Netball: Aussies question NZ's credentials

Sharelle McMahon. File photo / Paul Estcourt

It could be construed as sour grapes but the Aussies are questioning the Mystics' semifinal credentials.

The Auckland franchise have reached the top four for the first time but Vixens coach Julie Hoornweg says it's partly due to a favourable fixture list.

The ANZ Championship draw, in which teams play their national rivals twice but those of the opposing nation just once, has come under scrutiny before although perhaps never to this degree.

"If the Mystics had had to play the Firebirds twice, they might not be in the finals," says Hoornweg, whose team finished two points out of the playoffs. "Certainly the Swifts, Firebirds and ourselves are the top three [Australian] teams and [the Mystics] only had to play them once.

"What is difficult is that the five Australian teams seem to be much more competitive than the five New Zealand teams. Look at the Tactix and the Pulse - how many games have they won combined in the last four years?

"We have never lost to the Pulse or the Tactix and, at the start of the season, we would target those games. Every Australian team has beaten every other Australian side. The Fever is our worst team but they beat the Thunderbirds last week. They have beaten us before, as well as the Swifts and the Firebirds. "

Hoornweg added that the "talk of the town" in Australia is that the current structure is in place to ensure the presence of New Zealand teams in the playoffs.

Vixens captain Sharelle McMahon was more conciliatory than her coach.

"It would be great to get to play all the teams equally and [the current system] is probably not the ideal or the fairest way but I don't know if it is possible at the moment to extend the league," said McMahon.

Some would say Hoornweg has a valid point and the draw favours the top New Zealand teams. The Mystics won nine games this season but only two against teams which finished in the top six. The other seven victories all came against the bottom four sides, including six wins (and 12 points) over the Pulse, Tactix and Steel. The Wellington and Canterbury franchises have been virtual cannon fodder for the better sides over the past two seasons, winning just four and two games out of 26 respectively.

A similar situation happened in 2010. The Firebirds missed out on the semifinals despite beating every New Zealand side, while the Steel went through without winning in Australia.

"If we want a true and equitable competition, you have to play everybody twice," says Hoornweg. "I can't think of another competition in the world that allows you to play two halves and bring them together."

The response of Mystics coach Debbie Fuller was unequivocal.

"They need to get over it," says Fuller. "That is part of the territory. You have to accept it and not moan about it. Until the sport has the resource to play home and away, we have to live with what we've got. We totally deserve to be in the top four."

The NRL has a similar split system but seed the teams each season based on their placings the previous year. American sports have long employed a conference system, with the NFL and NBA often dominated by one conference, leading to claims the best two teams often don't make the Superbowl or NBA finals. And Super Rugby has more local derbies.

ANZ Championship officials are aware of the issue but have no plans to change the current format in the near future.

An extra five matches per team is currently not seen as financially or logistically viable and they are wary of trying to grow too fast.

From a marketing point of view, the fact two New Zealand sides have reached the playoffs in the last three seasons is positive, as it ensures transtasman interest in the competition is maintained for at least the first two weeks of the finals.

The counter argument is that, if the Mystics have been the beneficiaries of a 'soft' run to the top four, they will be found out today by the Swifts in the minor semifinal. The Mystics have never beaten the Sydneysiders in four attempts, though it has always been close and the margin has never been greater than eight goals.

"They have units that have been together for a long period of time - like Catherine Cox and Susan Pratley - so they have an incredible understanding but it can also be exposed," says Fuller. "Maybe sometimes they are predictable."

Despite losing 53-46 in round 10, Fuller takes heart from the fact they won the second half, at one stage pegged back a 14 goal deficit and played a quarter without Cathrine Latu.

History is against the Swifts and the Mystics, as no side has ever won the ANZ Championship after advancing from the minor semifinal.