BLUE BLOODED: The 2015 SkyCity Mystics line-up. PICTURE / AUCKLAND SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
The inclusion in the SkyCity Mystics line-up of a local girl who cut her chops playing through the grades in Kerikeri has given the Far North sporting community even more reason to get behind the franchise's campaign this season.
Although she's only had 15 minutes of game time after four rounds in the ANZ Championship, goal shoot Elsa Brown is happy biding her time for now.
At 1.91m, the latest Mystics signing is the tallest player in the team. Aged 23, the former Kerikeri High head girl expects to get some serious court time towards the business end of the season. She noted that with most franchises, first-year players weren't generally given a look in until around the 14th or 15th round. In the meantime, she was happy enough to sit back and learn from the best in the business as the Mystics set about shaking off their infamous underachiever tag in the transtasman tournament.
She's obviously keeping some pretty interesting company in the side including several players who are household names in New Zealand and internationally, are counted among the best in the world. That includes an offensive line-up featuring Cathrine Latu from Kawakawa, along with Maria Tutaia and Paula Griffin, as well as a quality mid-court made up of Silver Ferns' Laura Langman and Millie Lees.
"I'm loving it, it's awesome," Brown said of the Mystics set-up. "It was an awesome opportunity to come home. I'm living in Auckland but it's only three hours' drive north to see my mum."
Ironically, it's her Far North stablemate keeping Brown out of the spotlight. As the Mystics No1 shooter, Latu has been on a mission of sorts towards reclaiming the title of the country's most lethal player under the hoop; maybe to prove she has completely recovered from a recent appendicitis operation. But Latu has also become a mentor of sorts, by helping Brown get up to speed in the demanding professional environment of the ANZ championships.
"Cathrine, especially, has taken me under her wing and takes me aside sometimes to show me little tricks," said Brown, adding the maxim, "Catch like a lion and shoot like a lamb," was being drummed into her by coach Debbie Fuller and her assistant Noeline Taurua.
Raised near Kaeo as one of eight kids, Brown went through school in Kerikeri, and played both domestically and representatively for the Kerikeri Netball Centre (KNC). Formative figures in those early years who saw her talent and encouraged her to continue developing her skills included Lyn Gunson, the KNC's high performance coach, and Dot Dromgool, the former KNC president, who "pushed for me to go further".
Several years ago, Brown made the move to Waikato to study, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science, and took on a job as a lab technician in Hamilton while regularly finding herself on the cusp of earning a position in the Waikato Magic.
She eventually made the decision to quit her job in August last year "because it wasn't really what I loved". She enrolled in teaching, when she got a call from the Mystics and was "very excited," to find she was being offered a full-time contract. She certainly received plenty of support from back home over the announcement with a good number of messages generated from the KNC's social media site.
Continuing teaching studies part-time, Brown is primarily relishing the opportunity to play at international level. The SkyCity Mystics (formerly the Northern Mystics) record so far this season includes a 59-53 away win over the Mainland Tactix 59-53, a 67-51 away loss to Western Fever, a 51-all draw away with the Thunderbirds, most recently winning their first home game of the season by beating the Central Pulse 49-44 in Henderson on Monday night. The results have the Mystics sitting of top of the transtasman league's New Zealand conference.
Brown admitted the 15 minutes' court time she had been given so far had proven invaluable in her debut season.
"Yeah, it was awesome. It was intense. I've got my first 15 minutes under my belt so when the next time comes, I'll be a lot more prepared."
The Mystics are at home again this Sunday, hosting the Southern Steel in Henderson in a match which starts at 7.10pm. No doubt there'll be plenty of former class- and team-mates monitoring the side's progress in this game and for the rest of the season, all hoping to see Brown get a chance to show what she is capable of delivering.
- Additional reporting by
Josh Berry, Northern Advocate