Netball: Mystics' game plan: unite and intimidate

Keshia Grant warms up with her team, who are hoping for a drastic turnaround in form this season after a disappointing 2008. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Not a threat. Disjointed. Undisciplined. Beatable.

Those were just a few of the responses Northern Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan received when she asked her players how other ANZ Championship teams may have viewed the Auckland side last year.

The Mystics plan to drastically change such opinions this season, which kicks off today with the Southern Steel taking on the Central Pulse in Invercargill.

They hope other teams will consider them as a "united", "strong" and "intimidating" side this year.

The Auckland side have already gone a long way in silencing their critics, showing the benefits of an intense off-season training programme with some impressive pre-season form.

The Mystics took out the first pre-season tournament in Queenstown and dropped just one game at the Waipa Festival of Netball two weeks ago. But Keenan said her side would be satisfied only if they could produce consistently strong results this season.

"They don't want any applause until they can put it out on court this season," said Keenan.

Their quest begins on Monday with a tough first-up assignment against last year's beaten finalists, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic - a team that have the bulk of New Zealand's top netballing talent.

Keenan admits taking on the likes of Silver Fern stars Irene van Dyk, Laura Langman and Casey Williams - to name just a few of the Magic's considerable firepower - will be a stern challenge for her side.

"Just looking at the individual talent in that line-up we know it is going to be a tough ask for us. But we've done the work and we've done the preparation and we'll just give it our best shot," said Keenan.

Having lost Silver Ferns Leana de Bruin, Sheryl Scanlan and Paula Griffin to other franchises after their disappointing 2008 campaign, the Mystics have an element of the unknown about them this season with players who have previously occupied bench positions set to have a lot of involvement.

But one player the Magic will be familiar with is nippy midcourter Keshia Grant, who moved north from the franchise last year.

Far from being intimidated about taking on her star-studded former team, Grant looks forward to the challenge and believes the Mystics have the goods to pull off an upset.

Taking on the Magic in the first round might actually work in the Aucklanders' favour, she said.

"I think in some ways it is better to take them on now when maybe they're not as sharp as they will be later in the season and some of their combinations aren't as well-developed."

The 2009 championship opens with the Southern Steel and Central Pulse battling in Invercargill - a match-up that last year saw the competition's first overtime match. The Steel eventually won 52-50 and are expected to easily beat the inexperienced Pulse today.

The Vixens are also expected to cruise to win against the West Coast Fever in Melbourne.

Sunday's match-up between the Queensland Firebirds and Adelaide Thunderbirds looks set to be the match of the round between two very strong Australian franchises, while the final game of the round between the NSW Swifts and the Canterbury Tactix will be the only transtasman clash.

ROUND 1

* Today: 2pm Southern Steel v Central Pulse, Invercargill; 4pm Melbourne Vixens v West Coast Fever, Melbourne
* Tomorrow: 4:30pm Queensland Firebirds v Adelaide Thunderbirds, Brisbane
* Monday: 7pm Northern Mystics v Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, Auckland; 9pm NSW Swifts v Canterbury Tactix, Sydney