Mystics 55 Thunderbirds 52
A dodgy shoulder and a niggly ankle weren't enough to stop newly-acquired and inspirational Northern Mystics' goal keep Althea Byfield from a noble performance against her Jamaican team-mate and Adelaide Thunderbirds' shooter Carla Borrego.
The Mystics were pushed to breaking point by a raft of injuries to key defenders but the Auckland-based side sent a resounding message to their ANZ Championship rivals yesterday, downing last season's losing finalists by three goals.
In what was the arguably the most talked about match-up, Borrego squared off against Byfield. Byfield's persistence despite pain earned points with her 1.93m opposite:
"Althea is a fighter and, regardless of what's going on, she's still going to be a very good player, so I don't think the injuries hindered her, because she has the will at heart," Borrego said.
Giving up was not an option for Byfield.
"I think it's mental. I think you can play through any injury. If your right knee hurts, you can land on your left. If your right shoulder hurts, you can be stronger on your left. You just have to suck it up and play through it."
Despite demonstrating flair and some eye-watering splits in the final quarter, it was difficult to measure Borrego's effectiveness up to that point.
Byfield rolled an ankle in her first touch of the ball and her left shoulder was heavily strapped - a recurring dislocation injury which flared up in October.
Despite the formidable shooting combination of Borrego and Australian Diamond Kate Beveridge, the Thunderbirds failed to take full advantage of their opposition's weakened state - a fact not lost on Thunderbirds' co-captain and defender Mo'onia Gerrard.
"I think we don't start too well and we didn't start well in this game. It's something we definitely need to work on."
Thunderbirds coach Jane Woodsland-Thompson wondered what might have been.
"We picked their line-up, we did a lot of homework on them. We knew exactly what we were up against.
"Unfortunately, I think they were a lot more polished than we thought they'd be with their injury issues and the new combinations. But full credit to the Mystics - they were sensational."
The Mystics' attack was dogged and innovative. Their linkages between the centre and the shooting thirds showed the team is gelling well on attack - centre Temepara George through to shooter Cathrine Latu, a case in point.
Latu used her signature holding game to great effect against Geva Mentor and her accuracy was vital in keeping the Mystics ahead.
"I am just excited about our whole team effort - and to beat who was in the finals last year was fantastic," said Mystics captain George.
Despite being up by 10 goals early in the final quarter, the Mystics appeared set to succumb to the pressure of the Australians' storming finish. Scores were 51-all with four minutes remaining.
Three long-range goals to new recruit goal attack Maria Tutaia restored the home side's advantage and carried them to their first defeat over an Australian team to kick-start the third year of the competition.
"It was really good for our team to come back after that lull in the last quarter. The Thunderbirds did well in counteracting what we were doing well - but it took us a bit too long to change our game plan," George said.
