weekend, as the Fever took advantage of the Mystics' high turnover count and lacklustre defensive effort.

"Our ability to manage that defensive pressure for longer periods is what we were lacking [against the Fever] and we need to stand up to it this time," said Fuller.

"We're not looking for excuses, we're looking at locking in what we need to do. Losing by 16 is hard to take, but you can't hide from it - we just weren't good enough."

The Thunderbirds will also be disappointed with their round two efforts after being outclassed by the defending champions, the Melbourne Vixens. It followed a 45-44 home loss to the Magic in round one. But Fuller is taking little comfort from the Thunderbirds' winless record.

"[Adelaide coach] Jane Woodlands-Thompson is a coach that has won two titles so she will be hammering home this week her team to be consistent in their method. They will come out after us and attack us, and what a great challenge for us."

The Southern Steel will be hoping they fare better in Perth than the Mystics did when they get the round three action under way today as the Fever again put their Challenge Trophy on the line.

In the other big transtasman clash of the weekend, the injury-depleted Magic face a tough match-up against the Vixens in Tauranga.NZME.