Netball: Kiwi teams in top four clash

Mystics midcourter Jenny-May Coffin. Photo / Getty Images

The battle for transtasman league playoffs will take a cut-throat turn tonight with the Northern Mystics looking to advance their slim hopes of making the top four at the expense of the more assured Southern Steel.

The two sides face off in Auckland in what is expected to be the key match-up in deciding the final shape of the top four. The Steel, who are sitting in third place with a much healthier goal percentage than their northern rivals, look to have the better chance. The Auckland side have form for spoiling things for the Steel - it was a loss to the Mystics in round 12 of the 2008 season that ultimately cost the southerners a place in the playoffs in the inaugural season.

Leading the Steel that day was Jenny-May Coffin, now a key cog in the Mystics midcourt, who was practically breathing fire when she fronted the post-match press conference following her side's 47-41 loss.

"Yes, I remember that," Coffin said with a wry chuckle. "Now that I'm on the other side I absolutely hope history will repeat itself."

With their season on the line, the Mystics have tried to take a low-key approach to their build-up. They haven't always coped well under pressure this season, but Coffin is confident her side are ready for the high-stakes clash.

"I guess it's a matter of not over-emphasising it and just getting on with it," she said. "The best thing we can do is understand how important it is, but still go out there and take it ball-by-ball because if you start to think too far ahead and you see the headlines already written, that's going to influence how you play."

The Mystics won the previous match-up, holding off a fast-finishing Steel in Invercargill in round eight.

But the Steel have improved rapidly and look to be peaking at the right time. Coach Robyn Broughton, a fastidious planner, has her side well-drilled on attack, while the under-rated defensive combination of Leana de Bruin and Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit have been hugely effective.

The Mystics, meanwhile, have been up and down all year - their form magnificent at times, but mostly just plain ordinary.

Coffin said they too often let the opposition off the hook with a lack of execution.

"We've been guilty of coughing up too much ball this year, but I guess that's what you get when you have a team that has a lot of flair. It's a case of needing to balance that flair but also knowing when to pull back and make the safe pass."

The under-pressure Magic did little to quieten their detractors with a stuttering performance against the ninth-placed Central Pulse over the weekend.

The Waikato/Bay of Plenty franchise managed to stay in the hunt for the finals with a 58-52 win over the Pulse, but were largely unconvincing. Of particular concern for the Magic was once again their attack end, which looked nervous and disjointed as they relied on individual efforts rather than a cohesive team performance to get themselves across the line.

The Magic must win their final-round clash against the Adelaide Thunderbirds next Saturday to guarantee their place in the playoffs or else they will be at the mercy of the netballing gods and will need other results to go their way.

The NSW Swifts remain unbeaten, picking up a record breaking 12th consecutive win after toppling the Vixens in Melbourne. The 58-46 win was all the more impressive given coach Julie Fitzgerald got 11 of her 12 players out on court for at least one half.