Netball: Mystics go duck shooting

Temepara George says the Mystics have a score to settle. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Northern Mystics leave for Perth today for their round three transtasman clash against the West Coast Fever with one goal in mind - breaking their duck on Australian soil.

It is not only a key objective for the Mystics this season, but also every other New Zealand team after the Kiwi franchises failed to chalk up a win across the Tasman last year.

Inevitably, winning in Australia has suddenly become not only paramount to the success of individual Kiwi franchises in the ANZ Championship but also a matter of national pride. And the Mystics are desperate to be the first to claim a victory for New Zealand.

Mystics captain Temepara George said her side had a bit of a score to settle with the Fever after they upset the Auckland side at home early last season.

"It's definitely a challenge for us, but we've done all the planning and we've prepared really well and now we're just looking forward to getting on the road and being the first team to win in Aussie," she said.

Although the Fever, who are coming off a seven-goal loss to the Canterbury Tactix in round two, are regarded as the weakest Australian team, they will still be a very tough proposition for the Mystics, particularly at home.

The Fever will have a height advantage at both ends of the court in 1.92m shooter Caitlin Bassett and 1.96m defender Susan Fuhrmann, but Mystics coach Te Aroha Keenan said while the pair are intimidating, they still have their vulnerabilities.

"It doesn't matter how tall they are, they can still be fragile," said Keenan.

"We just have to ensure we don't allow them to play to their strengths."

On top of scouting the Fever, the Mystics have also had to do plenty of homework on the umpires.

Adjusting to a different style of umpiring appears to be the toughest part of winning transtasman matches for the away team. The difference in umpiring interpretations between the two countries proved not only problematic for the Kiwi teams last season, but also visiting Australian sides.

Keenan said the coaching staff had done a great deal of analysis of Australian umpires over the past week to ensure her side could make the appropriate adjustments on Monday night.

"We know their umpires don't like certain things, so we have to be really careful about the way we position our bodies," she said.

"We've looked hard at how they judge contact and obstructions and there is clarity around the contesting of the ball."

The Mystics game will follow Monday night's other transtasman encounter between the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic and the NSW Swifts in Hamilton. The match is a repeat of last year's grand-final showdown, in which the Swifts ran out convincing winners.

Today's action pits the Central Pulse against the Queensland Firebirds in a match sure to draw plenty of interest in the wake of Firebirds' coach Vicki Wilson's stinging criticism of the Wellington side this week.

Two tight clashes are expected in tomorrow's games, with the two unbeaten Australian sides - the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Melbourne Vixens - set to do battle, while local rivalries will be renewed in the southern derby showdown between the Canterbury Tactix and Southern Steel.

ROUND 3

Today: 2pm Central Pulse v Queensland Firebirds, Wellington.
Tomorrow: 4.30pm Adelaide Thunderbirds v Melbourne Vixens; 6.30pm Canterbury Tactix v Southern Steel.
Monday: 7pm Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic v NSW Swifts; 9pm West Coast Fever v Northern Mystics.