Mystics gain from Tietjens' pain

Gordon Tietjens has been called many things in his 53 years and a group of under-performing netballers added more choice descriptions to the list after suffering at his hand on Saturday.
Stung by widespread condemnation of their fitness levels during a disappointing ANZ Championship, Auckland's Northern Mystics turned to Tietjens - one of the best in business - to whip them into shape at a weekend training camp in Tauranga.
The national rugby sevens guru is renowned for his near-pathological approach to fitness and conditioning and introduced the Mystics to a whole new realm of pain during a brutal session of two-and-a-half hours at Aquinas College.
Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan said an emphasis on fitness was necessary if the franchise were to succeed.
Already hurting from an intense pre-season programme, most of the players were stunned by Tietjens' blunt methods.
After whacking them a harrowing beep test that reduced several to a walk and had everyone gasping for air, Tietjens kept the players moving, throwing in passing drills and length-of-the-court sprints before his infamous decrement test.
But the mid-afternoon session wasn't all Keenan had in store for the squad of 12. After a soak at the hot pools, the squad was given $109 to cook themselves a three-course dinner at the Papamoa backpackers where they were staying for the night.
Then, at 10pm, Keenan made them get their running-shoes back on for a four-hour "night walk" along the sand to Mount Maunganui's main beach, where they finished by climbing 231m to the summit of Mauao by torchlight.
The squad was picked up at 3am at the Mount Lifeguard Service and taken back to Papamoa.
Keenan said it was a huge jolt to the system. "They were a wee bit stunned with how much was expected of them early in the piece."
Concerns were raised over the Mystics' fitness last season, with many commentators blaming poor physical preparation for the Auckland side's disappointing seventh placing.
Keenan, who was Yvonne Willering's assistant before taking over the head coaching role after Willering was axed, disputed any assessment of her side being "unfit".
"I don't believe that was the case," Keenan said. "I just think we left things too late."
Players' contracts don't take effect until January 15 but Keenan said leaving pre-season work until then would be suicide. "This weekend will tell us exactly where we're at and Gordon has already emphasised to the girls that his session, although tough, isn't really about the physical exertion - it's more their mental state when they're physically exhausted." She said it would be useful for coaches to know "who can push through the pain and step up".
Former Silver Ferns defender Vilimaina Davu, who endured stinging criticism last season for being overweight and unfit, battled on Saturday. But Keenan was pleased Davu did not quit.
"If we want to be competitive in the league we need to be competitive within the group. Vili has dropped a couple of dress sizes already and I was rapt no one today dropped their bottle."
Former Silver Ferns midcourter Temepara George also disputed the "unfit" tag.
"Because we won so few games people wanted something to blame, so our fitness was called into question. Next season, with the work we're doing now, we'll take any criticism of our fitness right out of it."
George said Tietjens' session was every bit as exhausting as she had expected. "We knew it would be a hard weekend - no one planned any shopping or to check out the sights of Tauranga while we were here. But the great thing for me as captain was that no one pulled out."
Tietjens said Christmas was a danger time when old habits could creep back in.
Keenan is adamant that won't happen, with their first session back on January 10 a fitness test: "We've already warned the girls that one too many mince pies or ales and it will be noticed."