Netball: Harrison Hoist stays in defence for now

The Harrison Hoist may be a goer, but the Tutaia Flyer is unlikely to take off.

While Anna Harrison's aerial heroics have proved a defensive masterstroke, the Northern Mystics' light-hearted attempts to introduce lifting in the shooting circle at training this week were not so successful.

With all the talk of where the defensive innovation could lead to next, the Mystics shooters couldn't resist the opportunity to experiment with some lifting manoeuvres at the end of their training.

Cathrine Latu and Maria Tutaia tried combining for an assisted alley-oop, with Latu hoisting her shooting partner into the air to collect a pass and put the ball in the net.

The results were rather shambolic.

"I got one," Tutaia shrugged as the pair abandoned their experiment after about 10 attempts.

Not quite the level of accuracy Mystics coach Debbie Fuller expects of her shooters then.

"It's opened a can of worms," said Fuller, shaking her head at the pair's experiments.

"But it begs the question, what can you do with the game that's in the rules, so that is exciting."

The Mystics' new defensive innovation has generated huge interest in what would otherwise have been a fairly uninspiring match-up against the 10th-placed Canterbury Tactix tomorrow.

While many opponents believe it will lead to low-scoring games, driving fans away in droves, that does not appear to be the case.

Mystics chief executive Julie Paterson said the excitement of the weekend's game had an impact on ticket sales, with fans keen to see the Harrison Hoist live.

"There was definitely a spike in ticket sales on Monday and it has been really steady since then," she said.

"We're having to open up seating areas that we haven't had to open up before, because people have been trying to buy online and the availability hasn't been there, so we've had to put more seats into the system."

But will fans walk away happy?

There has been some suggestion the Mystics may bring the spectacular move out only for their crunch games.

However, Fuller said this wouldn't be the case and if the opportunity arose against the Tactix, the hoist would be employed.

"It's not something you can do over and over again, it's really tough to execute properly and it takes a lot of energy," she said.

"But no, we're definitely not [going to save it].

"And this is a big game; Tactix are a well-drilled side and they've shown already this season they can be very dangerous."

Southern Steel midcourter Courtney Tairi has been ruled out for the rest of the ANZ Championship season after scans confirmed she has ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament.

The 23-year-old will undergo surgery on her injured right knee in Dunedin next week. It's a cruel blow for the Sydney-born Kiwi, whose inclusion in Netball New Zealand's accelerant squad was a strong indication of both her talent and potential. APN News & Media