Netball: Langman set to go

Silver Fern star Laura Langman has had enough of the Mystics after just one year. Photo / Getty Images

The Mystics have endured another dismal year and things could get even worse in 2015.

Laura Langman is set to leave the Mystics at the end of this season, following the Auckland team's forgettable campaign.

The Herald on Sunday understands that several other players are disillusioned with the environment, and will depart if opportunities present themselves elsewhere.

Despite being in the country's biggest market, the Mystics have failed to secure a principal sponsor. They are the only franchise without such support, and crowds and corporate interest have fallen away, mirroring their performances.

Losing Langman after just one year would be a huge setback, but she will take some persuading to stay. The Silver Ferns vice-captain was meant to help turn the Mystics around, spark their performances on the court and improve the culture and attitude off it.

But the problems at the Mystics run deeply. Hoping Langman would be the magic bullet was always fanciful, and so it has proved.

The team have been better than last year but this campaign can still be judged a failure, as they were out of play-off contention with almost half a season to go. They haven't beaten any of the top five teams and endured thrashings at the hands of the Vixens (24 goals), Magic (14 goals) and Steel (12 goals), the latter two at home.

How could a squad with so many top-line Silver Ferns, plus Julie Corletto and several promising youngsters deliver so little? They have arguably the best centre and goal-attack in the world, two world-class defenders and a pair of top-line shooters. But they aren't a team.

It's hard to know how to rebuild this franchise. There are several strong personalities within the team but they obviously haven't gelled. The decision to bring Temepara George back for two games was strange and looked like a panic move.

Despite all the pre-season talk, it's clear training standards haven't improved. Culture, discipline, desire — call it what you want — has all been lacking.

Coach Debbie Fuller, who was so successful in 2011 and 2012, has struggled to come up with strategies and tactics to get the best out of her squad.

Pressure must also be building on chief executive Julie Paterson, as several poor decisions have been made under her watch. Ruth Aitken was an ill-judged choice as coach last year, as was the decision not to find a direct replacement for George. Grace Rasmussen has been missed while some of the under-performers from last season have shown little evidence of raising their game.

The only saviour for the Mystics, who host the West Coast Fever tomorrow night, could be the lack of realistic options for Langman. Though the Magic would be an obvious destination, it will be a difficult conundrum for the Waikato BOP franchise.

They will want to keep faith with the squad that have performed so well this year and also may struggle to find room in their salary cap for Langman.

The Pulse's mid-court options are well covered and Langman may be reluctant to relocate to the South Island, especially in a world championship year.