Netball: Coffin steps into Mystics coach role

Jenny-May Coffin. Photo / Natalie Slade

Jenny-May Coffin will run the team for two weeks The Northern Mystics will be without the guidance of coach Debbie Fuller for tomorrow's key transtasman league clash with the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic in Hamilton.

Fuller gave birth to her third child - a baby girl - yesterday morning and will miss this weekend's match against the Magic, as well as their round six showdown against the Thunderbirds in Adelaide.

Mystics assistant coach Jenny-May Coffin will take the reins for the next two weeks and is determined to make the transition as smooth as possible, preaching a "business as usual" approach.

"Debs will still be doing some behind the scenes stuff in terms of looking at opposition and obviously we'll be in regular communication as well through that time," said Coffin.

"So things will carry on as normal essentially, just without Debs being physically present during the games."

Coffin could not have asked for two more challenging games in charge. The clash between neighbouring rivals the Mystics and Magic are typically fiercely competitive battles. But despite pushing the Magic hard on several occasions, the Mystics have never beaten the Waikato side in their seven previous meetings.

They came close in their last outing against the Magic in round three - the scores were level for the first two quarters, before the Magic took a one-goal lead heading into the final period. But the Mystics lost their way in the fourth quarter, eventually falling 45-39 to the more clinical and composed Magic side.

Coffin said her side are determined to get over the line this weekend. "We need to stick to the gameplan, pure and simple. We went off the boil in that last quarter and that was the difference."

The officiating tomorrow will provide another interesting dynamic to the match, with two Australian umpires in charge of the fixture as part of an ANZ Championship initiative to foster a greater understanding of the differences in styles of the New Zealand and Australian play.

The Mystics have already been part of the experiment in their round one win over the Southern Steel, and Coffin said her side needed to use the learning from that experience tomorrow.

"It's something we have discussed, the girls are aware of it and I think it was great to have them in that first round, just to see what you can and can't get away with," she said.

The Auckland side will once again be without Silver Fern Joline Henry for tomorrow's clash. The wily defender has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and is in doubt for next week's trip to Adelaide. However, the Mystics will have experienced goal keep Rachel Rasmussen back for tomorrow's match.

The Mystics last week proved they have the depth to perform well without some of their frontline stars, toppling the experienced Melbourne Vixens 56-54 in Auckland and Coffin believes that win has given her side the confidence they need against the Magic.

ANZ Championship

Today: 4.20pm Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever, Melbourne.

Tomorrow: 4.20pm Adelaide Thunderbirds v Queensland Firebirds, Adelaide

6.20pm Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic v Northern Mystics, Hamilton.

Monday: 7.40pm Southern Steel v Central Pulse, Invercargill

9.40pm NSW Swifts v Canterbury Tactix, Sydney.