Netball: Bluster over the Mystics dies in wake of Magic

Maria Tutaia of the Mystics. Photo / Getty Images

We're only three weeks into the transtasman league season and the bluster around the Northern Mystics chances in 2010 has quietened to a mere whisper.

The addition of Silver Ferns Maria Tutaia, Joline Henry and Larrissa Willcox, with Jamaican international Althea Byfield, saw the Mystics talked up as a top Kiwi contender for the ANZ Championship crown.

But the mantle of New Zealand's top franchise continues to rest safely with the Magic after the Waikato side produced a masterly 55-46 win over the Mystics on Saturday.

The result showed that despite the Aucklanders' promising start to the season, they are still lacking the overall polish and coolness under pressure to be considered premiership material.

And the hype around the new-look Mystics chances this season looks set to fade even further with a difficult couple of away games looming.

The Mystics take on the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane in next week's Rivalry Round, which features all transtasman clashes, before taking on the defending champions, the Vixens, in Melbourne the following week.

Given the struggles New Zealand sides have had winning across the Tasman - the record sits at a telling one win from 28 matches played on Australian soil - most astute punters would put their money on the home team in both matches.

This means the Mystics could very easily find themselves second and third after the opening five rounds.

Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan acknowledged the next two weeks is a perilous wee patch for her team, but said it would not define their season.

"Every game is a dangerous game, which is why we're not doing the big hooray when we win, and we're not going to get too down when we lose. We just have to have a quiet belief in ourselves that we've still got the goods to be a force in this competition."

But the weekend's loss has certainly provided the Mystics with a rather substantial list of things to work on if they are to emerge as semifinal contenders come the pointy end of the season.

They were outwitted tactically by a Magic side that had clearly done their homework on their Northern rivals.

The Mystics showed a fierce resolve to fight their way back from a 29-21 halftime deficit to trail by just three in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

But when the game entered the pressure-filled final stages, their poise and execution deserted them.

This was in large part due to the intense one-on-one defence of the Magic, who were able to break down the Mystics' attacking connections by pressuring individuals.

Magic coach Noeline Taurua said that defensively her side executed the gameplan perfectly, singling out her midcourt pairing of Laura Langman and former Australian international Peta Scholz as playing a key role in this.

"Defensively the objective was to smother to create turnovers. We did that well by working hard on individuals so they really had to demonstrate their skills with the ball in hand," said Taurua.

* The Tactix produced one of the great netball turnarounds last night, but could not hold out league leaders the Swifts, who won 56-53 after extra time.

The Swifts are three wins from three, but had to work far harder than they would have expected as the hosts threatened a major upset.

In yesterday's other match, the Queensland Firebirds suffered a heart-breaking 41-40 loss to Adelaide. The Firebirds, who showed promising pre-season form, are now three loses from three matches.