Netball: Mixture makes for finals with x-factor

Irene van Dyk. Photo / Alan Gibson.

Two finals debutantes, a top-four stalwart, a new minor premier and two former champions out for the count - the fourth edition of the ANZ Championship finals series is shaping up as one of the most fascinating we've seen.

Week one of the play-offs features two transtasman clashes, as the Northern Mystics take on the NSW Swifts at home in Sunday's sudden-death minor semifinal, while the second-placed Magic travel to the Gold Coast for their semifinal clash against the as yet unbeaten Queensland Firebirds.

The winner of that match will advance straight to the grand final and the loser will be left to battle it out with the winner of Sunday's game for the remaining spot in the title decider.

After the success of the NZ Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League, Kiwi fans are wondering if this could be the year New Zealand also break their transtasman league duck?

The Magic and the Mystics have the talent and x-factor to lead them to the title, but it's the second-placed Magic that look like the most likely threat to Australia's stranglehold.

The Waikato/Bay of Plenty side are the most consistent team in the competition, being the only team to have qualified for the finals in all four seasons.

Their record of 2-3-2 over the past three years is an enviable one. But they will take little satisfaction in that unless they have something to show for it at the end of this year. Winning the competition is now essential. Otherwise, four years of hard work could amount to nothing.

Their play-offs experience will be invaluable - particularly when you consider the Firebirds and Mystics have never made it beyond the regular season in their previous campaigns.

Many consider the Magic's best chance of winning the title is for them to secure a home grand final, which would mean beating the Firebirds, who went through the regular season unbeaten, on Monday night.

In their two previous grand final appearances, Magic had to battle their way through the repechage to get there and there is certainly a determination in the team to take the direct route to the title decider this season.

"We've done it the hard way in the past few seasons and we want to make life easier on ourselves this year," said star shooter Irene van Dyk.

The Magic will be sweating over the fitness of experienced midcourter Peta Scholz, who sat out their final round match against the Central Pulse after tweaking her knee in the previous week's win over the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

The former Australian international had an MRI scan earlier in the week and is awaiting the advice of her surgeon, who reconstructed Scholz' knee last year after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament.

It's unknown at this stage if the injury is serious enough to rule Scholz out of the Magic's finals campaign, or if medical staff are just being especially cautious following last year's setback.

The Magic's hopes of securing a home grand final will be greatly boosted by having Scholz in their line-up.

If the Mystics are to advance to the final show, they will have to win their way through two tough play-off matches. Lose to the Swifts on Sunday and they are out.

There's no doubting 2011 has been a breakthrough season for the Mystics, but they've shown worrying glimpses of the flaky form that has cost them a place in the finals for the past three seasons.

However, their strength is in their flair and unpredictability and they boast some big-game players in Silver Ferns Maria Tutaia, Temepara George, Joline Henry and Anna Scarlett.

The Swifts, who have an equally star-studded line-up, have also demonstrated an inconsistent streak in 2011, making for an unpredictable contest.

The Mystics have stepped up their preparation for Sunday afternoon's match, spending two full days in camp to fine-tune their game plan.

Mystics coach Debbie Fuller said she wanted to use the time to "reset" the team and ensure they were ready for the lift in intensity.

"One of the reasons we're doing it this way is that we always feel like we're rushed for time. So bringing them in to camp and spending this time together just means we can ensure we're as well prepared as we possibly can be," Fuller said.

Midcourter Portia Woodman, who was named yesterday in the New Zealand under-21 side, has been called in for the finals series in place of Grace Rasmussen, whose season was cut short by a serious knee injury.

SEMIFINALS

Minor semifinal:
NSW Swifts v Northern Mystics
Sunday 4.20pm, Sydney

Major semifinal:
Queensland Firebirds v Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic
Monday 9.40pm, Gold Coast